Fallout: Hope from Beyond the Stars

Disclaimer: I do not own anything related to Fallout and Halo so don't bother me about it.

Chapter 5

Meeting Three Dog…

( ): Thoughts

…

In the Wasteland…

John looked around while cradling his MA5C ICWS Assault Rifle and was currently leading the Brotherhood group, making sure that he was able to be at a distance that meant that he can move to join them if they needed help. For now, there had not been any sign of enemy forces or any more of the mutants of this place. He took in the sights of the ruins of D.C and he made sure to keep his senses at full alert.

The Spartan would routinely look back at the team and see how they were doing, and seeing that they were able to keep up, he relaxed himself while still keeping an eye out for trouble. He checked the Spartan Laser on his back and was happy that it was still charged and ready for use, but he was only going to use it if he had to. As he and the Brotherhood supply convoy moved through the roads, he spotted the massive carrier in the distance and he also noted the Jefferson Memorial. The place looked a LOT different from the images he had seen of the place briefly in history as there were some large pipes there along with a lot of machinery. He moved a bit closer and used the zoom feature in hi helmet and spotted a number of Super Mutants in the area and those 'guard dogs' that they had with them.

He ignored them for now and moved on, spotting a very well fortified location nearby and could tell from the potent smell of burning fuel and the sight of bags filled with bleeding body parts that this was a camp for Super Mutants. Thankfully there were no signs of the monsters, no doubt hunting for either food, picking fights with the locals, or kidnapping people. Neither of those thoughts worked with John but he had a job to do and he was going to do it right, he can worry about the other details later.

"Rivet City…not the most friendly of places for us in the Brotherhood, but at least they are nice enough to trade with us for supplies and basic goods."

John turned to Artemis and nodded at the assessment of the Brotherhood Knight, the aircraft carrier looked nothing like the carriers he had seen in the planet based UNSC Navy but there was no denying that back in it's heyday before this war that doomed this…version of Earth, it must have been an imposing sight. He knew that the history of carriers was very much part of naval warfare when the events of Pearl Harbor took the focus from battleships to carriers for the American Navy. He placed those thoughts out of his mind for now as he spoke to the man who was in charge of the mission.

"How long as it been here?"

The man shrugged, an exaggerated look in Power Armor to be sure and replied.

"Not too sure really, it's been here ever since we set up, probably one of the few places that have been secured, you might want to ask the locals for a history lesson, but I do know that their little drawbridge is the reason they don't suddenly get invaded. They move that away from the mainland and just pepper the would-be invaders from the decks and portholes."

John took that in and decided to reserve looking at Rivet City at a later date, for now they were heading into one of the train stations. Moving through the roads and thankfully not encountering resistance but that would change soon enough in his mind. And he was right as he quickly picked up movement in his HUDs radar. He stopped and quickly gave the gesture of holding their position, Artemis would have normally chaffed at the idea of this guy leading but after seeing him in action and seeing that he had a lot of experience, decided not make an issue out of it.

He gave the order for them to halt and nodded to John as the Spartan went ahead, very silently, so silent that it would have been impossible for anyone to hear him despite the fact he was wearing Power Armor. The Brotherhood Paladin was still trying to figure out this man but already he could see that this guy was no slouch when it came to moving around. Moving in stealth with Power Armor was no mean feat and even if done, it was very difficult to mask the noise of the servos of the armor.

This Spartan on the other hand was doing it like he was doing this sort of thing for years and his armor did not even make a slight creak. It was something that was a major leap in design since as far as he knew, not even the original Brotherhood had developed any new Power Armor. And it did not match anything the Enclave had ever cooked up at all.

(Who the hell trained this guy? And where the hell did they build this man's armor)

It did not take long for John to return to them and report.

"The Station's being watched by a number of Talon Company mercenaries, one's armed with an Assault Rifle of Chinese design, another is armed with a Shotgun, and the last appears to be armed with a Combat Knife.."

Artemis swore at that a bit and replied.

"Those mercs will just shoot whoever isn't wearing their symbols so no way will they listen to us, and I got word that some bounty, a damned big one is on you as well. We're going to have to take them out and make sure to do it fast."

"I'll do it."

The Spartan turned to where the mercs were and quickly moved into position, allowing Artemis to follow him along with the others. As soon as they were there, they were only able to see the Spartan as he got ready. They were not sure just what was cooking in the armored man's mind but there was no doubt that it was going to be over very quickly. The Spartan suddenly moved out and they could only gap as he moved like a blur.

(Damn…that guy can move!)

Artemis and the other Initiates moved and saw the Spartan attack the Talon Company Mercs, the mercs barely had time to respond as the Spartan came in to play. The Shotgun wielding merc barely turned to suddenly get a massive fist in the face that actually snapped the neck of the man like it was a twig. The Spartan grabbed the Shotgun and yanked it forward gently, that allowed the weapon to hit the still actively moving finger in the trigger. That action made the weapon go boom and smashed into the chest of the Knife wielding merc. That forced him back as the Spartan turned and aimed his Assault Rifle in one hand into the face of the Assault Rifle wielding mercenary.

BBBRRRRAAAACCCCKKKKK!

The man's face was reduced into a mess of blood, flesh, bone, and brain matter before he could even fire his rifle. The last merc recovered and was about to attack the Spartan. John turned and quickly attacked the mercenary with one massive kick into the chest. That attack was more than enough to send the man flying back and smashing into the station's roof posts. The impact was such that the man's head smashed hard into the post and the sound of cracking was heard.

That was more than enough to tell anyone that the man was dead as the sight of blood was all over the place along with flesh and brain matter. They packed it up but Artemis made sure to field strip the mercs, taking their ammunition, food, and anything else of value while leaving behind the rest. They moved in and as they entered, they soon spotted that there were a number of Raiders taking residence in the area. That was more than enough to convince the group to attack.

…

The Raiders had no time to react as John appeared and quickly fired a storm of bullets from his Assault Rifle, reducing a number of the Raiders into living target boards. The two he targeted danced to the bullets and soon dropped dead, and as the rest tried to react and fight back, the rest of the Brotherhood took in and shot the rest, One Raider who was apparently hopped up on drugs charged at John with a pool cue of all things and John retaliated in kind by side stepping the strike to his head so as not to waste his time, then introduced the butt of his Assault Rifle right into the side of the neck on the Raider.

The brutal snapping of bone and popping cartilage was heard and the raider dropped dead in an instant as John quickly took the pool cue and tossed it like a javelin at another Raider who was about to prime a Grenade and chug it at the Brotherhood Initiates. The now lethal weapon impaled the Raider right at the shoulder, going through the bone due to the sheer strength imparted to it by the Spartan. That action was more than enough to make the Raider lose his grip on the Grenade as it dropped and rolled to the side and went boom…blowing him aside and ripping off a leg.

The Spartan turned and dropped another Raider coming at him with a Combat Shotgun as the pellets were blocked by his Shields. The Super soldier responded by tapping his Assault Rifle's trigger in the usual fashion, three taps and sent two bullets into the chest and one in the head, killing his attacker quickly.

The firefight did not last long as the team finally wiped out the Raiders and Artemis checked the Chronometer in his Power Armor and saw that it was noon, seeing that the Initiates were in need some rest and food, he gave orders for them to salvage what they could from the Raiders and also toss away the bodies somewhere, once that was out of the way, they would go and get some much needed food and rest.

The Initiates were happy for that and did so as John watched the supplies for them when ordered by Artemis. Once the grisly job was over, the Initiates got down and began to eat what they had not only brought with them but what they were able to find from the area around them.

…

As they rested in the ruined station where the Raiders had once taken residence, John was currently looking at the area to see the condition of the city's transit system. Which was obviously quite the mess and as such, he no problem guessing that this city took the full force of some nuclear weapon hits. It made sense to him that some sections of the city fared better than others but the ruined city was still going to be hard to navigate in and going to the streets was not going to be a simple thing with not only the barriers but, the beings there were in the area.

John took this rest break to have a discussion with Cortana and since it was through the neural link, the Brotherhood of Steel were not going to notice. They had already guessed that for now they had the advantage in terms of supplies and logistics. The Pioneer had MORE than enough supplies and resources for them to use in terms of ammunition, food, medical supplies, weapons, vehicles and whatnot so they did not have to rely on the weapons of this…Wasteland too much.

"All right Cortana, we need to figure out just what our next step is."

"I know…this is a situation that none of us prepared for, we might be the ONLY UNSC personnel who have seen what could be a possible answer to one of the biggest dangers of Slipspace Drives. I'm saying that THIS is the result, just a possibility; the reason to why we are still alive is a mystery, but no sense dwelling on it either. I have some good news though not by much."

"What?"

"I have files on what happened to us in the Pioneer when we made the Slipspace Jump, I have a feeling that by tweaking the settings on the Drive as well as the coordinates, we might be able to take the whole trip in reverse."

"Open a portal BACK to our world? Is that even possible?"

"It can be done, it's difficult for sure, but not impossible John, besides we do have to go back to the UNSC though it might be a while before we can. We need to make changes to make sure that when we leave Slipspace we actually arrive at our reality."

The Spartan thought it over and had to concede to that point at this time frame, if they could replicate the Slipspace event in reverse, it just might send them back. Still there were no doubt going to be obstacles to that being possible, and there were two that were the most glaring in his mind. He spoke to Cortana about this as he knew that she might have a solution in mind already, but there was no sense in not covering any possible angles.

"We do have two problems Cortana, the first is resources, we need two vital materials for those replacement parts, and the second is that we don't have the facilities for the manufacturing of said parts."

The A.I then replied.

"There are at least two options, and both of them have advantages or disadvantages…though I think that the second option is a lot more viable…difficult to be sure, but viable either way."

"All right, let me hear it."

…

While this was going on, Artemis was busy checking on the supplies of his team and checking their weapons, he was still not happy with working with only Initiates but at least they were not too bad. So far they were currently resting in Anacostia Train Station and have disposed of the Raiders who were there as well as taking their weapons and ammunition, there were some injuries but thankfully no losses, and at least the supplies were not damaged. Taking this break was good since he knew that riding the Initiates hard would not work well if they were too exhausted, hungry and more.

As he got himself done with the job and he was now focusing his attention on the Spartan who was with them. The man was certainly someone that he had not ever met before and he still wondered on how he was able to do all things, where did he come from, who made his Armor, and who trained him. The fact that his armor actually had working personnel sized energy SHIELDS only added to the mystery. There was no doubt in the Paladin's mind that he was going to be someone that he was happy to at least have on their side. He also decided that when the mission was over, he was going to report to the Elder that the Master Chief deserved to be allowed to access the data archives. Who knows, helping this guy might actually be a boon in disguise to the Brotherhood. But he placed those thoughts aside as he finally checked his chronometer and spoke to the group.

"Okay people, we have a long way to go to the outpost so let's not waste any more time. Get your gear ready and let's move out."

The Initiates nodded and soon they were ready to go as Artemis spoke to the Spartan.

"Chief, you have the point, we'll cover you if you encounter trouble."

"Roger that sir."

The Spartan soon moved to the front with his Assault Rifle at the ready and moved through the exit while the others followed him. Once they came out of the transit tunnels, they soon found that it was going to be midday now and they were still a long ways off. The sounds of sporadic gunfire filled the Spartan's ears every now and then, along with any other sounds as he guided the group to their potential destination.

The group moved into the D.C Ruins once more and John as well as Cortana were busy doing what they could to guide the team of Brotherhood members to their next stop. All the while, the Spartan kept his entire array of senses alert as well as the functions of his MJOLNIR. That caution came in handy when he spotted a pair of Super Mutants moving about ahead of them. He pointed them out to the others and he asked permission to use the Hunting Rifle for a bit as he needed to take out the larger Super Mutant from the elevated position.

Artemis nodded in agreement and John was soon handed the weapon while giving his MA5C Assault Rifle to one of the Initiates. The Spartan moved very quietly and got himself into a good position and then to the surprise of the group, he took up what appeared to be an old plastic bottle and placed it before the barrel of the gun. He then took out a large amount of wire and began to use it to tighten the bottle around the barrel of the gun.

The Spartan knew that it was not going to be easy but he placed such thoughts aside. He took aim and then fired the weapon, the Brotherhood had no idea who among the Frankenstein monsters the man shot as they could see clearly, but they soon saw it as the one Super Mutant on the top of the vehicle hulk suddenly roared out in pain and took up it's mini-gun to begin hunting to locate the Spartan. Apparently the Spartan had used the plastic bottle as a form of makeshift sound suppressor.

…

The Spartan used his MJOLNIR's magnification functions and used that to serve as his sniper scope and fired at the Super Mutant in the eye. The shot hit hard and fast and took out the creature's eye, namely the right one. The Spartan moved and fired at the next Super Mutant as the one he targeted now was armed with an Assault Rifle. The round flew towards the Super Mutant and hit him right in the throat. The bullet did not go in deeply as far as the Spartan could see from the distance, but he saw it cut through the skin and began to rip into the flesh of the Super Mutant. The being roared in pain and anger for a brief moment until it held it's now bleeding neck. John followed that up with another round and this time, it got the creature right in the left eye.

…

Soon the creature got another round courtesy of the Spartan right in the other eye and soon it dropped dead. The one with the mini-gun was utterly enraged and began to fire, John felt his shield flicker but not by much from being hit by a stray round but that was enough for him to clear out as he moved back a bit to avoid the Super Mutant. The others in the group also took cover to hide from the enraged Super Mutant as John quickly moved to get a better vantage point. As soon as he got it, he fired again and soon the bullet sailed through the air and struck the new threat right in the eye, namely the right eye.

The creature roared but John canceled out the sound as he took aim and fired again, and the bullet sailed right into the other working eye of the mini-gun wielding Super Mutant. That was enough to end things as the creature, devoid of any ability to see roared and tossed away it's weapon and tried to lash out and charge at anything it could feel. John decided to move away and get his Assault Rifle back and motioned for the group to follow him, leaving behind the enraged Super Mutant to flail around in anger and pain.

The group managed to make it further until Cortana informed John of an incoming radio broadcast. Apparently it belonged t a group calling itself Reilly's Rangers and at the moment, they were currently in a hotel a fair distance away, holding off what appeared to be a Super Mutant force intent on either killing them or worse, John filled that away and decided to ask Cortana if she could send out a spy satellite from the Pioneer to get some visual data on them. The A.I nodded and was soon going to do her work, but for now, they had to continue to guide the supply convoy to their current destination.

It was not long before they reached the destination they had to go to and after Artemis cleared the Spartan, John requested permission to join the Paladins outside to help protect the base as they were going to focus on the distribution of he supplies. It was going to take some time but John did not mind. He moved with the other Paladins outside and did not mind their stares at him as they had spotted him. It was only the fact that they were in hostile territory that made the Paladins turn and stare away.

However, John was soon able to use the magnification systems of his MJOLNIR and spotted a band of Super Mutants coming in. There appeared to be some who were armed with wooden boards with nails in them, two with Hunting Rifles, and two more with Assault Rifles. John then cut the enhanced vision mode and spoke to the Paladins.

"I spotted several Super Mutants coming in, possibly a raiding force."

"How can you tell?"

John did not reply just yet and one of the Paladins was about to comment on that when there came the roars, confirming that there were indeed Super Mutants heading their way. The others Brotherhood members came out, including the Initiates and Artemis as the Super Mutants now came into closer view for them to see. John however quickly took out his Spartan Laser and took aim at the targets in question. He used the magnification system to get a good lock on the targets that were better and soon fired.

The Super Mutants who came charging in were greeted with a massive red beam of pure destructive energy as the Spartan Laser unleashed its full might on them. They had little to no warning as the massive beam instantly incinerated it's way through two of them who were in a line and armed with wooden boards, and cut down another who was armed with a Hunting Rifle. The other Super Mutants charged as John quickly placed the still smoking weapon on his back and took his M7S SMGs in both hands and charged in, quickly judging distance and speed with the assistance of Cortana as he fired several of the rounds into the Super Mutants.

The Super Mutants roared in pain as they were suddenly being assaulted by the Spartan and when they were able to react, they fired at the man. That was where the Brotherhood who were there in the area saw for the first time the shields of MJOLNIR flare up from weapon impacts. They could only watch as the Super Mutants before the Spartan were torn up by the rounds. One of them managed to swing it's wooden board at the super soldiers, only for the wooden board to splatter harmlessly over the shields as John quickly answered with a massive kick to the chest. The Super Mutant's rib cage, while tough due to FEV exposure and mutation, was not able to handle the sheer force of the kick and the being roared in pain as the painful sound of flesh being smashed and the sounds of bones breaking were heard.

John quickly used the body of the collapsing Super Mutant as a springboard and leaped to shoot the others, one got a face full of bullets from the SMGs and so did another. The Super Mutants roared in anger as they fired at the Spartan. The shields flared with the hits as John placed his weapons down to his thighs. He then grabbed his Combat Knife and engaged the Super Mutant with the Hunting Rifle.

He quickly evaded the aimed weapon and slammed his weapon into the stomach of the mutant. He then used his full strength and literally disemboweled the Super Mutant. He then kicked the right knee and shattered the knee bone, making the creature roar out in pain and rage, only for it to watch in shock as it's organs just fell out from the cut. He then tossed the Knight into the throat of the next Super Mutant who had been firing it's Assault Rifle at him. The attack made the Super Mutant cry out in pain as it tried to both rip the knife out of it's throat and fire at the Spartan still. John however quickly charged at the creature and take out the Assault Rifle from his back and smashed the butt of the weapon into the face of the creature and then fired the rounds into the face.

The last Super Mutant roared and tried to rip into the Spartan, only for John to leap back and he rolled back and fired the Assault Rifle into the creature. The rounds tore into the Super Mutant as John charged and slammed his bulk like a battering ram into the bloody mess of the creature's chest and the creature fell down dead.

John scanned the area and then executed the surviving Super Mutants that survived, rather barely, from the Spartan Laser. He then recovered the Combat Knife and flicked the blood away and re-sheathed the weapon as he went back to the Brotherhood position. As he did so, Artemis was still very much wide eyed at the next display of the Spartan's combat prowess, and the same could be said for the Initiates. It was not long before they were on their way back to the Citadel, it was going to be a long trip, but there was going to be a lot to talk about.

…

In the Citadel…

The group was now back and already the other Brotherhood of Steel members were surprised that Artemis made it back with no losses though they could tell that the Initiates were still tired and injured if the bandages were any indication. Bael himself was raising an eyebrow at the sight of the whole team as he spoke to his fellow Paladin.

"Looks like you guys had quite the ride."

"You don't know the half of it Bael, but the supplies made it through and we're still in one piece."

"I can see that, anyway, better go in and talk to Elder Lyons, he'll be very interested to hear just what when down in that mission of yours."

As the group went back in, John was a bit tired but he had plenty of energy left in him so no sense letting himself fall asleep just yet. He looked about to see that the other Initiates were surprised to see their comrades return back alive and fairly whole, and the same could be said for the Brotherhood members in Power Armor. Their faces might be hidden but body language spoke louder than words in his mind. He turned to see none other than Sarah Lyons who was nearby as she had a look of surprise and some measure of relief to see the recruits make it back, alongside Artemis. She still did not trust him but he did not mind that.

It was not long before they were soon greeted by the Star Paladin and Elder Lyons, the old man seemed to be pleased and that was a good thing in the mind of the Spartan. The old soldier before him no doubt had been through a lot and some good news was more than welcome. Lyons moved forward and he was joined by none other than Star Paladin Cross since Sarah was elsewhere at this time as he spoke to Artemis.

"Knight Artemis, it is good to see that you and your group have returned safely."

"Thanks Elder, and I have a lot to report to you."

"I am sure that you have, get down to the canteen and get some food in your belly Artemis, once you are done, you can report to us just how the mission went."

"Yes Elder, I'll dismiss the Initiates and get to the canteen."

Artemis turned and the Initiates followed him, but not before he spoke to the Spartan.

"Chief, you might not be Brotherhood, but you did a fine job working with me and my people. Wish there were more like you, the Wasteland could really use them."

"Thank you , sir."

The Initiates John had worked with also gave their appreciation to him as the headed off to meet with the others. Boy had they got stories worth telling once they got back to barracks.

Lyons saw that and he could now tell that the Spartan had made a rather strong impact on the group he was working with. And judging by how his people acted towards the armored human, it was all positive. He turned and saw that the Spartan was focused on him and saluting him as well before speaking.

"The mission has been accomplished sir!"

Lyons replied to the salute with his own salute to the massive human and he spoke.

"At ease Master Chief, I can certainly see that it was accomplished, and quite well considering that not only had Artemis and the Initiates come back safe, but they also seem to speak well of you. You have done what was asked of you so we too shall repay you in kind, you have access to our archives. Paladin Cross, can you escort the Master Chief to the archives?"

The female officer looked at her father a bit before nodding as she replied.

"Of course Elder, come with me."

The female Paladin turned about and John naturally followed her to see just where the archives were located. This was not the Pentagon he was familiar with back in his reality so he did not say anything that could get him into the less than good graces of the Brotherhood. The guards in Power Armor looked at him carefully, it was obvious to the Spartan that none of them were too pleased to have someone like him wandering about in their base of operations. Though it seemed that they were more relaxed because of the fact that Three Dog told them of his exploits and that Star Paladin Cross was with them, that naturally made John aware of the rank and position of the woman who was his tour guide through the base and to where the archives were. There were a number of Paladins in the base and he made sure to keep his eyes and ears open and soon they arrived at the place which apparently served the Brotherhood's archive room. There were a number of computers there and these looked to be in fairly good condition. A woman with short hair and carrying a check board and pencil spotted him.

He quickly saw the surprise on her face and that relaxed when she saw Sarah. Sarah soon spoke to her while he decided to look about, only to be greeted by the sight of a young boy in a rather odd looking uniform looking at him. The young man gaped at John and could not help but stare at him and Cortana jokingly spoke in private to him.

"Looks like you're turning heads yet again."

"Uh huh."

The Spartan looked at the young man and spoke as calmly as he could with startling the boy. Even though he had NO idea what a kid was doing here in a military base in decidedly hostile territory, he knew not to press an issue when there was no need to in the first place. He'll find out more about the kid at a later date, but for now, it was time to play peace maker.

"Can I help you?"

That question from the Spartan made the young man realize that he was supposed to answer back.

"Oh! Uh nothing, it's just that I was not aware that we were having an outsider come into the Citadel, especially someone like yourself. I am Arthur Maxson, Squire Arthur Maxson actually."

John then decided to reply since the boy did answer his question.

"Master Chief Petty Officer Spartan-117, you can just call me the Chief if you want."

"Oh, I see, well, if you are with Star Paladin cross then I suppose you are a trust worthy sort. Anyway, if you have questions about the Brotherhood, you can ask me."

"How long have you been here?"

"Ever since I was able to walk, I was asked to move here by the Elders since they considered I would be safer here."

Before this conversation was going to get further, the Spartan redirected his attention when the Star Paladin said that he was now given access to the Archives by Head Scribe of the Order of the Quill, Scribe Jameson. He gave a nod to the young man and headed to the nearest terminal that the head scribe had pointed out to him. Once he was there, he activated it and Cortana asked him to place his arm there on the computer to allow her to go in and gather the files. He did not have to look behind him to know that Star Paladin Cross began to look at him. No doubt she had been given covert orders to keep an eye on him and he was not offended as this would be expected since they were going to make sure that he was not taking information that was too sensitive.

The whole process was also being watched by the head Scribe, yet another expected thing since she was the one who was in charge of the Brotherhood's Archives . Once he was done, he decided to get up and stated that he was done. Jameson raised an eyebrow at that and soon moved to check the records. She found them to be all intact and also noted that the computer was performing a lot faster than it normally did and that was a surprise. And thus it was something for her to look into when she had the chance do so and to also see if there was anything that she might have missed.

As for John, he decided to visit Lyons and after being guided to where the Elder was and soon spoke to the man but not before saluting him, to which Lyons returned the salute.

"I have the files I needed Elder, thank you sir!"

"Very well Spartan, may I ask where you intend to go from here?"

"Back to the FOB sir, to sort out the data."

Lyons was curious as he knew what an FOB was. It was military slang for Forward Operations Base, no doubt this was where the superiors of this…Spartan were located, but so far there had been no reports of a base operating anywhere near the DC Area. That only served to make the man a lot more interested on the mysteries surrounding the man and he had hope to find out what were the mysteries. For now however, he knew that detaining the man was asking for trouble.

"Very well then, send word to your superiors that the Brotherhood of Steel is pleased to see that some semblance of society has begun to rebuild."

"Yes sir!"

…

As soon as he left the Citadel, he headed back to the same location of the Super Duper Mart and use that as the place to be picked up by the soon to come Pelican Dropship. He made sure that the LZ was secured and soon the dropship arrived but it was going to be already night time for a night extraction. He stepped in and soon it took off with the back door sealing itself up for space travel. Since he had left at night and a good distance away from most of the settlements, he was safe. That did not mean that there was no chance he had left unseen. Chances of that were not too good since he was between the Citadel and the settlement of Megaton. But all in all, things could have been worse.

For now he was going back to reload and resupply just in case his next run in the Wasteland was going to last a lot longer. Besides, Cortana had a lot of data that could be some use to him so no sense doing in a hostile location such as the Capital Wasteland.

…

In the Pioneer…

The Spartan was quick to get out of the Pelican Dropship, and he moved to get to the Armory and load up on new amounts of ammunition. That also meant that he was going to have to reload his Spartan Laser as he knew that it needed to be locked into the recharging unit to be at full power. He made sure to allow Cortana to be in the Pioneer's computer network as soon as they were close to a nearby terminal to allow her to work on what she gathered from the terminals in the Citadel. He had no doubt of his friend's abilities but no doubt dealing with such….low tech computers might have been a test of her patience and control.

Once in the Armory he decided to place the Spartan Laser on the recharging rack alongside a few others and moved to start loading ammunition packs into the rucksack. The rounds were the standard Armor Piercing Rounds and Shredder Rounds, for the MA5C along with fresh clips for the M7S SMGs that he still had with him for more covert uses.

As he was doing so, it was here that Cortana finally appeared near him on the Armory's Holo-tank.

"How are you doing John?"

"Pretty good, how was the data you recovered from the Brotherhood?"

"Not too much of a problem. It took me a while since the computers in this reality are rather slow. In fact slow is an understatement with them. How the people even managed to make Power Armor with computer systems this slow I will never know. Anyway I can say that it was not a complete lose since the data is pretty good. The data however seems to have suffered some corrosion, data corruption, and apparent data cannibalism."

"Come again?"

"Apparently the computer systems here in order to free up data have some sort feature that allows the systems to consume data. It's similar to a delete function but it seems to be different from the rest. It's not too bad though since I got enough to work with for now. So you might as well take some time to hear what I got."

John did just that and soon the A.I told him the history of the Capital wasteland and what happened long ago before the world they were in was reduced to this mess. He was not pleased with the fact that the UN was disbanded and that instead of developing new technology that his world did, the people here still used technology that in his mind was rather outdated at the time. He did however feel impressed by the fact that they developed working lasers and plasma weapons in this time frame, along with Gauss technology. Had this been done in the UNSC, it would have given them a fighting chance, slim as it was against the Covenant and the Flood when the eventually made their appearance on the UNSC.

He also was given information on the Brotherhood in more serious detail, along with the history of the Brotherhood of Steel here that was led by Lyons. John listened intently and once the AI was done with what she recovered, he gave his opinion on what he had learned of the Brotherhood of Steel.

"Sounds like Lyons went rogue when he got to the Capital Wasteland."

"True, but he did it to protect the people and you have to admit that he did the right thing with the types of being that live here. The Outcasts on the other hand are not exactly evil either, they are following orders and protecting technology to make sure it's not lost is a good goal. But the fact that they think technology is more important that life is not exactly a humanitarian point of view. The fact that they don't recruit to rebuild their numbers if the lose anyone is a weakness to boot."

John nodded as while he understood the value of following orders due to his time under Chief Mendez, he also knew that at times, one had to break protocol when deemed needed. He never made a habit of that but only made the call when he knew that the rewards outweighed the risks, or he had faith in the people he was working with. Him rescuing Cortana in what was left of High Charity was a very obvious example since everyone else wrote her off as a lost cause. As for the Brotherhood, preserving the technology and data of the past in this era was all well and good, but technology alone did not solve problems, the gun couldn't do its job if no one was holding it and aiming it at said target after all. And even computers needed people to keep them operational and ready for use.

For now however, he decided to focus on another matter that he knew was of concern for him and Cortana.

"You found anything on their Power Armor?"

"Yeah though not by much, apparently the Pentagon had at least several storage areas full of the armor we saw. These are called the T-45 Power Armor and were actually used in war between the US and China. They were not as advanced as the ones later used, for different reasons, but they did pave the way for Power Armor usage. The currently recognized pinnacle of the armor was the T-51 Power Armor though suits like that are hard to find and maintain for obvious reasons, but these prototype suits are still effective despite not being up to the standard set by their descendants. They actually have a Micro-fusion reactor built in and that has given me some ideas."

"Care to elaborate on that?"

"I'll spare you the techno-jargon, but I think if we can get our hands on one of the suits and have it relatively intact, we could improve the technology with what resources we can find. In fact, it might even be an excellent armor system to use in the UNSC once we get back there."

John thought it over and then gave a thought.

"Power Armor for regular human beings to use in combat I take it?"

Cortana smiled.

"You got that right John, according to the files I received and from what we both saw, the Armor they use requires the user to undergo special training to use Power Armor, along with some sort of inner suit. If we can find a way to improve it and install UNSC technology, and take it back with us along with any tactical data we can get, this could be a powerful addition to the UNSC's overall arsenal. Sure it's not like the MJOLNIR or the other UNSC Armor systems, but the fact that it requires only special training and an inner suit, could really make a difference for our soldiers back home."

John said nothing but he already saw the reasoning there, the ONLY wrinkle in that idea was getting said suit.

"That's good, but the only users of those would be the Brotherhood and the Outcasts, that might pose a problem if they spot us taking the Armor."

"True, but I think that there is a solution. And that solution is that there is a chance that we might encounter dead Brotherhood and Outcast forces in the Wasteland both in the DC area and out of it when they are on patrol, slain by either encounters with the wild life here or by human hands. That should allow us to get a sample of the suits in question since the only differences between Outcast and Brotherhood Power Armor is the color scheme."

John thought it over and admitted that with the way things were, it would be better to salvage from the dead. Besides, with things as they were, he doubted the Brotherhood had the resources to recover the dead of their group. It was not something he would like, but he was a practical person and thus if they needed to get a sample of the technology to improve on it and adapt it for UNSC use, then all the better.

It was a better bonus as well if they improved it enough to give to the Brotherhood to help them and win their support. As far as he had seen, the Brotherhood was doing what was the morally correct thing to do and he did care more for civilian lives than his own, and respected those who risked their lives to protect people.

"All right, if we get the chance to locate the suits, I'll move them to a safe spot and get them back on the Pioneer for study."

"Good to know, I'd also recommend we play nice and improve some of the weapons we've seen Miranda and the Brotherhood use, plus if we can find ways to improve their armor, it will make their tasks here on the Wasteland a heck of a lot easier. By doing that for them, we can at the very least keep the people happy and also make allies while we are here."

"Hearts and minds campaign eh?"

"If it keeps us in the good graces of the people here, then whatever you want to call it, do it. That way we have time to do what we really need to do and also possibly have allies to help us. And if we play our cards right, we not only might do some good for this reality's humanity, but also get their help in going home if we are going through with the plan I gave you By the way, we had better catch up with Miranda and see if she needs help, I still have her Armor's built in tracker system so we should help her out in finding her father."

John agreed and got all of his gear ready, he had recharged the Spartan Laser and was now ready to head back into the Wasteland via Pelican. He checked the time line and it would already be nearing midnight there on the surface and he hoped that Miranda had managed to find some place to rest for the night. That way they could meet up with her without being caught in a potential fire fight. As soon as he was onboard the Pelican, the dropship took off and was soon moving out of the Destroyer and heading down t the planet below. Along the way, he decided to get some sleep after he ate some MREs of his, no way was he trusting any of the food on this world.

…

It was not long before the Pelican went past the atmosphere of this reality's Earth and headed back to the Capital Wasteland at good speed and while it was on it's way, the people on the ground were going to be in deep discussion about what was going to happen. And in the Citadel, there was a LOT to talk about.

…

At night in the Citadel…

Elder Lyons leaned back into the chair as he listened to the report given by Artemis and he was not alone as Scribe Rothchild and Star Paladin Cross were with him. Sarah had left already and should have already arrived to reinforce GNR with the Pride and he hoped to hear good news soon from her on their reinforcing the location and preventing the Super Mutants from taking the location.

His attention was now focused on what he had learned from Artemis, as Rothchild spoke seriously though there was a hint of amazement in his voice.

"Are you saying that his Armor has ACTUAL energy shields?"

"Yes sir, I was literally caught off guard by that, the bullets and weapons that hit the shield merely bounced off from the shield. It glows deep yellow when hit and when I was able to focus during the lull in the fighting, I actually heard a slight humming, no doubt that was the shields recharging. And that armor actually allowed him to do moves that our Power Armor could not do."

"He literally moved too fast for me to see, anyone here, begging pardon sir, would have only broken their limbs if they did the things I saw that Spartan do. All I can say sir, is that man is NOT someone I want to be on the bad side of. If he was able to wipe out Super Mutants, Raiders, and Talon Company mercs like what I saw, I shudder at the idea of facing him in combat."

Lyons spoke next to Rothchild.

"Any ideas on how this is possible?"

Rothchild thought it over and shook his head.

"I'm sorry Lyons, but for the life of me I can't even begin to guess just how advanced that man's Power Armor is. The fact that it has the ability to have shields along with the ability house an AI of such a sophisticated manner is more than enough to convince to say that it is even more advanced than anything we have to date right now. No Power Armor on record has the abilities this has displayed, not even the Advanced Power Armor and Advanced Power Armor Mark 2 owned by the Enclave had that level of sophistication. Atremis's records also tell me that whatever systems allow it to move are beyond even the sealed in servo-motors of the T-51 and the two other Power Armor Models we have records of."

Lyons thought all of this over and then turned to Cross.

"Any word from our scouts on his whereabouts?"

"Sorry Elder, but he has already left the area and so far none of our patrols have been able to find any trace of him. But if what we had heard from Three Dog's reports is true, then it is possible that he has a base located far beyond our effective patrol range. And as it stands, we do not have the numbers nor the personnel to try and locate him more openly."

"Scribe Jameson, can you give me an exact idea on what information the Spartan has downloaded from the archives?"

Scribe Jameson nodded as she gave her report.

"He was focused only on the events of the Great War or whatever data we have on it in the servers, he also took data pertaining to the history of the Brotherhood, namely from the diary records of Robert Maxson, and also some data on Power Armor, namely our wordl."

"Has there been any damage?"

"None Elder, in truth, my fellow Scribes have reported that some significant file corruption in our computer systems had actually been cleaned out and we have accessed more data from the terminals. It's not much, but our systems are now operating at a much smoother pace than they were before able to operate from."

"How do you think that happened?"

"I am not sure, but if what I have learned of the man and his A.I Companion is any indication, that A.I might have helped clear out the corruption to access the data better. None of the files and records were compromised so we are all right in that regard Elder."

Lyons thought it over and decided to speak to the gathered people in the command room.

"This Spartan has done a good turn for us, and judging by the fact that he is a man of his word, we should endeavor to show him our thanks. It may also allow us to learn more about him and if possible, gain access to what he is willing to give us. I must be frank, the sheer scale of his technology is staggering, and the abilities he possess thus far need to be understood. At any rate, we have matters to deal with of our own, but make sure to send word that if he is spotted again, have our Paladins avoid engaging him in friendly fire incidents and aid him if they can. His help, and what he might be willing to offer, might help us."

…

As soon as the Pelican Dropship arrived some distance from the subway entrance, the Spartans soon began to leave and the Dropship and it seemed that no one had decided to try and find them. That meant that they were striking the area early and that was in hindsight a good thing. Once he was in the subway, Cortana began to guide him to the exact location of Miranda via the waypoints system in his MJOLNIR. He also made sure to keep himself fully alert for possible attack.

Once they moved through the subway, it was clear that Miranda had been around as there had been a number of bullet holes consistent with the rounds used by the Assault Rifles here in this reality as well as several bodies there. All Ghouls and judging by the neural degradation on their brains, the were feral. John had to admit that this was disturbing and he had to give credit to the people of this reality to have lived with these things and situations for as long as they have. As he moved through the place, there were more bodies, namely some cockroaches of the large variety along with some wild dogs.

It was not long before John's HUD flashed the location of Miranda and John moved the pace a bit, to finally reach the outside of the station, only to see that Miranda was moving forward, just as he spotted a Super Mutant about to take a potshot at her. John's reflexes kicked on over time and he quickly rushed in and fired at the same time. Miranda turned and was about to shot him when she recognized him and turned the same direction he was shooting at.

The Super Mutants turned away and soon the two were side by side as she spoke to him.

"Nice to see you again, been a while."

"I know, how's the armor?"

"Good, saved my ass a lot lately, still think it's going to need to be repaired at some point."

The two cut the conversation as more rounds came at them, and since they could not see the shooters, they moved out. And as they moved through the area, they soon encountered none other than Sarah and the Lyon' Pride and they were currently fighting the Super Mutants. Both John and Miranda moved forward and soon spotted one of the Brotherhood soldiers trying to protect a wounded or possibly dead member of their team.

The two however moved and John spotted a charging Super Mutant, he did not hesitate to move and fired several rounds at the being. The creature roared out in anger and pain But John did not care not hesitate as he fired another burst into the face. That killed the creature well enough and John soon turned his attention to the other Super Mutants who were in the area. He fired another burst to the one above on cover and forced it to stop shooting and get to cover for itself. Miranda soon took over and fired her own Assault Rifle, and as the creature came out, she nailed it right in the arm and into the face, killing it as well as she was able to strike it in the eyes and throat.

They moved into the building and soon fought a few more of the Super Mutants, with one trying to charge both John and Miranda, only for John to come in and slam a serious kick in the stomach and Miranda to fire a burst into it's open mouth. The Lyon's Pride soon showed up in the area and began to hammer in on the Super Mutants. The team soon moved in and finally they were before the GNR building and soon spotted several of the Super Mutants attacking it. John already saw that some of the Brotherhood were dead but the others were still fighting and soon they joined the fight.

The Spartan spotted one of the Super Mutants, better armored and armed than the rest, no doubt the leader of this bunch and he focused on it. He was not alone as Miranda came in and fully reloaded her weapon as the both of them opened up their weapons. This damaged the creatuire a great deal and it turned and roared in anger at the attackers and turned it's attention on the pair. John's shields flared up from the weapon impacts and Miranda's own armor took a hit or two, but held, The woman quickly got to cover as the bullets came in en masse as the other Super Mutants turned around to fight their new attackers.

John was not going to let up however and fired the last of his rounds, one of which tore out the right eye of the Super Mutant he was facing an it roared at him and charged, tossing the AK-47 shaped gun aside, no doubt to try and tear apart the Spartan, only for it to receive a kick to the knee that shattered it's bones and a mouth full of 7.62mm NATO rounds.

The Brotherhood's Lyon's Pride arrived and soon bullets and laser fire came in to take out the rest of the Mutants and soon all of them dropped dead. John reloaded his weapon and checked on Miranda. She seemed all right and while the armor was a bit dinged, it was going it's job well enough for now. Sarah soon turned around and looked both Miranda over and the Spartan, she had not expected them here, but was not unwelcoming of what they had done.

"Nice to see that you both are still breathing, but may I ask who you are. I know who the Spartan is, but it's you I don't know."

Miranda took that as her cue and spoke to Sarah about why she was here and John surveyed the area to see how it looked. And it was a mess and some of the Brotherhood were pretty much dead and gone, no sense taking the armor they once wore though since their brothers and sisters as it were happened to be around so doing that in broad daylight was asking for trouble. He turned to see that the conversation between Sarah and Miranda was soon coming to a close and there was one Paladin shooting into the air in celebration.

John normally would have done something to remind the soldier to stop wasting ammunition like that, but he got beaten to the punch when one of her own told her not to waste ammunition. That was not sitting well with the soldier who apparently from the tone of voice was female and soon they moved out a bit to secure the area. It was enough to convince him that the woman in Power Armor was relatively new to the Lyon's Pride so it made some sense why she was so enthusiastic with her actions.

However, Cortana's voice soon came to John as he also saw a MASSIVE red blip on the radar system of the MJOLNIR.

"JOHN! WE HAVE INCOMING!"

…

In GNR Plaza…

The sounds of crashing was heard and before anything could be done, the Brotherhood soldier wearing Power Armor was suddenly sent flying away from the exploding vehicle wrecks. John looked and saw that her right arm had been torn off and several large shards of metal from the explosion had torn into her armor. The Initiate in Power Armor, one named Reddin was dead, even more so when he saw her smash into a nearby concrete with enough force to crack it.

The Motion Tracker showed a MASSIVE danger signature and he wondered briefly what could be large enough to take nearly half of the Motion Sensor's display. And it was when the smoke cleared that he had a good idea on what it was.

The massive figure that now towered over the Lyon's Pride, the Master Chief, Cortana, and Miranda looked at the collection of small beings before it, and roared out in challenge to them. No doubt eager to not only reduce them all into bloody smears on the ground, but also to tear out their flesh and feast on them. They did not look like much, but after a LONG walk from home, it was not going to complain.

Sarah growled and shouted out to the forces with her.

"BEHEMOTH! FOCUS YOUR FIRE!"

The Brotherhood soldiers quickly began to unleash a hailstorm of fire but the bullets, only tore bits off the massive thing's green colored hide. There was blood to be sure, but that thing might as well have been bitten by mosquitoes as it roared out that. Cortana could not help but gasp a bit at the sight of the creature, it was easily twice or more the size of a Hunter pair even if one was to place one of the Hunters on top of the other. Even John was caught off guard at the sight of the massive creature.

(What is that thing?)

Cortana was quick to react however as she spotted the creature roar out and spoke to John.

"JOHN! THAT THING'S ATTACKING!"

John quickly reacted as he fired a barrage of bullets from his MA5C and watched as the other surviving Brotherhood soldiers continued to fire as well. Sarah was also shooting with her Laser Rifle at the creature as Miranda did the same. The bullets hit the creature but John was quick to see that while it was spilling blood, it was not effective against the massive figure as it began to move towards them.

Apparently it was willing to savor the moment as it moved slowly towards it's intended victims despite the fact it was being drilled by heavy weapons fire.

The Spartan's reflexes and senses were now in full Spartan Time as he moved and fired at the same time at the creature. Cortana and him were now working to determine just what was the creature before them and how they were going to kill it. And it was not long before Cortana spoke to John.

"Chief! That creature's nigh impossible to kill with regular attacks we'd run out of ammunition before we can even get close to slowing it down! Close combat is not a good ideal either since that guy can tear you apart!"

"Any ideas?"

"Heavy ordnance might do the job in killing it! We'll have to use the Spartan Laser for that, but we have to stop that thing from moving around first and get a clean shot at it. Hat might pose a problem though."

John turned and spotted Miranda as she yanked out something he was quick to recognize since he had seen the device before. It was a Fatman Nuke Launcher and there were some mini-nukes there as she began to load it. That might be enough to finally slow it down as he moved and managed to attract the attention of the creature when he fired a burst in the face. The Behemoth roared in rage as it focused on the Spartan, already aware that despite the man's green like armor, he was not one of it's smaller brethren.

John quickly jumped to flip over the swinging fire hydrant as it slammed into the nearby building, he then landed and fired another clip of ammunition, making the thing roar out in annoyance and slight pain. He quickly saw that Miranda was about to fire and quickly got away from the area just as Miranda fire the weapon.

BOOM!

The built in Geiger counter in his MJOLNIR quickly picked up the sudden spike in radiation and he could see the creature reeling from the attack in pain, as was evident by the roars the being made. The Spartan however decided to end the creature before it did something that could harm the others. There was also the fact that Miranda was taking too long to reload her weapon, by the time that she was able to reload the Fatman, that thing was gong to be on top of her and the others. John decided to end it as he quickly placed aside his MA5C on his back and used his Spartan Laser. The Spartan cradled the weapon and quickly took off. The effect of Spartan Time was already on him as he quickly closed the gap between him and the Super Mutant who was still reeling from the pain.

The people watched in shock as the Spartan landed on the thigh of the Behemoth and quickly moved to the right arm with another leap. The massive Super Mutant finally realized what was going on and roared at the Spartan. But that was it's undoing as John rushed towards him and slammed a powerful kick to the chin of the roaring creature. The attack made the Behemoth move it's head upwards at an angle in pain and John took advantage of it as his Spartan Laser was now fully warmed up and read to fire. And fire he did as the Spartan got on the lower jaw and then fired the Spartan Laser...right down the throat of the Behemoth.

…

"Holy crap…"

Vargas could not help himself in saying as the now smoking remains of the Behemoth was there before him and that armored human was there still cradling that MASSIVE weapon on his shoulder before he turned and locked it on his back. When that human sized armored being charged at the Behemoth, just about everyone thought he was nuts, but then seeing him jump on the knee of the massive mutant, then moved to the next side, dodge the massive mace of a fire hydrant like it was moving in slow motion, and then run to the face, KICK the mutant bastard right in the chin and then shove that massive cannon in the mouth and fire the meanest looking laser beam into the Behemoth's insides and out the rear end to kill it…THAT took the cake.

The other Brotherhood of Steel members were flabbergasted and the same could be said for Miranda as she was looking at the now dead creature before her. She had managed to fire one of the mini-nukes from the nuke launcher she got from the dead Brotherhood Knight but it was taking too long for her to reload so the Chief came in and literally fed the creature it's death, already she could SMELL the stink of rotting mutant flesh coming from the mouth and ass end of the dead Super Mutant Behemoth.

As for Sarah, she was impressed though she did not show it, that took some serious guts to attempt, especially in armor like that. How he managed to do all of that without getting swatted to death by the Behemoth was something she doubted even her best in the Pride could pull off. And that weapon was unlike anything she had ever seen before in her life. Sure there were records in old computers about energy weapons being powerful enough to what that weapon did, but she had never seen THAT before in her whole life.

(Just who the heck armed this guy?)

John got off the ruined form of the creature and moved to the side of the head, took out his MA5C decided to fire a full clip right into the side of the head, reducing the brain into a colored mushy mess of brain matter, bone, and flesh on the off chance the thing was still able to stay alive. He then spotted the massive cart behind it and noted that the thing carried a veritable arsenal of supplies with it and no doubt the Brotherhood was going to need those supplies right about now.

He wasted no time and surprised the heck out of everyone as he grabbed the Behemoth and with a slight heave made the creature roll to the side. He pushed it on until the dead Super Mutant was now on it's chest and without further ado opened the carts. The ammunition spilled out along with a spare pistol, a revolver, two SMGs, and three Assault Rifles in bad condition. This told John and Cortana that the Super Mutant Behemoths were not only heavy assault forces with their gear and overall toughness, but served as supply mules…grossly oversized as they were.

He turned to see Sarah and Miranda along with some of the Knights move forward to speak to him, with Miranda being the first to speak to him as she carried the Fatman in her hands.

"That was way cool Chief, never thought anyone could try that."

John shrugged at that and then faced Sarah who was shaking her head a bit at the sight of the deal Behemoth and then spoke to him.

"I thought you were plain crazy or suicidal for charging towards the Behemoth, but that was indeed impressive. But don't let it get to your head or that of your companion, I don't quite trust you yet, but you do have my respect, or at least a portion of it."

"I'm not offended, but I am sorry about Reddin, if I had reacted faster."

Sarah sighed and shook her head.

"She died doing what she wanted to do and she was willing to take the risk, she was green to be sure, but she did her duty and that is all that matters."

"If you want, I can take her body back to the Citadel."

Sarah shook her head and replied.

"No need, she is part of my team so her burial is my responsibility, still, I thank you for the effort and offer you made. Anyway, I have to extend my thanks to you're ally so if you will excuse me."

Miranda turned and spoke to Sarah as the blonde haired Paladin moved to speak with her and John decided to check on Reddin as the other Paladin who was watching him carefully before was now closing her eyes after removing her helmet as a sign of respect. There was no doubt that the eager Initiate was dead but still, he had to admire her willingness to take this risk and do her job. He decided not to take anything since doing so in front of her fellow Brotherhood was close to stealing and the last thing he wanted was to be seen as a grave-robber. Back in the UNSC that was allowed since the men and women who died would be honored and remembered if however brief when their weapons and ammunition were used to fight the enemy instead of being left there on the ground. No doubt the Brotherhood would do the same here so he was not going to interfere.

No doubt they were going to do the same to the slain Brotherhood Paladins who were killed in the battle before the Behemoth came on the scene. And he was going to leave that alone as he scanned the battle field. The GNR building was very much a mess but it was still very much intact and considering the state of the rest of the area, it made sense that the Brotherhood would have an outpost here in the area. Controlling a source of communications and located in the heart of the contested area with hostile forces was a good move to some extent.

He then directed his attention to Sarah and decided to evaluate the woman and her team as she moved to talking to her fellow Paladin who had moved back to sit down.

She was quite skilled in leading her team and judging by the way she used her Laser Rifle and the accuracy she had, she was no slouch in fighting and leading while under fire. She also seemed to carry herself in the same way a veteran officer would and judging by the state of her Armor, she had seen plenty of action and considering the state of the world outside of the Citadel, she was no stranger to loss and battle. He respected that quality in her and noted that despite her sadness at losing her new recruit, she focused on getting her job done.

Cortana herself spoke to him.

"This Sarah is one tough woman, she would have been a high ranking NCO had she been in the UNSC in the battle field. Not to mention the fact that despite her no nonsense looks and actions, she might have made more than one man look her over. Shame they know that she could easily kick their butts in either training or in a spar."

"I see, anyway, let's wait and see what happens from here."

"Right, anyway, I think we are about to be speaking to Miranda once more, here she comes."

…

Miranda placed away the Fatman, and it moved out of sight and stored away by her Pip-boy and spoke to the Master Chief.

"I've seen you in action already but damn…charging right at a Behemoth and doing all of THAT so fast, you really have got to tell me how you did all that."

"Sorry, that's classified."

Miranda's hopeful and eager expression turned doleful and petulant in a moment as she replied.

"Damn it, you really know how to cave in a person's dreams you know that?"

John shrugged but Miranda perked up a moment later and replied.

"Anyway, I still have to thank you, if you had not stepped in when you did, that thing could have just outright killed me with that massive weapon it had and just about everyone else here would have been killed as well once that thing was done. And to be honest, having you back here with me certainly makes this whole trip worth it."

John nodded as he spoke to Miranda.

"So you're here to see Three Dog?"

"Yep, I did plan to see him if he did meet my father and now that I am here, I might as well get it over with. I already asked permission from Sarah to allow me, and you to go in. I even asked her if she did not mind having us join them."

"Us?"

"You, me, Cortana…but she shot it down, not that she doubted our skill set, but it's merely tradition, we're both outsiders to them at this time so no way are they going to let us join them right off the bat. I'm not in a hurry though, finding my father is important to me I have to put that aside. At any rate, you are coming in with me right?"

John nodded and soon they were making their way into the building, they were soon greeted by a number of Brotherhood Paladins who were carrying heavy weapons such as a Missile Launcher and a Flame Thrower of all things. The armored soldiers looked at both Miranda and John for a moment and then nodded as one of them spoke.

"That was one ballsy move you two did, taking on that behemoth."

Miranda nodded and John shrugged as they moved up to finally locate Three Dog, and it did not take long for them to meet the man once they were in the studio.

…

"Good golly holly…if it ain't the dynamic duo of Miss 101 and Mr-117 who have decided to come here and graced my little place in the DC Wasteland. Pleased to have you both in my humble abode after all the time you spent doing the things to make life safe for our poor folk out there!"

Miranda could not help but raise her eyebrows at the sight of the radio jockey Three Dog himself, he was just as energetic as she had been able to hear from her Pip-boy radio. As for John, he looked at the man a lot more carefully and could tell that this man was certainly not a fighter by his standards, but carried himself with a confidence and a sense of purpose.

He was an African American who seemed to fit the bill of a radio jockey easily and would have easily found work in the Colonies though for who he did not know, though he can bet with the attitude, he and Johnson would have hit it off nicely. It was here that Cortana spoke to the Spartan as well, no doubt offering her very own study of the man who they had been able to hear about ever since they had gotten to this reality.

"The guy seems all right to me, I think we can trust this guy to an extent since he tells it how it is, and we both can agree that he's all right since we've already seen for ourselves what a mess the Wasteland is right now."

"I suppose."

Three Dog offered his hand to Miranda to show that he was in the mood to make friends as he spoke.

"I have to apologize for the comment I made in the radio earlier Miss 101, or should I call you Miri Cole instead?"

Miranda was surprised as the only persons she knew of to call her nickname were Amata and her father. She had wondered at times if the one that Three Dog said to have visited his studio was really her father. She had done a number of things for other people since she wanted to help them before finding her father, and now here she was before a man who had indeed met her father. It seemed that Colin's information about her father coming to Galaxy News Radio was indeed true and the only thing that the man said to be true.

"So you have met my father?"

Three Dog smiled and replied.

"You got that right, your father and I had a great deal of time together talking, I did tell him about the things that happened ever since he went underground to raise you. He was a stand up kind of guy, and it shows that you are just as good hearted as he was. Makes fighting the good fight easier around here. And then there's your running buddy in the fancy armor and packing the meanest guns I've ever seen, plus the vehicles to boot."

Three Dog turned his attention to John-117 and while he tried to remain calm, he had to admit that he was a sight to behold. The armor was not like anything he had ever seen before, nothing the Brotherhood had in their arsenal was coming close to the gear that they had in their armory. And the weapons he saw when he briefly looked at the battle outside in the plaza were certainly interesting to boot, and at least the guy was all right since he was willing to help the little man.

"I heard a good deal on who you are Mr. 117, but seeing you in person certainly is a treat, you're a hell of a giant and your gear certainly is top notch, though I am no expert on Power Armor, pleasure to meet you."

John gave his hand and shook Three Dog's hand and making sure that he kept his augmented and MJOLNIR enhanced strength from crushing the man's hand. As soon as he was done, he spoke to the man to find out more about the man who had been talking on the radio.

"You've been keeping tabs on me and Miss Cole?"

"Yep, actually I was more focused on Miss Cole, or 101 as I like to call her every now and then, then you showed up and helped her rescue those folks from Big Town, and then not only did you help them fight off those Green Frankenstein monsters, but give them a fighting chance. So naturally I kept an eye on you, hope that you both find a place for that kid Bryan by the way…losing your father is hard on any kid. It's nice that you two are fighting the Good fight."

Miranda raised an eyebrow and replied.

"What do you mean by the Good Fight?"

The man sighed a bit and removed his shades, cleaned them a bit and replied as he wore them again.

"You've already seen what the Capital Wasteland is like for yourselves, people fighting for scraps of food and water, starving children, sick people, ruins everywhere, and dangers all around. But people are trying to survive and fight, and no matter how things look bad…people are rebuilding and making it through day after day. There are people out there trying to rebuild and thrive, to show that humanity ain't gone to hell."

"But then we have all sorts of crazy dangers out there, the Super Mutants killing and kidnapping who they want and no one knows that they plan to do with their victims or where they are taking them, Raider bands going around killing, pillaging, raping, torturing. Slavers taking anyone they can get and selling them off like merchandise, insane people doing all sorts of crazy shit. Wild beasts roaming all over the place, mutated creatures killing who they can find and turning them into chew toys. Mercenaries going around willing to kill, rape, kidnap, steal and more for a quick cap reward, and more…ALL of them want a piece of the pie. And then there's people trying to fight back and make it through the hell of it all, and the Brotherhood is one of them, they need to know that their efforts are not in vain, they are fighting the Good Fight, you know what I mean?"

Miranda and John were silent and then she replied.

"So you fight the Good Fight with your voice and radio just as the Brotherhood do with weapons and armor?"

Three Dog grinned warmly at that as he replied.

"You got that right, you are like your old man, razor sharp smart. I'm no straight up fighter like the Brotherhood guys and gals as well as you two, but I do my part. By telling the people what they need to hear and telling them what they have to do to protect themselves and their fellow humans, that's how I fight the good fight. Unlike that crap the Enclave keep spouting out, I tell them what is really going on and not spoon feeding them Brahmin-shit, they always say that they are representing the old US of A and that they were coming to change everything, but they had plenty of time to do that, yet they did nothing. So I do know that they are telling nothing but lies to the people who actually listen to their station."

John then spoke to Three Dog.

"What do you know of the Enclave?"

"Nothing good I'll tell ya 117, they've been rather secretive with the exception of all them floating robots shaped like eyeballs moving around. They move around no matter how dangerous some places in the Wasteland are and always play the station and I can bet that they record a lot of things around them too. They've yet to send their boys and girls down here, but I can't help feel in my gut that if they do arrive, they ain't here to help, and let me say that my gut never stirred me wrong before. Besides, I heard that the Brotherhood have met the Enclave before they ever came here to DC, no idea how that turned out, but the older members, namely Miss Lyons said that they know that the Enclave is not to be trusted, and I take their word seriously."

Miranda then spoke to Three Dog.

"What do you know of the Brotherhood?"

Three Dog grinned and replied.

"I know enough to say that they are the best things that happened to the Wasteland, and their leader, Miss Lyons' old man is a straight up guy. I remember what DC was like before they came all those years ago, it was hell for sure, far worse than what you have seen so far, believe me. Anyway, when the Brotherhood came, they began to protect all of DC as best they could, and for once, the people of the Wasteland got the break they need once they got their Citadel up and working. They kept the Super Mutants at bay and did what they could to protect the settlements but it was not easy, and now things are worse, I'm no expert on what is going on behind the Citadel, but I do know that the Brotherhood's in a bad way, losing a lot of good people to the Super Mutants roaming all over the place…some of their own turning over and leaving , and now having to recruit the locals. Still, despite all of this, they kept fighting the Good Fight, so no matter how some people might dislike them, they are all right in my book. At any rate, I take it the reason you two are here are for your father?"

Miranda nodded while John merely replied.

"I don't know Miranda's father too much, only what she told me, but I came here to help her out."

Three Dog nodded and replied.

"That's a reason to be working together at least, but I'm afraid that I have to ask a favor from you both before I tell you about where James went. Don't take it wrong and all, but I figured he wanted to do something on his own and if he's been tuning in to yours truly, then he must be wondering who it is that came out of the Vault and didn't expect it. Besides this favor of mine is important for not just my baby GNR here, but for everyone out there in the Wasteland but with so few people to help let alone be heavily armed, I can't find anyone else."

That was when Cortana spoke.

"This would not happen to be you asking us to find a way to get your radio all over the DC area would it?"

Three Dog raised and eyebrow and John sighed a bit as he spoke to Cortana openly.

"Cortana, remember what I said?"

"I know, but I think it's time I spoke after all."

John opened his palm and soon out came Cortana, much to the surprise of Three Dog, Cortana turned and smiled a bit at Miranda and spoke.

"Hi there Miranda, long time no see huh?"

"Nice to see you to Cortana, but stop doing that you freak me out too much at times."

Cortana then turned to face Three Dog and the man spoke with a whistle of appreciation.

"Wow…who is that?"

"The name's Cortana Three Dog, I am a Smart A.I and long time friend and ally to the Master Chief here."

"An AI huh? Heard of them in passing and scrounging the undestroyed books I could find, but never thought I'd actually meet one in the flesh…so to speak. And damn, you are one fine looking lady, at least them moving codes cover up the 'privates' if you will."

Cortana raised an electronic eyebrow at that and replied.

"You're quite the charmer huh, no wonder we heard some of the ladies in the wasteland liking you a lot. Anyway, keep in mind that I am an AI Three Dog and not flesh and blood so please for the sake of your heart, don't get funny ideas all right?"

The man grinned and replied.

"A man can dream can't he? But anyway, you're right about me asking your help concerning the transmissions for GNR. You see a couple of weeks ago, some brainless Super Mutant out in the Mall area of DC near the old White House decided that it would be fun to shoot the nice big shiny dish right up top on the Washington Monument. And you can wager a guess what that guy shot up."

"The broadcast relay dish of GNR?"

Three Dog nodded to Miranda.

"Yep, ever since then the signal's been on the fritz, if you're near DC, then you can get some signals and the closer you are the better the reception. But go too far and all ya get is static. That's why the Enclave has been poisoning the air around here with their bullshit. The best way for the signal to come back is to get the dish replaced…only problem is that the factory that made that particular dish got wasted in the war so no way there's a stack of them. But I do have some good news."

John then replied.

"You got word of a relay dish of the same make and you know the location so we can get it?"

"Right on Master Chief, the dish was spotted by some Brotherhood Scouts back at the Mall, namely in the Museum of Technology area in their space exploration area, on some module they sent out to the moon if you can believe that. The dish is fully intact and in great condition but it's not going to be an easy run, I'll tell you that up front. The path to the Mall's got a large number of Super Mutants and those freaks on a leash guard dogs they have with them, Feral Ghouls, some possible Raiders, and other associated wild life…so going there is not going to be easy. And there's no doubt that if you go to that Museum, there's going to be Super Mutants taking up residence there."

"Last I heard, the Super Mutants have dug in deep there in the Mall, got trenches, a bunker of sorts, and fox holes if ya can believe that, not to mention they got some serious guns though the Brotherhood outpost in the Washington area still have control. But the real threat's back there in the White House."

Cortana then spoke to Three Dog with a raised eyebrow.

"Why's that?"

"Them Super Mutants are in a shooting war with Talon Company, no doubt you've heard of them and no doubt met them since I got word they got a heck of a bounty on Miss Cole's head here…and now yours too Chief."

John raised an eyebrow at that and replied.

"Really?"

"Yep, they got at least four times the caps on your head, which came out when they got word of you working with Miranda here. I guess the higher reward ain't just for killing ya, but for your tech too. So I'll wager a bet if given the chance, you'll have those heartless bastards after you as well so watch yourself, they might not have your tech, but they can fight well enough and they aren't stupid either."

John shrugged and Cortana replied.

"We can take care of them."

Miranda then spoke.

"Going up against those odds doesn't bother me as much as it used to anymore, and if it helps me find my father, then I am all for it, what do we do with the dish once we get it?"

Three Dog then handed Miranda a holo-tape.

"This here has the password to the Washington Monument outpost and if I can, I'll send word to the Paladins there not to shoot either of you cool cats on sight. Once ya get the dish, take it there to the Monument and set it up there. The Monument's the only place high enough on the Wasteland skyline to give excellent coverage all over the place so ya can't miss it. The reason I asked you three this and not the Brotherhood is that they got too much on their plate already and having them lose more of their brothers and sisters is something I don't want them to deal with. They deserve respect for putting their lives on the line though not everyone here in DC is willing to accept it."

"You guys can rest up here before you go, some rest might do you both some good, take the back entrance down the stairs and you're on your way when you all feel ready. One more thing, I managed to hear about some report of slavers taking shop at the old Lincoln memorial…not all too sure what those guys are doing there, but since they are who the are, they are either hunting for escaped slaves or planning to set up shop. I have no love for them and their trade as they call that messed up shit but if they are in that warzone, they've got some guns and bullet to spare so fighting them ain't all that recommended. Good luck in advance and thanks…it's good people like you that might have this Wasteland fully healed again."

As Three Dog left the two alone, John decided to move to one side to do some needed field work on his weapons. The Assault Rifle looked all right and that was a good thing to him as well. Once he was done checking on the weapon, he moved to remove the M7S SMGs to run some repairs on them as well. He turned to see that Miranda was also looking at her own Assault Rifle and checked the clips until she reached into her supply pack and took out what appeared to be a can filled with what looked like potted meat.

This was going to be one heck of a trip and once this was over, he was going back to the Pioneer and do some work of his own. The samples of the technology they had been able to find on the surface of the Wasteland and the weapons would be studied and if possible it could be improved. This might help him and Cortana with their plans and they were very interested in getting their hands on a working suit of Power Armor.

But for now he placed that aside as Miranda finally got up and spoke to him.

"I'm ready to go on, how about you Chief?"

The Spartan nodded and soon they were off to do what Three Dog asked of them, John knew that after what he had seen already, this trip was going to be anything but simple and safe.

…

To be continued…

…

Author's Notes:

There we are, I hope that this chapter will be good enough to show that this story will be going on and despite some negative comments sent my way, I will not be leaving this story alone. I do not have any malicious intent on the ones who sent me said negative comments since I believe that everyone is entitled to their opinions. At any rate, the story is still going to go on and will be updated as much as possible and I will be doing the next chapter soon enough.

On the next one, it will be a trip through the route that takes you to the Mall if you have played the game, and I will deal with the various creatures the way I know how, and that will naturally be bloody and messy, and make no mistake that while all this is going on, Miranda has done the other quests for Moira, with testing the repellent being one of them while John escorted the Brotherhood supply convoy.

I do plan to have John and Cortana get their hands on a suit of Power Armor and they will study it to see if they can make it better, and also make it possible for a version to be made for the use of the UNSC once they go back. The upgrades may include installing features from the Marine Body Armor and the ODST Battle Armor to not only improve the Armor, but also use the upgraded suits to improve relations with the Brotherhood.

There is also the fact that I plan to have John and Cortana find a way to finally repair the Slipspace Drive and possible develop the means to return home. But they are going to need help apart from facilities and resources. That I plan to work on as the story progresses so I hope that you will be able to keep it up.

Some of the mods I am cooking up have now been formed well in my brain and I guess that since in the coming chapters I will be using them I might as well let you all take a look at them. The weapons that I plan to upgrade with modification packages first happen to be two of my staple weapons in my own player experience. The Assault Rifle and the Chinese Assault Rifle, they would also happen to be the ones with a considerable amount of leeway in said modifications.

.The first modifications would be extended magazines which will increase the ammunition capacity of the two Assault Rifles in different ways since both are different weapons despite sharing the same ammunition type.

The second is the inclusion of the same ammunition type used in Fallout New Vegas and also in real life, the Hollow Points, and the Armor Piercing rounds. These ammunition types do exist in our world though in a different name format. These will certainly add some more potency to the forces that use them and add more flavor. And let's not forget that the UNSC do use ammunition like these in their weapons.

The third idea I had for a mod is to have for both a Grenade Launcher upgrade, similar to the real life grenade launchers used on out own world's assault rifles. This way the users can lob grenades over windows and take out targets which have armor better, plus since the weapon used the clip of the main gun as the grip, then all the better since it no longer means that they have to switch to thrown grenades. I do plan to have John and Cortana study the three grenade types seen in the Fallout 3 world and make the ones for said Grenade Launcher.

The fourth is the one I got from one of my other favorite shows in Discovery Channel, Sons of Guns. This attachment in question being none other than the 'Master Key' that was made to breech doors for the SWAT teams in entering the place held by threats. If you have seen the show and the episode in question, you already know what that means. I plan to have a Shotgun attachment to the both Rifles based from the Drum Fed Combat Shotgun. This can be useful in both busting down regular wooden doors and also for close quarters fighting as well as convincing the bad guys to duck and cover. And like the Grenade Launcher, I also plan to have the clip of the Rifle be the handle for the trigger of said attachment.

Fifth would be an attachment rail mounting system on the top of the weapon for Scopes, namely a Tactical Battle Scope with both thermal and night vision modes for more dangerous operations where visibility and light are at a premium, along with increased accuracy and extended range. All of which are certainly worth aiming for in the long run in the middle of an intense and risky fire fight.

Sixth would be attachable suppressors for sound and muzzle flash, obviously for combat situations were less sound and flash is a lot better.

And seventh would be improved rifling for the barrels for extra range, along with customized stocks for increased recoil compensation, as well as accuracy, and improved springs for an increased firing rate.

Overall, both weapons will be given a serious makeover to improve their effectiveness in the battle field. And before you ask, I am still thinking on whether I should attach these on the Xualong since that weapon already happens to be a powerful weapon, and the other Assault Rifle variants from the DLCs are ones I am considering if they need these mods as well.

For now, these are the only weapons with said mods since I am still digging up the ideas for the other weapons and Armor I had to put on hold for a while due to both my PC going on the fritz, and my promise to freeze all my Halo stories.

See you all soon as we now travel to the Mall!