Justice League: Last Spartan

Disclaimer: I do not own anything related to Halo or Detective Comics so don't ask me if I do.

Prologue…

Spartans Do Not Die…They are just Missing In Action

( ): Thoughts

…

In space…

Cortana listened to the incoming information that was being fed to her by the beacons that she had released and turned to check on John. It was the seventeenth time that she had checked on the Spartan but she hardly cared for that as she cared for the Spartan dearly and would not let anything happen to him. He had risked much for her, and had risked death too many times for the defense of the UNSC and all life in the galaxy for her to fail in keeping him safe. It had been at least a year since they had been left adrift in the void of space after the end of the war and while this would have been a doom, there were some good things that had made this a lot less dangerous.

There was plenty of power coming from the Auxiliary generators and so far, the Spartan's vital signs were all still green across the board. She however knew that he needed to be taken to a medical facility for treatment to ensure that he was going to survive. She had not been able to detect any signals from ships but decided to not become trapped in those matters for now.

As she looked at John, she decided to see if she could at least remove a portion of the data that she still had deep in her storage banks to free her processors and make sure that she had enough time to remain operational until John and her was rescued. She knew that she was already coming closer to Rampancy, though she had a feeling that she had already reached that point…ever since being in the systems of the very first Halo Ring that she and John had been able to get to.

But she held on and hopefully she would not succumb to the grip of Rampancy, she knew what the results would be if it ever happened. She had endured so much and she would rather destroy herself than turn traitor and harm the Spartan. She recalled how she had promised to help protect him when she was able to finally read his files and learn all that she could of her new charge. She made sure to help him as best she could, and that was best shown in the MJOLNIR V test when that nut Ackerson tried to actually get her and John killed.

As she thought about it, she decided that if she wanted to remain operational long enough to keep her promise to keep him safe, she was going to have to start removing files from her system. This way she could at least have enough operating power to remain online and ready for a moment's notice if and when she needed to be there. It was going to be a while and since the Dawn was still running on auxiliary power from the reactors. This limited the amount of hardware and software space that she could use.

(No time to be picky though, well, let's get this over with.)

Cortana managed to access a nearby server and began to download some of the data that she had in her and also the kind of information that was not needed for her to remain functional. Already she could feel a great sense of relief as she began to operate a bit faster from before, which was indeed a good sense of relief for the A.I as this was enough to get her back on her feet. She began to access more of her files to determine the critical ones that she had to hang onto and the ones she could afford to place in cold storage as it were. Along the way of dumping files that she did not need, she was surprised to find a number of files that she didn't recall ever having, let alone downloaded in her time on High Charity.

She decided to access them and found to her surprise a number of codes that were in the language of the Forerunners. She looked at them carefully and they seemed to be star charts, locations of colonies owned by the Forerunners as well as key civilian and military complexes. This was something she had not expected to say the very least. And as she dug deeper, she found a transmission code language that seemed to be a Forerunner distress code that was heavily modified. She had no idea what it was for until she read some sort of message that was attached to the said code.

'This shall be the key, use this and they shall aid you, and here in this message, my atonement shall be forwarded, you are my examples to my creators…to tell them that I have changed.'

It took a bit more searching until she found the file to be that of Mendicant Bias, the Forerunner A.I she encountered when she had stayed behind in High Charity. In the rare times she had been able to evade the Gravemind she had been able to speak to the Forerunner A.I and apparently he had become Meta-stable, a stage that was considered the Holy Grail of A.I research and development.

Apparently it had been placing valuable data into her while she was not looking and also serving to safeguard her when she and John were in the Ark to finally put an end to the Flood and the Gravemind once and for all. She wondered just why that was the case but now it seemed that it was a parting gift of sorts from an A.I that finally returned to aiding the people it had been built to save after betraying them to the enemy.

It was not something that she had done before but if this was meant to help them, it was going to have to do for now. She began to implant the codes and also accessed the language of Latin as she read that Latin was a workable language that Forerunner constructs would be able to recognize and possibly prevent them from shooting at them if they were within range of defensive weapons.

She soon deployed the beacons, hoping that this was going to help them a lot as she was going to be running out of beacons soon enough. Once the first batch were deployed, she went back to loading away the files she did not need while also keeping a watch over her Spartan as she looked at his vital signs. She could see that he was dreaming right now, and she wondered what sort of dreams they were.

She had a feeling that some dreams were of his forgotten childhood, and other were of the battles he had endured for the long years after becoming a Spartan. Those memories were very vivid and she was amazed that despite the three decades of fighting, he had not succumbed to PTSD or for the older users of military slang, 'shell shock'. This was why she had to give Dr. Halsey credit for helping them as best she could to adjust and adapt for this kind of life.

She also knew that Dr. Halsey was like a mother to John and he never did anything to undermine her authority due t that respect and trust. She also knew her 'mother' gave that same respect and trust back though she hardly mentioned to John that Dr. Halsey found him attractive, he didn't need to know that part just yet anyway.

…

Two days later…

Cortana felt herself feel a lot lighter as she had managed to dump as much of the files as she could manage to do with the limited power and space that she had to work with. That in itself was a good thing and so far, John seemed to be on the road to stability, she however kept in mind that sooner or later, the power from the reactors was going to run out and as such, John would have to leave and seek out medical treatment.

She placed that aside and returned to scanning the area while looking at the data that Mendicant had given her, trying to determine their exact location as she knew that they had no idea where the collapsing portal had sent them both and as such, there was no telling what sort of dangers were there that they were going to have to contend with.

It was not long before her scanners were able to pick up an incoming signal and she scanned it, surprised to see that it was Forerunner. She had no idea what was going on though she hoped that the Forerunner constructs had been able to get the message from at least one the beacons that she had deployed two days earlier, she decided that it would be better that she got John up and awake since there was a chance that things could go bad. It was a risky move but it was better than letting him wake up in a situation that could be misinterpreted as a hostile situation. She began the process of having the Spartan awaken from cryo-stasis and she also made sure to keep her eye on his vitals since there was no telling how his body would react once thawed considering his injuries.

Thankfully it seemed that her fears were not going to come true just yet as his vitals were green and he was soon waking up. Once she was sure that he was awake, she wasted no time in unsealing the cryo-tube, the gas came out and soon John moved out of the cryo-tube slowly and spoke to her just as he activated the magnetic soles of his MJOLNIR's boots.

"Something wrong?"

"Not really, there's something coming our way."

"Rescue?"

"Not exactly, it's Forerunner from what I can see with what limited sensors I have so far, they don't seem hostile though."

John shook his head but placed that aside for the time being as he moved to get his MA5C ICWS Assault Rifle and managed to also get his hands on an M6G and placed it on his hip while making sure that he had enough ammunition on hand to use if things got to a dangerous point. As soon as he was done, he spoke to Cortana on what exactly it was that they should be expecting.

"How many?"

"At least a few Sentinels and some larger ones, I've accessed what I could and they appear to be more militarized versions of the Sentinels. So far they seem to be more interested in securing the Dawn and bringing us to what appears to be…a station."

John shook his head and spoke out what was in his mind.

"Don't tell me we're going to another Halo Ring."

Cortana smiled and replied.

"No, the profile despite my lack of long range scanners and sensors does not match a Halo Ring. It appears to be smaller and designed to resemble what we think is a space station ."

John was curious about that but decided that his questions could wait for now as he took Cortana's Data Crystal Chip and slid her into the system. The cold water down the spine sensation that came from the action of Cortana gaining access to the MJOLNIR as well as his CNI came quickly and faded just as quickly as she spoke.

"It's been a while now, at any rate, we should go and see just what is going on outside."

John nodded as he moved forward after deactivating the magnetic soles on the boots to allow him to move in low gravity. Once they got to the area where the Dawn had been caught, they spotted the Sentinels and there were indeed a number of them. He tensed when one of them came towards him and Cortana, however, it did not fire it's weapon and it seemed to be only scanning him. Once it was done, the Sentinel began to move with it's fellows to move the ruined Frigate to the possible facility that Cortana had been able to locate. It was not long before they were before the facility and they saw that it was radically different from what they had seen thus far. The facility retained many of the characteristics of the Forerunner design of structures but was more in line with a Shipyard with a space station that could either be a port or a defense station of sorts. The Spartan wondered just what sort of facility it was as he could see that it was not a regular location. However there was no doubt that it was a massive installation and was large enough to probably built more than a hundred UNSC ships each construction period, which was something.

He could tell that the facility was still very much intact and it could prove to be a valuable asset, with the Dawn as damaged as it was, and the Slipspace Drive lost, getting a transport that could take them into Slipspace was top priority and if this place was indeed a Shipyard, then they could get a ship to get them home. However, as soon as the Dawn was docked in and they were allowed to board the station via energy bridge, they spotted that they had company.

…

In the Forerunner orbital base…

John and Cortana tensed up as they were facing an exact copy of Guilty Spark and the machine was surrounded by four Sentinels and these were Major Class as well. John knew that while he could fight, the odds were not in their favor if things went south. However, to their surprise, the A.I construct spoke in a calm and serene tone and a female tone as well.

"Greetings to you Reclaimer, I am Contender Class A.I Unending Vigilance, I am pleased to finally see the child of my makers come to reclaim what is by right his."

John began to relax a bit and while he was still a bit wary, he knew better than to attack, and spoke to the A.I.

"What is this place?"

"This installation is recorded in the Forerunner archives as Military Base – Gateway, this served as the last known departure point of the Forerunners when they left the Galaxy to live away after the firing of the Halo Array no less than one hundred thousand years ago, this also served previously as a ship manufacturing yard before the Flood conflict and was reactivated during the decades that came after the Flood was encountered. I was assigned here under orders from the Forerunner Supreme Commander Didact as it's caretaker before he himself left with the last of my creators after the firing of the Halo Array."

.John thought it over and then Cortana spoke to Vigilance.

"Why did the Forerunners leave?"

"They left as they felt that their time had come, they had done all that they had felt they had done for the Galaxy and as such, it was time for another to take their place as custodians of the Galaxy, they chose your race Reclaimer. However, I feel that there is much to discuss, and you and your Construct are in need of rest and recovery."

The Spartan turned and spoke.

"Why are you helping us?"

"I do not understand Reclaimer, I was built to ensure that any and all needs that you have are to be met to the best of my functions and that of my servants. Is there something that I have done to offend you?"

John said nothing for a moment or two, but decided to tell Vigilance what was the reason on why he distrusted her and her kindred A.I when he first saw them. It took a while but throughout all this, Vigilance seemed to be taking it in well and soon spoke in the same tone.

"I see…it is sad that the loss of the installations was the result, and even more so for the Ark, but it was the only choice."

Cortana and John were surprised by this and Cortana spoke to Vigilance about that.

"Why do you act like that? Normally the loss of something like the Ark and the two Halo Rings would have been a real source of distress."

"I will not lie, I am distressed by their loss, but I also have been programmed to weigh the options as it were. From what I have determined, the isolation he has endured has brought Spark to Rampancy long before you and your construct have met him. He has been programmed to learn, but it seems that it has become his own weakness. As to why I myself have not become Rampant, I have been able to listen and record much while I was here. I was programmed by Didact to serve as an overseer of all major installations from a remote system that is only accessible to me. I have watched him in his previous installation and he has shown an unhealthy obsession with it."

Cortana snorted at that.

"I'll not argue with that…but hold on, you were watching us the whole time?"

"Yes, unknown to Spark I have recorded everything that has every happened since the time you and your fellow Reclaimers came to the Installation. And I have observed everything through the other constructs you have encountered that I could access well away from his reach or their own which included the Ark itself. For it was where I was built before I was charged to defend this base so long ago by my creators so I can access it on occasion if the need is great. I also understand fully why he became Rampant and killed your companion."

"When you destroyed the Installation he controlled and maintained previously, his Protocol systems were taken down. For you see, A.I like him and myself are programmed to focus on programmed operational priorities with his being to contain the Flood outbreak before it can leave and if it did or came close to, then initiate the firing sequence. And that is why he assisted you as he was without purpose and determined of his own volition that he should have aided you instead of hindering you. When he saw the new Ring being built, his Priority protocols reactivated and he adopted the new Installation as he own. This was not part of his programming as somehow when his containment Protocols came online, his operational prioritization programming failed. He was to use ANY means to contain the Flood, even if it meant that the Ring had to be destroyed and even the Ark, but he overrode that by being…'sentimental' as it were."

Cortana became incredulous at this and John was in the same shape as he spoke evenly.

"So he killed Johnson, and tried to kill me, Cortana, and the Arbiter…all because of sentimentality?"

"Yes…my creators suffered much in the war with the Flood and they had committed many agonizing decisions, some harder than most could bear. Spark became attached to his previous installation and the new one, and through it he fell into Rampancy. However, the codes that gave you recognition to my scanners included a message on how you came here. Mendicant has changed, and while he knows that his actions cannot fully atone for his betrayal, his message of making amends shall be preserved and given to the Forerunners. My concern however is now for you and your Construct Reclaimer, we have much to do before you can go back to your people if you so desire. There is much that must be done and there will be dangers that you and your race must be prepared for if and when you must take the mantle given to you by my creators."

"What do you mean?"

"My creators made many mistakes, bitter and painful mistakes and they have charged me to make sure that you Reclaimer, as well as all of your kindred will not make the same mistakes they did. They had removed many of their most potent technologies in their arsenal as they thought that there was no need for weapons in a galaxy in peace, they believed that they should avert conflict for all races and that peace was a better choice, and believed that they were best suited to defend all bio-diversity in the galaxy. This cost them everything…as well as their lives. Those that survived, including Didact vowed never to make those mistakes, their goals were noble, that is true…but they learned that in order to truly grow, there must be conflict and the races should rise through their own merits…not enforced peace."

"The Flood came from beyond the rim, this much my creators knew, and this had told them that there may be other, more powerful threats beyond the rim as well. They no longer could defend the Galaxy and they felt that their failure to do so was of their own making. That is why they chose a race that could grow, thrive, and adapt…your race Reclaimer as their successors."

Vigilance turned and then the facility came to full power as she spoke.

"Now the time has come to reclaim what you have been marked to inherit."

…

It had taken at least several weeks since John had relinquished the MJOLNIR to be upgraded by Cortana in the Forerunner naval base. It was a bit difficult for the man to move around without being in his armor as he felt positively vulnerable and naked without it. This was to be expected in the Spartans since they treated the MJIOLNIR as more than some sort of combat system.

During psyche evaluation runs made by UNSC doctors and psychiatrists they had determined that the Spartans had grown so used to wearing their MJOLNIR constantly that they had actually bonded to it. This meant that they felt uncomfortable and vulnerable without the armor on them at all. This was true within the majority of the Spartans with the exception of Grey Team as they were not above working outside of their MJOLNIR if they needed to.

John however ignored that and was currently taking the time to read up on the files before him. The data that he had gathered from the Forerunner facility known as the Ark had been invaluable indeed and the information could be useful in more ways than one. It had amazed him that Cortana had managed to hold all this information and not become Rampant, and at least when they got to this facility, she was finally able to get repairs as well as upgrades.

He also was thankful that there was a viable medical facility in this base that helped deal with the majority of his injuries. His 'Spartan Healing' had helped but he knew that he still needed viable medical care to deal with the injuries. The machines that helped with the healing were remarkably effective as he had recovered in a matter of hours. The Spartan was then told by Cortana that she had recovered special medical files to help him recover better and even improve as well as repair his currently present augmentations.

He had asked just where she got them and she replied that Mendicant Bias had placed these files and more into her and she had managed to hold onto them. The files pertained on the development of the Forerunner equivalent of augmentations. These had been developed late in the Forerunners' time and had seen wide spread use by their top soldiers or equivalent to the Spartans of the UNSC or the Covenant SpecOps. These soldiers had fought decisive battles with the Flood in the past though they were not able to do much and were eventually defeated by the numerically superior Flood which used their own technology against them. The reasons was with the Forerunner downsizing their military forces, the fact that the Flood was able to use their own tactics against them, and the breakdown of their military stockpiles which had left them bereft of their more potent weapons.

The files revealed that the augmentations given to the Forerunner Special Forces soldiers were far more advanced but totally organic and as such was not the same as the ones done to the Spartan IIs. which was more artificial. These augmentations were focused more on a natural and not artificial way to increase the combat abilities of their users and Cortana determined that they could still work with the existing augmentations he had and even improve them without complications.

John had some level of distrust, but after all he had seen and experienced, he was going to need all the advantages that he could get his hands on. The procedures had been utterly painless and had helped him recover quickly and made him a lot stronger. The medical procedures also served to repair the damage on the augmentations on his body that had slowly been accumulated in his long career as a Spartan.

In retrospect, he was a lot healthier and stronger than he had ever been. And this had been a good thing for him and he was now going to focus on getting ready for that was needed if and when they returned to the UNSC once the Frigate had been rebuilt. This had given Cortana plenty of time to experiment with their gear and equipment.

After reading all the files that Cortana had on hand, he concluded that the Forerunners had made a difficult choice all because of not keeping in mind that peace had to be protected. Their move to demilitarize themselves was noble in itself, but was foolish as well as it had left them totally ill prepared and supplied t fight the Flood. Still, they had done the impossible and fired the proverbial bullet in the head of the galaxy to stop the Flood.

And now they left their technology and legacy to Humanity, marking them as their legitimate heirs. That was very surprising to the Spartan as well as Cortana when she read it, and while it was the reason that the Covenant leadership started the war with the UNSC, it was something of an honor to be the ones chosen to be the guardians and custodians of the galaxy. And unlike the Forerunners, Humanity was more dynamic and while there were indeed people who were corrupt, evil, and the like, there were just as many who were good and honorable as well.

One thing was certain, things were going to be very interesting from here on out. It was here that Cortana appeared from a nearby holo-display and spoke to John.

"John, the project for the MJOLNIR is complete, care to see your new suit?"

"Right."

As the Spartan moved to the area to the assembly yard, he noted a number of humanoid suits there and rightly guessed that these were the Forerunner Combat Skins he had read about in Cortana's supply of files. These served as multipurpose suits for the Forerunners, some for civilian use, and others for purely military functions. As he recalled what he learned of the Combat Skins, he was able to see just how the Forerunners had been able to maintain their control and stewardship of the galaxy, and how the Flood had been able to over power them by using their own technology against them.

They arrived in what would be described as a massive factory and there in the middle was the MJOLNIR, it looked brand new, as if fresh out of Seongnam Korea. But John was not the kind to be fooled by first appearances, he could see that the MJOLNIR seemed different somehow, a lot more powerful than he had first worn it back in the ODP Cairo. He turned to Cortana who was smiling a great deal at the pet project that she had been working on.

"Care to fill me in?"

Cortana turned and gave an impish smile.

"Sorry, even if I did build it with the help of the factory and made a number of changes to it, I'm still in awe. Anyway, I had the chance to look up my 'mother' Dr. Halsey's notes on her development of the MJOLNIR and determined that she was able to devise a Mark VII variant of the MJOLNIR."

"Mark VII? Why have I never heard of this before?"

"It was something that Dr. Halsey had on her journal which I happen to know of, in it she had plans to develop the Mark VII and it has a quite a number of advanced features. This included a fusion/plasma hybrid power system so it actually has two reactors in it at the same time. She also devised the Mark VII to have limited manipulation of the Shield systems to make airfoils, over flaps and more besides though it's still limited. She had in mind built in atmospheric insertion technology and also for Slipspace work. And last she envisioned the presence of Active A.I transfer protocols."

John nodded though he smiled mentally at the way the woman had envisioned her personal creation for her Spartans. However he had to admit that he was rather confused as to why such a system was never fielded.

"How come it was never developed?"

"Time was against us John, it was barely past the planning phase and into the testing phase when Reach happened."

John nodded, now understanding that with the fall of Reach, the place where the MJOLNIR Mark VII could be made had been lost to the enemy. And it was with the loss of Reach that a vast portion of the UNSC's military and strategic resources were lost. He placed those thoughts aside for the time being and focused on the other matters, namely on what sort of changes had Cortana been working on with this new MJOLNIR model.

"So what can we expect from this version?"

Cortana smiled even more and replied.

"I took the liberty of using the data from the MJOLNIR's own records as well as the data we have from the Forerunner's own technology as well as their Combat Skins. The new version of the MJOLNIR has a new alloy to form the helmet, the outer combat shell, and the inner suit itself. This alloy is a specially made Titanium-Tungsten carbide mix that is altered at the molecular level and is able to be much denser than either metal but not become heavy in any fashion so it's not going to weigh you down easily. And thanks to the Forerunner manufacturing data as well as their machines, the alloy is made in thin sheets at the molecular level, the end result is an outer armor shell that is extremely resilient both energy based weaponry, explosives, standard ballistics, and advanced ballistics."

"How resilient are we talking about here?"

"You can take enough firepower to equal a Lance of Covenant soldiers firing none stop for one and Plasma Grenades will not be able to damage you much as well. Taking a Gauss Round in the chest or any other part of the body will not be enough to stop you at all. Plus the armor is able to handle hazardous environments as well and is hardened from radiation, EMP, chemicals, and more as par the requirements of the MJOLNIR series. Plus we also have an upgrades refractive coating to further disperse heat and energy from the armor for increased survivability from energy damage."

John nodded with satisfaction showing on his face, there was no doubt that if this one passed the trials that he had no doubt Cortana had prepared in detail, this could be the key evening up the odds for them in battle. But he decided to take his time and wait for Cortana to fill him in on the rest of the features that she managed to place into this MJOLNIR.

"I also took into account the Shield systems, with the MJOLNIR's new hybrid reactor system we can divert enough power to increase Shield strength to be able to handle most threats. I got is from the Class 18 Combat Skin which is the highest ranking one that we found so far in the manifest of this base's supply area. The Shields on this are incredible and are more than enough to give you high level protection from most if not all threats. Just don't get cocky with them as they still need to recharge if they run low or fail."

John smiled slightly and Cortana smiled right back and he spoke to her.

"Anything else?"

"Yes, I managed to access some of the data that we had from the development and research databases back on Reach and I have managed to incorporate something new into the MJOLNIR, this a special healing module that uses the principles of the Sterile Field Generator but is able to help heal injuries without you having to go back to a medical center for treatment. This was developed back on Reach if you were to recall, but we never got the supply of the devices in time during the Fall of Reach either. This works with the new onboard medical care systems we have on hand since we replaced the Biofoam we normally use with a new medical agent from the Forerunner database."

"What is that?"

"I'll call it Bio-gel, the name is a bit odd for sure, but it is the same as Biofoam, yet uses what appears to be a special synthetic cell that are totally organic and can help heal injuries and speed up the natural recovery process without adverse effects to the body. Like Biofoam, it can seal wounds, mend tissue and organs, and also set bones, but unlike it, the effects are longer lasting and semi permanent. This can be pretty useful as the MJOLNIR can manufacture the Bio-gel on site and that is a serious advantage in any case. Plus it is also suited for the augmentations you have as well so no side effects to boot"

"Not bad…those will certainly come in handy."

Cortana smiled at that and replied.

"I knew you would like that, anyway, the new MJOLNIR also happens to have a number of other features as well as improved ones, it's a lot more stream lined and as such, grappling points on it are less in number so this can be an edge in CQC. The Reactive Metal Liquid Crystal Layers had to be repaired as well as given a greater level of power and performance to even up for the increase in power, and it is going to be rather roomy in there for me as well, the Force Multiplication Circuits have been replaced with new and improved due to burn out damage. Lastly, the Hydrostatic Gel has been cleared of any viscosity and improved for a smoother function base. And I have installed the features that Dr. Halsey had in mind so we can really be able to hold our own if we need to. All in all, it's about the same but with the upgrades, this should be more than enough for now."

John nodded and decided to get into the MJOLNIR and get it through it's paces before taking it out for battle when he got back to the UNSC. The war might be over but he doubted that the Jiralhanae, the loyal Kig-Yar, the Unggoy, the Yan'me, and the Prophets that survived, if any were going to let the matter fall. They were still going to be threats that the UNSC had t deal with and there was the chance that the Insurrection was going to be around to make life even harder for the people back home.

He was no doubt going to be assigned to deal with those two factors and if needed, help deal with relief and peace keeping missions when he and Cortana got back to the UNSC. But all that can wait for now as they had a lot of work to do. Besides, until the Dawn was rebuilt and also given a vital amount of needed upgrades and retrofits, they were not going to be going anywhere.

…

It was not just the MJOLNIR that underwent an overhaul either, Vigilance had helped in the development of new weapons while retaining the look and appearance of UNSC weaponry. The A.I had admitted that she was surprised at the low powered weapons used by her creator's successors but did her best to make more of them, though she did experiment with the gun-powder mixtures to create a greater level of power with their ignition.

The new addition was based on Gauss technology and it was something that John enjoyed considerably as he tested each new weapon. While the whole line off Gauss weapons retained the look of the UNSC standard infantry arsenal, they did have some traits that were different. They relied on ammunition like regular weapons but their ammunition no longer relied on gun powder and were in different varieties for a variety of battles.

The first was the standard solid tungsten round for AP duty, next was the especially made Shredder Rounds that could splinter on impact on fleshy targets, ballooning outward to cause tissue damage, next were Phased rounds, specially coated rounds that had the ability to refract energy and allow them to bypass shields though in doing so, they lose a portion of their mass and could not do as much damage to their targets, but could easily bypass shields, the next was a special round that had a small amount of specially made fissionable material that while not nuclear in nature were made to unleash small yet powerful EM pulse blasts, this made them deadly to robotic targets unless shielded against EMP.

These were certainly welcomed by the Spartan as these could give them a much needed edge in battle. The same could be said for the next branches of weapons.

The first Energy Weapon branch was based on two concepts, the first being from the Spartan Laser, and the other being the Pulse Beams of the Forerunners, which were more advanced than that of the Laser Technology fielded by the UNSC. The Pulse Beam weapons were limited to the infantry weapons as they were pre-dominantly used as anti infantry weaponry while the Spartan Laser was improved to have a stronger power supply and improved firing rate to make it more effective as an anti-armor weapon. The end result was that if traditional ballistics and Gauss were not enough, then Lasers were the next step. They were powered a clip that housed not bullets but a special fuel cell that could be recharged and used in combat.

The Second branch was Plasma itself, and both of them were surprised to learn that the Covenant's plasma technology was considered as crude and weak by Vigilance, and the Forerunners had actually taken Plasma to a much higher level than thought possible by anyone. That was why the Plasma branch was based on the Forerunner data on the Sentinel Beams and as such, the new versions were better in some senses to the Covenant weapons as they had tremendous range, power supply, and damage power. The weapons were in the same form as the UNSC weapons as per the request of the Spartan for more familiarity than most would think. To keep them from overheating, they were armed with special clips that took in the heat as well as excess plasma and recycle it back for use. The new Energy Swords were also just as impressive and can be very helpful in close combat due to the improved battery supply as well as the now deep blue plasma that was emitted from the handles..

There were also some Forerunner weapons that could create solid light to form barrels and when used in conjunction with another like them, could produce a beam of immense power though the once carried by two hands could not be used in conjunction with another. These were taken by John as well.

The last branch was actually based on ONI's Hard Sound Rifle, in which sound was formed into a strong, solid mass of energy with high kinetic force. The advantage this weapon had over regular Sniper Rifles was that it left no bullet wounds on the target, made no audible noise, and no powder or burn residue on impact. It achieved such kills by actually obliterating internal organs, literally shredding them on impact This made it a perfect assassin's weapon and while John had no idea why Cortana had the weapons made, he was sure that there was good reason for it anyway.

…

So far the Dawn had been given a number of changes to fit with the needs that Cortana had in mind since there was no telling just how far they were in the galaxy from Earth. The Frigate had been given a much higher increase in terms of size, armor plating, as well as new weapons to make it a more effective warship. In this way, if it ever encountered a threat where regular weapons did not meet the needs of the battle, it now had options to choose from on how to raise absolute hell. It was given an improved MAC Gun design mirroring the Autumn's improved MAC Gun which naturally included the firing rate and ammunition, and it carried not one or two, but three of these weapons.

The Dawn now sported not just Gauss Turrets based on the Gauss Cannons for countering fighters and attacking missiles, but also large Mass Driver turrets, smaller scale versions of MAC Guns. They were usually used to fling supplies and at times waste into orbit, but could become effective weapons when needed. These Mass Drivers were made to do just that and were more mobile versions of the MAC Guns as all three were the spines of the ship.

There were also energy weapons as well to further add more power to the Dawn if it needed to get in and out of a fight. This included Sentinel Beam Turrets, Pulse Laser Turrets, and the feared Plasma turrets that could fire unguided or guided Plasma 'torpedoes'.

They were balanced by banks of Forerunner Missile pods that had the ability to replenish itself in the fly and unleash a few missiles or a storm of them if the situation demanded it. The missiles were powerful enough to be labeled as nukes in his and Cortana's perspectives, but after learning how the Flood controlled ships and seeing first hand, they were happy for the extra fire power.

The Frigate had changed and while still taking the Frigate Designation and class, it was already the size of a Destroyer and carried more than enough firepower, armor and more to even up the odds in any fight. That was further improved with the installation of Shield Generators on the ship to add a more powerful wall of protection, something that John and Cortana were more than happy to have on their ship.

And with Cortana now a Forerunner Contender Class A.I, she was more than able to handle full scale operations with the Dawn and more. The Dawn was now powered by not just the regular Deuterium 'Cold Fusion' Reactors, but a reactor that was similar to a Forerunner Navy Warship, and that meant that if the Dawn was patched into a station, it would be able to power the station indefinitely. This was considered low grade by Vigilance' standards, but it was adequate for their needs and uses for battle.

There is also an advanced Medical Bay which incorporated the best of UNSC medical technology and information as well as Forerunner medical technology that would be valuable for the UNSC in terms of treating injuries and saving countless lives if it came to that. Not to mention that apart from the usual number of rooms for the crew and the other personnel which allowed the frigate to carry a full five to eight thousand people with full yet utilitarian comfort, there was also a teleportation grid system that could allow John and others to be teleported up and down as long as they had a special homing beacon that could help Cortana locate them and send them down or move them to another location with the Dawn acting as coordination and staging area for the now termed 'hot insertion'

The HEVs were still there and if there were circumstances where the teleportation grid was not a viable option and time was of the essence, then they would be the key for the mission. Naturally the specially made supply HEVs were also present when supplies needed to be dropped in a hurry and the teleportation grid was not a viable choice to send those supplies down to the surface also due to unknown factors and circumstances.

Vigilance also had a number of UNSC Vehicles made as par request of the two though those had been upgraded and perfected to be more useful in battle if they needed such firepower and armor. And if ever the HEVs were not a viable choice, the Albatross Heavy Dropships and Pelican Dropships that were built would be used in battle to ferry them down as well as all the supplies needed..

While all this was going on, Vigilance decided to fill in both John and Cortana on the full extend of the war between the Forerunners and the Flood, as well as a secret behind why the Forerunners chose Humanity as their successors.

Learning the full history of the Forerunner-Flood War that lasted three centuries was hard, but learning about how Humanity once commanded an vast empire that was a rival to the Forerunners so long ago was even more surprising for the two of them. They learned that Humanity was at odds with the Forerunners long ago and were defeated and devolved as it were to the Humanity that was in the fossil records in Earth. The Forerunners considered them a violent and unpredictable species and had done much to keep Humanity from getting stronger and once more threaten the galaxy.

However, Vigilance told them that over time, the Forerunners saw great strength and potential in Humanity, they saw that while they were indeed a violent race, they could grow, adapt, and constantly strived to succeed, and even when faced with insurmountable odds by some estimates, Humanity eventually learned to thrive and endure as well as unite under one banner for a common cause. And their bravery was also worthy of note in the eyes of the Forerunners as well as their ability of self sacrifice. Over time they became fascinated with their former enemies and saw that from Humanity they could learn more of themselves and their own history.

This came to a point that in the closing days of the war with the Flood, the majority of the Forerunners decided that if they were to finally move on once the Array was fired, they were going to mark Humanity as their successors. Humanity had proven that they were more than able to hold their own and could achieve much, maybe even more than they did, and avoid their mistakes. Humanity was indeed violent and warlike, but they were strong, and showed many positive traits that won their respect and trust. And their ability to grow on their own despite the hardship that came with it was also something that they soon saw as a worthy trait for Humanity to have once they were able to succeed.

That was why when enough of their race had been taken into the Ark so many years ago that the Forerunners programmed their technology to be activated by Human DNA, this was their final act before they all perished from the power of the Halo Arrays and afterwards, re-seeding the galaxy of all life and left, allowing the races to grow on their own as they should have done so long ago. All this was recorded by Cortana as her new designation as a Contender Class A.I which was why she had been gone for so long and needed to be repaired due to the damage to her core programming chip.

The upgrades meant that Cortana was no longer under the limits of the past as she could live indefinitely. The fact that she had already survived Rampancy helped her, and the codes imparted to her by Mendicant also helped strengthen her to ensure that she would never fall again. This was something that Cortana was happy for and hoped that this would be enough to make her keep her promise to watch out for the Spartan for as long as needed.

And with the added space she was able to get all the data she had hidden away before and kept them close for use. They decided that they should at least send a message to Earth once they were well within reach of the Sol System. They were too far away to establish a signal and even if they were not, the technology of the UNSC was not strong enough to receive a signal from them as well.

Once the Dawn was fully rebuilt, it was ready to leave and had a compliment of Huragok and Constructors to help it in any possible fashion in the area of repair and maintenance as well as some Strato-Sentinels for more delicate matters or when gathering supplies from space borne sources. There was also an assembly plant built in as well as a refinery system to process any raw materials that they recovered.

All in all, the Dawn was quite a sight and was no longer as large as a Frigate, but would be seen as a Destroyer class UNSC vessel though armed with Forerunner technology. Vigilance bid the two farewell as her duties to the military base remained to with her and she would be working either way to maintain things on her end. However, she did warn them to be wary as this area of space they were in suffered from a very delicate imbalance of Slipspace.

When questioned by John and Cortana what was the problem, the A.I explained that the location here was where some ships of the Forerunners that were still present but severely damaged would at times be scrapped anything salvageable while those devices in them that cannot be repaired or salvaged had to be broken down. When that happens, the crystal cores that were used in such devices had adverse effects at times to Slipspace and these were what one would call as artificial Slipspace Anomalies and that would be a dangerous place to attempt a Slipspace Jump. John and Cortana recalled the effects of the crystal they found on Reach after the battle on the first Halo and what happened when it came online in Slipspace. That was why there were quick to heed the advice given to them.

The A.I gave them coordinates on where they could get the ship in a safe spot for a Slipspace Jump away from the location for their trip back to Earth. However, she also told them that even with the coordinates, it was best that they be wary and if anything happened that could be the result, then they would have to locate another viable site to initiate a Slipspace Jump. As soon as they were ready for the return trip, the Dawn pulled out of the Forerunner Shipyard and was moving through the area of space that they were not supposed to attempt a Slipspace Jump due to the unpredictable results due to the energies that soaked the entire area.

They also saw the remains of the Forerunner devices that could not be repaired and Cortana could also see through the scanners the considerable amount of energy all over the place. The Dawn then arrived at the set coordinates and Cortana then decided that it would be best to get moving and back to Earth and get ready for the missions that they would soon be undertaking once they got reassigned on any missions that dealt with the aftermath of the war with the Covenant as well as the Flood.

However, it was at this moment when they were activating the Slipspace Drive Engine and opening a portal that an inert Slipspace Drive core that was taken from a ruined Forerunner ship floated by and near the portal…it was small, almost the size of a small suitcase or the kind of locked security storage device that one found in a vaulted and was apparently very low powered and as such would have been mistaken as space debris or too small to be of concern. However the activation of the Slipspace Portal by the Dawn apparently had some sort of effect on it as it began to glow, symbols appearing on it and soon as the Dawn began to enter the portal, it's possible activation sequence came online.

And just as the Dawn was nearly through, the device unleashed a powerful burst of energy that hit the Portal and it seemed to be the same as that of Slipspace itself. The Dawn was caught off guard by this as it was sent too quickly into Slipspace and seemed to be on the wrong course. Cortana was quick to notice that something wrong was going on and John was quick to catch on to the situation as well as he noted that the Slipspace Portal they had just entered was suddenly different.

The Dawn shook as it moved through the portal and as soon as the shaking stopped, Cortana scanned the Slipspace around them and noted that some of the calibrations and readings were utterly off and checked the scanners on the ship to see their records prior to their entering of the Slipspace Portal. She knew immediately that something must have happened to their area of Slipspace and spoke to John.

"John, we need to pull out from Slipspace now!"

"Do it!"

…

As soon as the Dawn came out of the portal, Cortana scanned the ship to find out what had happened to them. John shook his head at the bumpy ride and spoke to Cortana.

"What happened?"

"Hold on, I'm running a full diagnostic right now."

John himself managed to get his bearings and check the rest of the ship with the scanners, it was not long before Cortana spoke to him.

"It seems that the ship is still intact though a bit banged up…apparently something had been close to the Portal for a few seconds and somehow altered it a bit. It must have been some form of Forerunner ship wreckage. The logs stated that before were completely through the portal some sort of Forerunner device that might have been used in their own Slipspace Drives must have been activated and disrupted Slipspace the second we were in it."

John though it over and recalled Vigilance's warning on the matter and nodded.

"That must be the case, at any rate, where exactly are we?"

We're at least a few systems away from Earth, not sure about the exact location, but we can attempt to Jump into Earth right away."

"Let's go it."

With that, the Dawn activated the Slipspace Portal and was soon on it's way to Earth, however, unknown to the two people there on the UNSC/Forerunner Warship they were not alone as a certain someone was looking at them with surprise. This person was wearing a black and green suit and actually had a field of green energy around her form…and that seemed to keep her safe even in the cold unforgiving vacuum of space.

She looked at the ship carefully and tried to discern the origin of the vessel but found nothing that could tell her of the ship's origins, and the glowing disc of blue light gave off an energy that she had never seen before. She watched as the ship vanish into the disk and was soon gone. She moved towards it and aimed her right arm to the exact spot. The ring on her hand unleashed a green beam of energy around the area and apparently was an attempt to scan the area which the Dawn as just vacated on it's trip into Slipspace.

As soon as she was done, she knew that what happened before her had to be reported to her superiors. And if possible alert the others to be wary of the force that commanded that ship.

…

The Dawn soon appeared over Earth from the Slipspace Portal, but the very second it approached Earth, the Dawn stopped and for good reason.

John looked on and despite wearing his MJOLNIR's helmet, he looked completely flabbergasted, and the same could be said for Cortana as she looked at Earth. Normally being able to see the home of Humanity and the UNSC would help make their lives a heck of a lot easier. But what they were seeing was not something they expected.

Earth had been devastated by the UNSC Covenant War, and had suffered a lot of damage as far as he and she knew. The ODPs were either wiped out or were too badly damaged to be of much help, the Home Fleet was only a handful of ships, mostly Frigates with a scattering of Destroyers, debris of ruined and destroyed UNSC and Covenant Ships, and several areas ruined by warfare,. But what they were seeing right now completely surprised them.

Africa had been glassed by the Separatists to prevent the Flood from taking root on Earth and as such New Mombasa had been destroyed as well as half a continent. It was a drastic measure, but after learning the full extent of the Flood's deadly potential, it was a risk worth taking. Several other areas had been damaged and also a number of cities had been attacked when the Loyalists were still around.

But the world below them had nothing of the sort, it was as if it had never been damaged or scarred by the brutal invasion of the Prophet of Regret and then the Prophet of Truth in the ending days of the war.

Cortana spoke at this point as she was still trying to get used to what they were looking below them.

"How the heck did this happen?"

John looked on at this and decided to make a move before they started jumping to conclusions.

"Cortana, let's guide the ship to the other side of the moon and start gathering intel on Earth…something is not right here."

…

It was at least two months ever since their fateful arrival in the area of Earth, but throughout all this, they had kept themselves on the dark side of the moon, well away from any regular scanners and observatories while deploying Clarion Spy Drones to do a full recon run and what they had been able to see was surprising.

This Earth was actually near the timeline of at least early 21st Century, Fossil Fuels were still the dominant fuel source for cars and other transportation despite the growing number of alternative fuel sources, Hydrogen Reactors were not built, Space Travel was still rudimentary and colonization of other planets had not yet occurred, along with cities that they knew did not exist in the UNSC records of Earth, that also went for nations that they saw on the records, the UN was named the World Assembly, in some areas, technology was better and more progressive, and apparently there were several other features that got their attention.

These were the super heroes and super villains who called this world their home. Costumed vigilantes were considered as people who were either playing a prank or delusional in the eyes of the UNSC, and at times were considered as a threat if they broke the law and harmed innocent bystanders.

But apparently these people were a lot more common on this Earth, Cortana accessed all the files she could find and even from sanctioned government files on all the recorded heroes on this Earth.

John was currently looking at the files that Cortana had been able to acquire as he was munching on an apple as he looked at the wide screen computer monitor. So far, the files she had on hand told him a good deal about a few of the more prominent super heroes on this Earth. Cortana appeared next to her on a holo-tank and she smiled warmly at him as he continued to eat the fruit.

"Nice to see you eating something, so having a chance to look at some of the data I got?"

"Yep."

The data in question focused on the Super heroes that were well known on this Earth, with the first being a certain Kryptonian male who wore red, blue and flew about with an 'S' on his chest.

"Super-man…fits the look."

Cortana smirked at that and replied.

"True, his civilian identity is Clark Kent from what I got from the database and from some important recon we got done before landing. He's a reporter working in the Daily Planet and was raised in Smallville Kansas."

"Smallville?"

"I know the name is a bit odd, but the place is pretty good as far as I have seen. Apparently he was raised by Martha and Jonathan Kent when they found him in an escape shuttle when he was a baby. They appear to be a very compassionate and loving couple, good values all around, raised him right, in short, they are kind of parents you would be more than happy to introduce to your girlfriend. They also took in his cousin Kara from Krypton's sister planet Argo when she came to Earth and they pretty much did the same for her despite her being a teenager of all things."

"Anything else?"

"Yes, apparently Super-man is from a race called the Kryptonians and it's last survivor to date since their planet went down in a catastrophic mess though the only Kryptonian natives seen apart from him were criminals banished by Super-man's Kryptonian father years ago, they appear to have developed super powers when under the influence of the yellow sun of Earth, but they suffer the polar opposite when under a red sun. They also are susceptible to the radioactive remains of their world known as kryptonite. The powers range from flight, super strength, speed, near invulnerability, heat vision, ice breath, x-ray vision, micro and telescopic vision, high intelligence, and superior hearing."

John dialed that in and finished his apple and tossed it into the nearby trash bin with pinpoint accuracy and spoke.

"What are the exact effects of Red Sun radiation and Kryptonite on him?"

"Kryptonite is obviously fatal if he is exposed to large amounts of it, even a sliver can be very painful as well as stripping him of powers and extended exposure is going to kill him as well. Red Sun radiation can strip him of his powers entirely or weaken him, either of the results depends on the dosage. And despite his near invulnerability, he is hardly indestructible, he can feel pain if injured, he can bleed and be killed if hit with more than enough force, depends usually on circumstances and he does feel the strain if he does super human feats of strength every now and then."

John nodded as he then moved to the refrigerator and took out a juice bottle and drank it while sitting down and opening the file on Super-man's cousin Super Girl.

"And she has the same weaknesses?"

"Pretty much, but unlike her cousin, Super-Girl is still pretty new to the whole Super-hero thing and as such, has the usual traits of a teenager who has something to prove and can be short tempered and quick to use force on more than one instance. Not to mention she has the trait of being headstrong."

John nodded and switched to another file and this one was of the Dark Knight of Gotham.

"So this is Bat-man, must use the appearance to scare the daylights out of his targets."

Cortana nodded at that.

"Right, his real name is Bruce Wayne, owner of Wayne Enterprises which was founded by his father Thomas Wayne, both parents were good people who fought to bring peace and prosperity in Gotham, a noble mission for a city filled to the brim with corruption and crime. Both of his parents were killed and we can say that he 'died 'there as a child."

John listened and replied.

"So he trained himself as well as conditioned himself as well to fight the criminals of his city?"

"Pretty much, escape techniques, martial arts, science, detective skills, forensics, medicine, engineering, weapons development, and a few others to boot. He's been at that for years and after getting back started his career as Bat-man. He uses a portion of his money for this and also happens to have the usual civilian identity which is that of a play-boy billionaire and a philanthropist. He has some help as well."

"Who?"

"The names of his allies as far as well know include Dick Grayson, Tim Drake, and Barbara Gordon, as well as Barbara's old man James who happens to be the Police Commissioner, along with a few others to boot. The first was the former Robin and had been from a circus family until his parents were killed and Bruce took him in, they worked together for years until Barbara showed up and joined the group as Bat-girl. But Robin got tired of Bruce's tactics of intimidation and finding out about Barbara even when they were going to be engaged, made him leave and give up the uniform."

"He turned into Night-wing after that and currently works in Bludhaven, Tim is pretty much in the same boat though his circumstances are pretty different, his father was a criminal and had been idolizing Bat-man since he was a youth. After being kidnapped by a criminal named Two-face for something his father hid, Tim joined Bat-man and became the second Robin. Barbara took the cowl to free her father when he was being framed and eventually became part of the team. "

John looked at the files on said heroes and recorded what he could and guessed that despite being very capable, he could guess that they were still human and could be killed by many conventional weapons, and considering his own arsenal, he had more than his fair share of weapons. Still he gave the group credit for their abilities.

John continued to look at the files, namely on the alien races that called Earth home…it still was a bit unsettling for him to know that aliens were there and even if there were indeed good aliens like Super-man and his cousin, as well as a few others, he was not entirely convinced that they were all trustworthy. The ones called Meta-humans were of some level of concern for him as well as their powers were definitely not normal. Still he only reserved his distrust to those who used their powers for selfish and abusive reasons, those who did not however were a lot more tolerable to him.

As soon as he was done, Cortana then told him that until they could find a way to bridge the theoretical dimensional barrier between this universe, and their own, they were stuck here. This was not something that John wanted to hear.

"So we're stuck here?"

"Yes, so far we have no idea of there is any technology here that can open dimensional gateways and be made compatible with Forerunner technology. Until we find some way to open a hole like that through Slipspace we are here."

"Is there any chance that we can find any Forerunner technology here in this reality Cortana?"

"I doubt it…if this is indeed another reality all together, then finding any technology we know of that is Forerunner is not very likely since we don't know if they did exist here, even more so if they are, what is their state and situation, but considering what we've seen so far, the idea of a race here that has developed technology to cross dimensions is possible. Whether they are willing to allow us access is the main concern that we should have. And it might be possible that there is technology on Earth itself that might be helpful to us."

John nodded as he had seen some fairly interesting technology on this world that could be rather useful in the long run. But he knew that he was going to have to do something that could ensure that until they did find the means to free themselves and head back to the UNSC. Cortana was well ahead of him as she spoke to the Spartan.

"Why don't we establish you on the ground Chief?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean that we should give you a civilian identity, have you set yourself as an average person, have a job, that sort of thing. And before you ask why, it's simple. You need to socialize for a while Chief, if we do find a way to go back to the UNSC, it will be a good chance for you to adjust being with the rest of Humanity as a whole. This way we can finally put to rest all that stuff they say about Spartans back there in the UNSC, and besides, even if this is not OUR Earth, our duty to defend Humanity still stands. Considering what we've seen and know now of this world…it's going to need all the help it can get."

John thought it over but he knew that there were still some loopholes in that idea.

"You do realize that we're a completely unknown factor in this world, and we have the chance of being tracked down by shadowy government agencies, and who knows who else who might have a less than altruistic desire to use the technology we have. And I can guess if they find out about you, they are not going to give up the idea and try to either re-program you or do worse."

Cortana smiled as John did bring up valid points and she replied.

"I know, but we don't have much in terms of options at this point. Besides, I still have my ability to create copies of myself which has been drastically improved by the way, and being a Contender Class A.I, I have the ability to operate in ways that regular A.I cannot easily do unless they were made by a highly advanced alien race. And besides, even with the advanced technology here, I am not going to be easily tracked by anyone and making copies loaded to the core with virus, quantum computations, data bombs, and all written in Forerunner Glyphs should make the process of reading the said traps a real workout for the people trying to track us."

John saw that Cortana was dead serious about this and decided that if she had thought all of that through, then no sense not getting things started up, but first they needed some capital. And already they were able to locate one corporation that had it's hands deep in the proverbial load of bovine droppings in crime and illegal technology.

Cortana only estimated that she could take a good enough amount of money then clean it properly to make sure that it was made into legitimate money and would serve as the base for their operations on the surface of Earth, and soon they decided to go and look for a viable location, but well away from any city currently occupied by any super heroes as attracting attention was not in John's MO for the time being.

…

In New York…

Cortana looked at the large warehouse complex that she and John had been able to purchase from the funds that they were able to siphon away from a couple of corrupt businessmen who they knew would now have other issues to deal with as the authorities will be dealing with them. It was not much at first glance, but it was going to do for now as this was a base for them on the surface of the world while the Dawn was still going to be deep in orbit and away from Earth to keep it hidden if and when they needed it.

As they walked in, John looked over the new place that he was going to call home and decided to get to work in getting this place up to speed, it was going to be more utilitarian and not have too many frills and look like a paradise of sorts. John was not the kind of person who thought solely of creature comforts and besides, it was only on the third and second floor that he was going to be staying in.

John had taken the first floor to use as a garage and repair shop for building custom cars as a job of sorts. The vehicles that were currently around were still using fossil fuels and while they were considered old fashioned by UNSC standards, they were easy enough to understand and repair. John took the course on vehicle maintenance, building and repair and proved to be a natural on it.

That was going to be their civilian cover, John was a custom builder of cars and other vehicles for the civilian population and this place was both his home and his workshop. It was going to take a while but it was going to be a good way to keep himself and Cortana out of the lime light until he needed to get used to this world. The discovery of these Meta-humans, aliens, and whatnot was still a bit unsettling for John, but he was able to move past it as he had seen more than his fair share of things that would be hard to explain to the regular folks. He was going to gather any and all information that he and Cortana could get. With the upgrades given to Cortana and the technology of both the UNSC and the Forerunner at their command, this would be a lot easier by any standard and with the perfectly crafted civilian identity that Cortana had now injected into the global database, he was set and ready to operate on the surface..

They had bought the place via the internet and soon arrived covertly to set up shop, only asking for supplies and whatnot to be sent in when they had renovated the place and set themselves up. So far, the two knew that a lot of work was going to have to be done in their earth bound base of operations before they could really get down to the essential operations.

One thing that most people did not know about the Spartan II Program was the Spartans were trained in all fields of warfare which also included the use of espionage, concealment and more. This meant that while they were indeed trained as Commandos for extreme risk missions, they were not meant to be mere hammers of war. They were taught how to gather intelligence, to blend in if the situation called for it, and also to use civilian cover in order together information. One core philosophy that Chief Mendez and the DIs taught the Spartans was that no matter how high tech the military was, it was still reliant on soldiers in the field and intelligence from people who were on site.

This was why the Spartans received more than enough training on how to blend in with people and not stick out by acting like civilians and establish temporary but effective IDs if there is a need for in the field intelligence gathering before a mission is either given the green light or scrubbed due to certain factors and events. There were already teams of John's fellow Spartans who were experts at this, namely those of Grey Team as well as Team Black. The training naturally included cultural habits, social techniques, languages, dialects, religious matters and the like, this was included due to the diverse nature of the Insurrection due to the various organizations and the people that made up their forces and their leadership. So if a more covert approach was needed before the full force approach, then they had the skills, talents and experience to use in said missions.

The reason this was never seen among them was that with the advent of the UNSC-Covenant War, all intelligence gathering either covert or open now had to be done with full weapons and armor and while they do get intelligence, they usually wind up in more firefights than most people in the UNSC did. But despite not being able to use his covert operations training when it came to blending in with civilians, John did not forget them.

However, with this being a completely different Earth and reality, he had to learn the past customs as well as the new ones in this reality so he could fit in even more. It was a bit difficult as he had been so used to fighting that using a civilian identity was the last thing on his mind in any case. But he was not going to let that stop him.

If adapting a civilian identity is the key to survival here on this…Earth, then so be it. And he was going to do a good job while he was at it. It would be an insult to him and his fellow Spartans if he botched up the job badly.

…

A week later…

As soon as dawn was approaching, the Spartan woke up from his bed and did a light amount of exercise to get himself back to full alert status, and while he could have gone for some shooting practice, he decided against it until he got a legitimate gun ownership's license. The last thing he wanted was to get arrested for shooting without a viable civilian license. It was still early in the morning so he soon took a shower and after placing some simple clothes on, he had to go to the kitchen and cook some food.

This was one area of civilian life that he had some trouble with, in his long career as a Spartan, hot and well cooked food was something that was a luxury to him and the rest of the UNSC Defense Forces. Usually offered only in secure military locations or in starships, hot food was treasured by the personnel of the UNSCDF, as they usually used MREs in the field when deep in enemy lines or when setting up proper kitchen facilities was a bad idea.

Cooking was not one of his strong points as this was never included in his training so he had to learn on his own and that was a bit of trial and error. Cortana was amused somewhat by that and while she did tease him, she did help him out every now and then. He was not the best cook, but he was able to learn well enough.

As soon as he was done with some eggs, toasted bread, ham, and coffee, he ate his food and decided to take a look at more files pertaining to the costumed heroes and villains of this Earth. The sooner he got all the details right then if he encountered them at some point in his time here, he was not going to be caught flat footed by any of them. He hoped that he was not going to be dragged into a conflict he technically was not to be involved as this was pre-dominantly a matter to be dealt with by this universe's military and civilian security forces, but his oath to defend Humanity still stood and he was not going to shrink from those duties just because this was not his Earth.

John spent the next hour reading on a few more files before opening the ship. He went down to the first floor and opened the roll up gate and checked his records to see just who was going to be his first customer of the day. He had managed to get a number of supplies and machines brought in to the first floor and with Cortana hotwired into the core systems, he was going to do all right, he even brought down a bank of Hydrogen fueled generators that he had taken from the Dawn's storage area to supply his place with power if there was a power outage in his area.

The machines included the kind one found in a small factory as well as a fabrication yard, all of which was controlled by Cortana and with her upgrades and abilities, plus her existing ones, running an entire factory is child's play for the A.I.

This was not what he had in mind, but it was better this way and earning a legitimate amount of income was going to be very helpful by any length. The funds Cortana had were cleaned and properly processed so as not to leave any paper or electronic trail but it would not be enough unless they were able to invest it and also get a good flow of legitimate funding.

This was why he had all the equipment brought in from legal companies that dealt in the making of cars. This was going to be his source of funding from here on out and with what he had been able to learn, he might do all right.

…

Three weeks later…

The Spartan locked down his base of operations and decided to go and shop for supplies, namely for food and other needed necessities. While the Dawn had a good amount of supplies, and those were kept in excellent condition, he preferred to keep those in stock for now. Cortana agreed with it and replied that it would show normalcy, something that would keep him from getting himself tangled into a situation that could certainly not end well.

The Spartan preferred to wear the usual UNSC clothing, but Cortana insisted that he wear civilian garb, something that he had never done for years, the last time he wore civilian garb was when he was still six years old back in school when he was still a civilian and not part of the program. He preferred to wear simple clothing so as not to attract attention that could very well get him into trouble which was why he wore simple jeans, black rubber shoes and a simple white cotton shirt. It was basic clothing but on him it was a different story.

John was not exactly the kind of man who would easily win a modeling contract, but he was attractive in his own way. The years of extensive training and his experiences made him strong and well formed along with the augmentations with no fat and all iron dense muscle, and while not many had seen his face unless he removed his MJOLNIR's helmet, his face was not bad, there were some small scars, testament of his struggles but they did little to mar his features which were well formed and had all the right features that most men of above average appearance had on them. He was not as handsome as a top ranked male fashion model, but could be considered above the average male in terms of attractiveness and appearance.

The brown eyes were very expressive of his mood, they were usually calm and focused, but had pride, strength, memories, sadness, and confidence in them. Just the kind women would be interested in even though he had pale skin though not pale to the point he would be considered an albino. That and the fact that he was as tall and strong looking added to that and was something that Cortana had teased him about frequently, and much to his combined annoyance and slightamusement.

This had been happening for at least three weeks since he had settled down in New York, as a number of female customers who came to his workshop for either new orders or some needed parts for damaged vehicles had made a number of discreet and indiscreet moves on him. And even when not at work and going shopping, he got a lot of attention from females passing by. Some women even asked him if he was single or married, when they were able to get used to being close to him, though that category fell to the more confident women

He sighed at the direction of his memories as he moved to the nearby garage, unlocked it and took out the Civilian Warthog. It had been custom built by Cortana for him to use while he was there on the city with the parts, wheels, and engine block brought in from the Dawn. It was very much the same as the Warthog used by the military but was built primarily for civilian usage as it had no weapons of any kind. It was still well built and was more of an armored car than a luxury ride despite the fact that he had the color in a simple blue color.

The Civilian Warthog was soon started up with the Spartan's voice commands and he was soon out of the complex and heading into New York for some much needed shopping and gathering supplies for the next few days. So far, there has been little activity that would warrant his attention. However, he had to be ready for anything, which was why the Warthog had a hidden compartment in the back which stored his MJOLNIR, a MA5C Assault Rifle with a set of standard AP rounds, and Shredder Rounds, a pair of standard UNSC M7S SMGs with full ammunition load outs and also some medical kits for any treatment of injuries. This could only be accessed with a DNA, finger print and voice identity scan system and all were custom tailored for John alone, so if anyone trying to access it would get a mild but paralyzing shock as a warning and then things would get interesting if they were to persist. This also went for the Warthog as it was activated by voice and DNA recognition systems only, and with it being well made to be hotwire proof, any criminal with intent to steal were going to have a hell of a time doing that…provided that they could avoid incurring the Spartan's anger.

Normally wearing the MJOLNIR took time, but with the advanced upgrades and repairs, John no longer had to call on a group of technicians to help him wear it and activate it's programs and core systems. And he was more than happy for that as he drove his vehicle to the city itself. He drove well within the city speed limits so to avoid being issued a ticket, and while he kept himself calm and collected, he could see a number of people giving him looks, him and his ride that is.

The citizens who were there looked at the vehicle with amazement at the way the vehicle looked. The men who were driving their own rides looked with awe and envy, children were crying out to ask their parents if they could get one like it for their own time as grownups or why they didn't own one. And the teenagers were stating that it was a sweet ride or they wished they could have one when they were eighteen and given their driver's license.

John ignored that and headed to the mall and as soon as he got there, he locked down the vehicle and got ready to go and do some much needed shopping. He arrived at the mall and headed for the food and drink section and bought a good amount of food to stock up the larder that he had in his base of operations. He managed to pay for everything and was packing things up and head back home when he spotted something going on a fair distance from him.

It seemed to be a number of people, reporters for the most part and they were moving into the World Assembly building, many of the reporters were unknown to the Master Chief but two he recognized easily enough and the same went for the other one.

(Lois Lane and Clark Kent, along with Kara Kent…what are they doing here?)

The Spartan saw them with his increased vision and already he could see why no one, with the marked exception of Kara could tell that Clark was Superman, the suit managed to hide his frame and the glasses gave him a civilian look, coupled with his occupation as a reporter, it made a good deal of sense, and for Lois to be around it would mean that it was a good story. And the way Kara dressed would fool anyone into thinking that she was just a new arrival from the countryside in the big city.

He was curious however why Superman would have his cousin along and quickly guessed that this might have something to do with a field trip of sorts or maybe Clark asked her along to let her see another city as he and Lois were no doubt on assignment, and after reviewing the news he heard, they were no doubt here for a summit in the World Assembly. This was not something he should be concerning himself with, but knowing the Kryptonian and the Argonian, there was going to be something happening.

He got on his vehicle and quickly moved out from the city and located a public parking area to lock down the vehicle for a temporary period. He then got into contact with Cortana who was currently on the Dawn managing the day to day repairs and maintenance as well as some local asteroid mining to provide them with new materials and resources without having to gather some from the surface of Earth, and monitoring the area around Earth for anything unusual or in their point of view, a threat to planetary security.

"What's up?"

"Super-man and Super Girl are here."

"Really? I thought that their base of operations was only limited to Metropolis, what are they doing out here in the city of New York?"

"They must be here for the World Assembly's Alternative Energy Summit."

Cortana smiled a bit and nodded in agreement with John's assumption. With the ever increasing demands for new fuel sources and the cost of making new vehicles still holding up research and development of new technology for such a purpose, new energy sources apart from what was present was to be considered. The members of the World Assembly which in this reality was the same as the UN of their own reality in the past were already there so it would make sense.

"That makes sense, so there's nothing going on just yet that we should…hold it, I'm picking up a covert communication link message…"

John tensed and quickly went into soldier mode as he paid full attention to the situation before them. It was not long before Cortana was able to give out what she had managed to intercept using the technology that she had been given by Vigilance.

"There's a terrorist assault team being sent in to attack the Summit, they no doubt are there to take the World Assembly Leaders hostage, for what reason, I am not entirely sure but I doubt it is going to be good. Better head back to base John, once you get there, suit up and I'll coordinate you for a hot insertion into the building through the teleportation grid."

"You sure?"

"Afraid so, looks like you're going to have to play hero in public for the first time."

"As long as I don't have to say a corny entrance line, I can deal with that, let's get this done."

…

Inside the World Assembly…

Super-man and Super Girl were clearing house as it were with the Terrorists in the area but this was not going to be easy as there were several other members in the remaining terrorist attack force. One being Dead-shot, the other being Plastique, a rogue demolitions expert, and Livewire as well this formed the apparent leadership of the terrorists that attacked the World Assembly. They had been here with Lois to report on the summit when both him and Kara had heard of a bomb ticking away. They quickly moved out and were in their usual clothes when the Terrorists sprang the trap the second the bomb went off and flooded the area with smoke that brought pandemonium all over the place. They rushed in and took several key people hostage and a few others while the rest of the force moved to screen them and their fellow terrorists.

The people in the Assembly were shocked by this and a number of the security personnel were able to respond but they were soon shot up by the marksman and Plastique began to lob a number of explosive charges at them as well, Livewire herself also began to fire lighting bolts at the people as well to make things even more of a problem. Super-man and Super Girl had to do what they could to protect the innocent people there from them but that did not mean that the situation was any easier for them to deal with due to the hostages taken earlier before they arrived and while the cousins had been able to take down a number of the ones protecting the hostages and their fellow terrorists, they were unable to go after the majority for the possibility of harming the hostages in the crossfire. This allowed the three and their lackeys to attack them with some level of impunity.

The battle had reached the main Assembly Hall and soon the place was a warzone as Deadshot, Plastique, and Livewire were able to attack the two Super heroes while using their hostages as shields. The attacks from Deadshot, Plastique, and their terrorist cohorts hurt the two to some degree, but Livewire's attacks certainly added more power to the whole situation. As the two looked on, they were getting annoyed as there seemed to be no opening at all for them as the civilians were still in easy reach of the terrorists' weapons.

They moved back to try and get some breathing room and come up with a plan, but the three new that and were constantly attacking them while using the hostages force the two Super heroes back and canceling their plans of attack. This situation looked to be turning quickly into a stalemate of sorts

But that was soon going to all change.

Both Super Man and Super Girl as well as Lois and the others in the area who avoided being hit or injured were surprised when a glowing figure appeared next to the force that was around Deadshot and before the man could react, the light faded and revealed a figure in green and black armor, as well as helmet with a golden visor. They had no idea just how he got there but before they could speak, Deadshot spotted the new arrival and so did the others who were with him as the assassin spoke out.

"Who the hell are you?"

The new arrival replied.

"The one who's going to put you all down unless you and your cohorts surrender."

"Oh really? How about this for an answer to you're previous request tin man, get lost. Get rid of him!"

Deadshot and the others attacked and a storm of bullets came, but to their surprise, the bullets were not even making a dent as a glowing golden light surrounded the Spartan and deflected their attacks. John decided that play time was over as he charged in and quickly closed the gap and grabbed Deadshot and ripped the weapon out of his hand launched a punch that sent the man flying. The terrorists fired their weapons but the Spartan quickly took out his MA5C and quickly fired a number of rounds at them. These rounds tore through their body armor with ease as these rounds were FMJ rounds that relied on a tungsten carbide casing for maximum penetration.

And since the basic terrorists were human John relied on his knowledge of human anatomy to hit them in areas to cause the most pain but without killing them either. As soon as he was done, the Spartan was attacked by Deadshot and Plastique as the two tossed a number of attacks at him with the marksman shooting with his bullets and the demolitions expert using her explosives. Super-man and Super Girl were trying to help but Livewire was busy keeping them busy as she used her electrical powers to fire blasts at them and she usually took potshots as the other civilians who were there, forcing them to take the hits and get even more injured.

Just because she was not using Kryptonite in her attacks didn't mean that Livewire's attacks were not effective on the two, and with her use of civilians to force them to take her hits. Livewire was more than willing to go with the idea to keep the two from helping the new arrival. Besides this was her chance to not only take out Super-man but her cousin and that was something she had wanted to do ever since she was transformed into who she was now.

Naturally as she hit Super-man with another bolt of lightning, she taunted the Kryptonian.

"Let's see you dodge from me this time you blue and red wearing freak of nature!"

Super Girl then replied in an annoyed tone as well as a taunting one.

"Tough talk for a girl who acts like a freak herself."

Livewire growled and replied.

"Just for that, I am going to light you up like a Christmas tree blondie!"

However, she was forced to stop when she spotted Deadshot flying backwards with several wounds on his body and out cold like a light and he was soon followed by none other than Plastique. She turned and directed her attention to the Spartan and she quickly fired a bolt at him, he quickly dodged it and was now aiming his weapon at her.

"Surrender right now."

Livewire grinned and replied with a sneering tone.

"You've got some guts, but let's see if you have what it takes to take me out when I do this!"

Livewire than turned herself to electricity and charged as John as he moved away, she reformed and fired a bolt of her powers on him and hit his MA5C Assault Rifle. Livewire then moved in for the kill and unleashed a massive blast of lightning aimed right at the Spartan.

"Time to fry big boy!"

…

Livewire smiled as she amped up the voltage and it surrounded the Spartan easily, but her smile faded as the Spartan seemed utterly unaffected and soon rushed towards her and before she could react, he grabbed by the neck and gripped tightly while lifting her up as he spoke.

"Sorry to disappoint you, but my Armor is insulated and has been specially hardened for battles like this…and now it's my turn to take the fight to you."

Livewire then felt her power being drained and she realized that the armored man was actually draining her of power…just like Parasite did when she teamed up with him, unaware that he had darker plans for her and that was to drain her dry and use her like some sort of a 'food/fuel source'.

"N-N-No!"

"I read your files Leslie…I know that you are weak to water and also you need to recharge yourself periodically to maintain your strength. That is why I conditioned the suit to drain you of power the very second I grabbed you."

And sure enough, no matter how many times Livewire tried to unleash a storm of lightning on the Spartan it proved to be useless as the MJOLNIR absorbed it without fail, in reality, John had rerouted some of the power from the plasma/fusion reactor that powered the MJOLNIR and had the shields function in the same manner as the Power Drain device used by Jiralhanae but had been altered to take in electrical energy from living beings.

When he was getting prepped, Cortana informed him of Livewire being in the attacking force and had made the alterations to the MJOLNIR to both insulate it from her powers and drain her powers at the very same time. He made sure that he drained only enough of her powers to render her unable to move, fight or escape, not enough to outright kill her. He was not there to kill just yet and neutralizing the targets were a much better choice if that was the case.

And the effects were not long before Livewire finally was out cold like a light, he quickly placed her down and checked his weapon, he saw that it was in good condition and was still going to be usable in battle. He checked also the ammunition and thankfully they had not gone off in the clip and exploded which could have caused internal damage to the weapon itself. Once that was done, he moved out to find some high grade insulated wire to tie up Livewire as well as use some thicker and stronger rope to tie up Deadshot and Plastique so the could be dealt with by the Authorities.

With that sorted, he placed his weapon on his back and made his way to both Super-man and Super Girl to assess just how badly they were injured and if medical treatment was a viable option. He knew that they could heal better than any human could due to their respective alien physiology. Either way, he was going to help them since they were technically the good guys and as such, he had to help them as well.

…

Super-girl who was also known by her Earth identity as Kara Kent still felt the sting of Livewire's electrical attacks, and while she had no cuts just yet, she was still feeling the burn as well as the pain of the attacks on her nervous system, coupled with the attacks of Deadshot, Plastique, and their followers. As her energy came back and she began to heal, she was surprised to see the Spartan leaning over her, she was further surprised as the giant of an armored being helped her up with ease.

"You all right Super-Girl?"

Kara listened to the voice, definitely human from the way he spoke, it was calm, focused, and determined. She managed to get her voice back and spoke.

"I am fine, I just need a few minutes to heal up."

John gave a slight nod and helped her to a nearby chair and turned to check on Super-man, but the older Kryptonian was full up though a bit strained from the battle and the injuries he had suffered from Livewire's attacks as well as the attacks from both Deadshot and Plastique. He turned and faced the Spartan and spoke to him.

"Thanks for your help…if that had continued then things would have become a lot worse."

John shrugged and replied.

"No need for thanks, I came to do my job."

Clark smiled a bit and soon Lois as well as several camera-men were there, though the camera-men had to find new tapes for their devices or get new ones into their hands after Livewire caused some damage to their gear. Lois herself looked at Super-man and was happy that he was all right and recovering and she then decided to turn her attention to the Spartan.

She had never seen him before and there was no mention of New York having it's own Super-hero of all things.

The same could be said for Super-man as he tried to figure out what he could be, he was about to use his x-ray vision but before that could happen, the Spartan turned around and was suddenly covered in light, Clark guessed that he was about to leave the same way he came in and spoke.

"Wait, who are you?"

John then replied as the light covered his full form.

"Spartan-117 and before you ask, yes I am in the military but that is classified information which will remain classified."

In that moment, the Spartan vanished from sight as he was teleported back to the Dawn, this left the reporters and the two Super heroes from Metropolis with questions who the Spartan was.

…

In the Dawn…

As soon as John appeared, Cortana made her appearance from one of the holo-displays and gave him a smile that had more than enough humor in them.

"You've been busy, I can bet that by tomorrow you in the MJOLNIR are going to be plastered on every news paper or magazine that has the space for it."

John shook his head and took of the helmet and replied.

"That was never my intention, I feel like a bloody rookie for allowing myself to stay that long, I should have just checked out the second I got."

Cortana chuckled and replied.

"Maybe that was true, that would have added to the whole mystery thing on where you came from and why, but at least you didn't give them a lot to work with. Come on, let's go down back to Earth and back to base, you're customers are going to be rather curious as to where you disappeared to after all."

John nodded and as soon as the Dawn was out of the area where it could be detected by orbital satellites despite the fact that it blended with the blackness of space as well as the radiation that came out from the void of space itself. Once they were out of earth bound sensor range, the Spartan was soon teleported back to Earth, namely in his warehouse base/workshop/and home.

He stowed away the armor and locked it down in the special storage chamber which was also a mobile repair and assembly unit that would help maintain and repair his MJOLNIR in the field when going to the ship was not the best of ideas and being in the field was a better choice. The Spartan then felt his body and found that he was all right and got dressed.

The moment he checked on the TV, he saw the news reports on the attack on the World Assembly and naturally there was the footage of Super-man and Super Girl. The reporter also spoke to the audience who he had no doubt was watching as he was.

"The battle between Super-man, Super-Girl and the group of terrorists led by the rogue demolitions expert Plastique, assassin Deadshot, and the former Shock Jockey now recognized as Livewire had been in a stalemate due to the fact that the attackers used several hostages to prevent the heroes to stop them. However, the arrival of a new and apparently unknown hero changed the course of the battle."

"As soon as the terrorists and their leaders were apprehended, the new hero only stated that his name was Spartan-117 and he was part of the military. As far as we know, sources in the US Military have denied that the Spartan is a new agent of theirs. Other military groups have expressed the same sentiment. But for all the discussions, it seems that New York is going to be a lot more interesting from now on."

"Could it be that New York now has it's own super hero?"

Before it could go any further, John turned it off and he was not keen on listening to it anymore as he could easily imagine CPO Franklin Mendez giving him a serious talking to. He was not here to be like Super-man or anyone else, but now that he had his face plastered on the news, things were going to get a lot louder this time around.

One thing was certain, the rest of the world was going to want to find out everything they could about him and that was more than enough to annoy the Spartan. But that was not going to stop him for now, until they find a possible way of coming back to their own reality, he was going to have to face the music and do what he possibly can.

…

To be continued…

…

Author's Notes:

This story is done, but not going to be updated unless I deem it time, I figured since this has been in my coconut for a while now, I might as well get rid of it in a productive manner. Now for all the readers out there, I will point out that like my Fallout story, this is not going to be updated at a rate like the others as I have to state that I will be going dark from the internet for at least six months at the month of February and on the fifteenth day of this very same month.

Why am I going dark and not be around for six months?

Simply put, I will be moving out of my home and staying in a temporary dwelling for six months until my home is rebuilt. And as such, having the internet is not going to happen for me and so I will be gone for that long. It was something that had to happen as my home needs to be rebuilt as it is already going on in the years.

Already my home is being torn down bit by bit, the furniture is being ferried away as I am writing this right now, clothing, books, pictures, and all other personal stuff is being stored and placed away even as I sit in front of my PC. Things my family and I don't need or no longer can use is being given away to others right now, and soon, my home will be long gone and I will no longer be around for a long time in order to update.

I dislike leaving my home, even more so not being able to use the net for half a year, but it's the only option that I have for myself. This home of mine is old and it's been a made decision at least a year and a half ago, so even if I voice my displeasure on the matter, my home is still going to be taken down. I can only hope that when I do go back home, that I will be able to get myself back on track in all aspects of my writing.

So if you all begin to notice that I don't update for six months, at least you know now why that is the case.

Yes, I will be gone for six months, and no I am not pulling your leg so don't ask me if I am doing this just to make things interesting for all of you readers of mine.

Now I won't be gone entirely, I will make attempts to keep myself in the loop when I go to a place where the internet is available…and that in itself is not going to be easy since my temporary place of residence happens to be a fair distance from any internet café and computer shop. This means that I will make sure to keep up with the latest information and I will use the available time given to me to work and update my stories.

Of course I will be graduating and taking up an exam for a teaching license as I have plans to start working to earn money, so that might also affect my ability to write any new chapters or make new stories.

Until I leave my home on the fifteenth however, I will update as best I can so hopefully I do not leave all of you hanging since that is too cruel for anyone to deal with. Keep sending me the information and suggestions you can, so I will be able to read them and also make sure that I will have material to work with while I am gone.

…

Now with all of that important stuff that cannot possibly wait out of the way, on with the story's outline so we're clear on exactly how this will play out if and when I dedicate myself to this full time and that is still going to be up for debate. This will be in the period when the Justice League will be formed and as such, the Spartan will arrive and settle in before meeting the League themselves. As to what is the Spartan's role is, I will leave that up to you.

…

What I can say is that he will not always be with the League and will be part time, as you no doubt read he is residing in New York and close enough to the World Assembly Building. Now this will tell you that John will be considering joining up with the World Assembly as an agent to make his cover story a lot more solid and give him a legitimate cover to work with if and when he has to go out and do some important tasks.

John will also help the NYPD and other agencies there to deal with the regular crimes as well as more exotic situations so it will actually help him legitimize his stance as a hero instead of being some unknown factor that joins the league right off the bat once it's formed. And this being the DC version of New York, there will naturally be a number of differences from the Marvel version and that is that, it's more to the real world New York as well to be fair with the city itself.

The Imperium have not appeared just yet so this is more of a transition period where John gets used to being in this reality and sets up a base of operations. Now since he still has the Dawn as it has yet to be built and the Watch Tower is not yet active the rebuilt Frigate is currently hidden away near Io and is not to be used in combat unless needed. It will play a part soon enough in the coming story all the way to the Thangarian invasion.

If it will remain in the period when the expanded Justice League is formed, that is up to me.

As for the upgraded MJOLNIR, it might sound like overkill as it is similar to John's MJOLNIR Mark X from my Mass Effect Halo crossover, and in truth it is, though not too much as some features from the original Mark X are not present in this DC version. Keep in mind that John will be dealing with a whole batch of enemies that are either Meta-human, Bang-Babies, Aliens, Androids and more besides. This why he gains an upgraded arsenal as well as an upgraded MJOLNIR just in time as well, and it will be invaluable in going toe to toe with some of the opposition he will be facing.

This is not limited to just the MJOLNIR as well as he will have an upgraded arsenal to deal with the many threats that will be in this reality as well. This naturally will include the Gauss Weapons, Lasers, Plasma, Light Based Weapons, and a new addition, which is Sonic weaponry which can stun or outright kill if needed. He and Cortana will need all the firepower they can get considering just who they will be fighting in the long run after all.

And naturally, John also gets some genetic enhancements to supplement the ones he has from the Spartan II Program to help him. They are nothing major and do not make him beyond super human. Just merely some upgrades in the biological sense and not too heavy to make him immortal, just enough to make sure that he can be a stronger opponent if caught off guard without the MJOLNIR and relying now only on his skills, experience and training.

I know that there are a lot of characters in DCAU who can really be a challenge, and this includes the Gods, but there is always a way to beat them and despite their powers, John is no quitter and he can accomplish a lot with the right tools, plans, adaptation and improvisation to boot so even if he does face powerful foes, he is not going to be in a bad way for very long. This will naturally include foes like magic users and demons.

…

Now on the topic of pairings, it seems that Wonder Woman and Super Girl are going neck and neck on this story though Super Girl seems to be in the lead so far and that is something that I am rather surprised to see. I still will be figuring out who would make a viable choice.

For those who are the supporters of Batman X Wonder Woman pairings, keep in mind that even if there is indeed a thing going on between Bruce and Diana, the fact that Bruce/Batman is not doing anything about it is not exactly encouraging. And no doubt is not something that Diana/Wonder Woman appreciates. Besides, this is a fiction story so I have some leeway in making this story.

And you have to admit, there is something interesting about the idea of an Amazon getting attracted to a Spartan that has a very appealing ring to it. Both are warriors in spirit and despite the fact that John is not entirely sold on Diana being who she is…he's not that closed minded.

As for Super Girl, it might be interesting to see the results of that, keep in mind by technical definition, she is an alien despite her and Clark being human looking in face and form. This should be an interesting meeting to say the very least. And just how would Clark deal with the fact that if it does happen, that his cousin is now getting attracted to a career super soldier?

This should be good.

But like it was mentioned before, they are not the only women that are not paired yet with the men of the League so they are fair game until then. I might include Donna Troy who we all know happens to be Diana's sister, but that will be a while as well so don't expect her to miraculously appear just like that. And there are other DCAU female characters we can add to the mix, who they are is still up for me to decide to reveal them if and when the time is right.

And if you ask for lemons, then let me worry about those since making a lemon is something that I can do well enough and I will make sure that my work will naturally be up to the usual standards that I am known to be able to do with all the other lemons that I have already made.

Of course I will try to find ways to make it work out once I get myself into the story itself, and after making some updates on my still ongoing projects that are yet to be fully finished.

…

Bye and hope that this is going to be enough for the duration until I come back and begin writing again!