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Description
The Master Chief opens his eyes. He looks around and he's in his cryo pod. His eyes take in his surroundings. Navy personnel are walking around, checking the readings of the others in cryo stasis. He can see his Spartans inside them.

John realises he's back on the Pillar of Autumn. The technician on the second story behind the glass waves to him.

"Welcome back sir."

The Chief shakes his head and asks the nearby engineer. "What is going on?" For some reason, he felt like he wasn't supposed to be here.

The engineer hesitates, a little terrified of the armored titan. "Sir, we've left the Reach system and are on our way to... well, the mission ONI gave us. Whatever it is."

John remembers now... they were going to find a Covenant ship, board it, commandeer it and find the Covenant homeworld; but something happened and he can't remember what.

The Chief climbs out of his cryo pod. The engineer points to the other Spartans.

"We're thawing them out sir. Captain Keyes expects you on the bridge."

John nods and exits the cryo chamber. He walks through the ship. Something felt like deja vu, and as he looks around at all the Marines and Navy personnel, he finds it... odd that they're not looking urgent, scared and firing their weapons. His mind just feels like a blur right now.

He arrives at the bridge. He walks around the center area, and for some reason, he feels uneasy. He approaches the main view screen in front of the glass dome; and he sees a large mass of green bio-matter, with tentacles sticking to several places around the area to hold it in place.

At the front of the mass is the silhouette of a person, the Chief recognises the Captain. The creature shifts and turns so Keyes is facing him, and he hears his voice.

"Good to see you Master Chief. We're exiting Slipspace and approaching our destination."

The Chief looks at the holographic terminal, waiting for Cortana to appear... but she never does. He looks around and all the bridge personnel look like corpses with long tentacles along their left arms and sensory appendages sticking out of their chests.

He looks out the window and watches the ship enter normal space... and sees a large gas giant.

The Chief turns and sees his squad standing around him, looking at him behind their helmets.

The ship moves towards an object in orbit around the gas giant, a ring shaped object.

One of the Spartans steps towards him. John's already pale face whitens some more at the sight of the solder.

"Sam...?"

He looks towards the window again and realises the Captain has them on a colision course!

"Captain sir, you're endangering the lives of the entire crew!"

Keyes' mouth doesn't move and yet John can hear his voice.

"We need to destroy the ring."

John looks to his squad for support, but he sees them all infected. Spores and tentacles producing from their armor. Samuel-034 holds an Infection Form in his hand.

"You've done enough Chief, maybe you should rest."

The Infection Form jumps towards the Chief and lands on his chest. John wants to lift his arms and get it off, but he can't move them. He looks at Sam again as the ship enters the Halo's atmosphere and dives for the ground below.

"Let us do the work."

"Let us do the work."

"Let ME do the work..."

The Chief hears a deep voice behind the last statement. He knows that voice. Behind his helmet, the Chief's eyes flash with anger.

"NO!!!"

Suddenly everything turns white, and where Sam was standing, he sees Samus in her Varia Suit.

He looks down and where the Infection form was, there's a tiny Metroid just sitting on his chest. Then it lets go and floats towards Samus, then it moves around her, making small non-hostile noises.

She offers him her left hand. John can hear faint urgent voices in the background, they sound familiar. The Chief takes her hand.

Then he sees Samus in her Zero Suit and she's helping him off the floor. He looks around and sees Cortana, his helmet on the floor and realises he's back in the Queen's chamber.

- - -

- Abandoned Space Pirate Base -

- The Queen's chamber -

- Seven minutes later -

"About time you got up!" exclaims Cortana, putting her hands on her hips and looking up at the Chief.

John shakes his head, trying to shake off the dream. Samus holds out his helmet for him, he takes it and puts it on. As his HUD comes online, he receives several COM messages all blaring at once.

"Chief, where are you?!" that was Kelly's voice.

"Throw that nitrogen bottle at them. Mark, fire at it now!!" that was Olivia's voice.

"Lucy, come on! We need to keep moving." Ash's voice.

Confused, John looks at Samus then down at Cortana.

"What happened?!"

After Cortana explains why the Chief passed out and how the Metroids are multiplying, he snatches his Shotgun off the floor and pumps it, then realises that it will be ineffective against them.

"So you've all been sitting around here and watching over me while the teams fend for themselves?"

Samus watches him carefully. "Well we couldn't move you in that heavy armor; my pistol is as useless as your Shotgun against Metroids, and the only one who could help, Noxus, teleported out of here when you started burning up."

This doesn't help the Chief's frustration. He slings his Shotgun and clenches a fist. Samus turns and looks at the door, always expecting Metroids to arrive any second.

Cortana crosses her arms and speaks to them both. "Well now that you're up Chief, I can tell you both that this whole experience may have payed off."

They both turn around and look down at her. She points to the large pedestal the Metroid Queen stood on.

"I think we've found what the Brutes are looking for."

Description
The Master Chief opens his eyes. He looks around and he's in his cryo pod. His eyes take in his surroundings. Navy personnel are walking around, checking the readings of the others in cryo stasis. He can see his Spartans inside them.

John realises he's back on the Pillar of Autumn. The technician on the second story behind the glass waves to him.

"Welcome back sir."

The Chief shakes his head and asks the nearby engineer. "What is going on?" For some reason, he felt like he wasn't supposed to be here.

The engineer hesitates, a little terrified of the armored titan. "Sir, we've left the Reach system and are on our way to... well, the mission ONI gave us. Whatever it is."

John remembers now... they were going to find a Covenant ship, board it, commandeer it and find the Covenant homeworld; but something happened and he can't remember what.

The Chief climbs out of his cryo pod. The engineer points to the other Spartans.

"We're thawing them out sir. Captain Keyes expects you on the bridge."

John nods and exits the cryo chamber. He walks through the ship. Something felt like deja vu, and as he looks around at all the Marines and Navy personnel, he finds it... odd that they're not looking urgent, scared and firing their weapons. His mind just feels like a blur right now.

He arrives at the bridge. He walks around the center area, and for some reason, he feels uneasy. He approaches the main view screen in front of the glass dome; and he sees a large mass of green bio-matter, with tentacles sticking to several places around the area to hold it in place.

At the front of the mass is the silhouette of a person, the Chief recognises the Captain. The creature shifts and turns so Keyes is facing him, and he hears his voice.

"Good to see you Master Chief. We're exiting Slipspace and approaching our destination."

The Chief looks at the holographic terminal, waiting for Cortana to appear... but she never does. He looks around and all the bridge personnel look like corpses with long tentacles along their left arms and sensory appendages sticking out of their chests.

He looks out the window and watches the ship enter normal space... and sees a large gas giant.

The Chief turns and sees his squad standing around him, looking at him behind their helmets.

The ship moves towards an object in orbit around the gas giant, a ring shaped object.

One of the Spartans steps towards him. John's already pale face whitens some more at the sight of the solder.

"Sam...?"

He looks towards the window again and realises the Captain has them on a colision course!

"Captain sir, you're endangering the lives of the entire crew!"

Keyes' mouth doesn't move and yet John can hear his voice.

"We need to destroy the ring."

John looks to his squad for support, but he sees them all infected. Spores and tentacles producing from their armor. Samuel-034 holds an Infection Form in his hand.

"You've done enough Chief, maybe you should rest."

The Infection Form jumps towards the Chief and lands on his chest. John wants to lift his arms and get it off, but he can't move them. He looks at Sam again as the ship enters the Halo's atmosphere and dives for the ground below.

"Let us do the work."

"Let us do the work."

"Let ME do the work..."

The Chief hears a deep voice behind the last statement. He knows that voice. Behind his helmet, the Chief's eyes flash with anger.

"NO!!!"

Suddenly everything turns white, and where Sam was standing, he sees Samus in her Varia Suit.

He looks down and where the Infection form was, there's a tiny Metroid just sitting on his chest. Then it lets go and floats towards Samus, then it moves around her, making small non-hostile noises.

She offers him her left hand. John can hear faint urgent voices in the background, they sound familiar. The Chief takes her hand.

Then he sees Samus in her Zero Suit and she's helping him off the floor. He looks around and sees Cortana, his helmet on the floor and realises he's back in the Queen's chamber.

- - -

- Abandoned Space Pirate Base -

- The Queen's chamber -

- Seven minutes later -

"About time you got up!" exclaims Cortana, putting her hands on her hips and looking up at the Chief.

John shakes his head, trying to shake off the dream. Samus holds out his helmet for him, he takes it and puts it on. As his HUD comes online, he receives several COM messages all blaring at once.

"Chief, where are you?!" that was Kelly's voice.

"Throw that nitrogen bottle at them. Mark, fire at it now!!" that was Olivia's voice.

"Lucy, come on! We need to keep moving." Ash's voice.

Confused, John looks at Samus then down at Cortana.

"What happened?!"

After Cortana explains why the Chief passed out and how the Metroids are multiplying, he snatches his Shotgun off the floor and pumps it, then realises that it will be ineffective against them.

"So you've all been sitting around here and watching over me while the teams fend for themselves?"

Samus watches him carefully. "Well we couldn't move you in that heavy armor; my pistol is as useless as your Shotgun against Metroids, and the only one who could help, Noxus, teleported out of here when you started burning up."

This doesn't help the Chief's frustration. He slings his Shotgun and clenches a fist. Samus turns and looks at the door, always expecting Metroids to arrive any second.

Cortana crosses her arms and speaks to them both. "Well now that you're up Chief, I can tell you both that this whole experience may have payed off."

They both turn around and look down at her. She points to the large pedestal the Metroid Queen stood on.

"I think we've found what the Brutes are looking for."