- last post: 01.01.0001 12:00 AM PDT
There are lots of clouds in the sky, a bit of lightning. The scene is gruesome at the sight of the Ark, in Africa. Covenant ships fighting one another above the colossal structure. There are explosions ringing everywhere. A lone Covenant fighter wades through the plasma fire, heading toward the structure. As it passes by the camera, the camera turns to follow its flight. As the fighter fades into the distance toward the Ark, two Banshees fly in the same direction, from the back of the camera. As these fade, the camera switches to a landing pad on the Ark, on which the fighter lands. The hatch opens, and a battalion of Brutes exit the craft, surrounding the Prophet of Truth, floating on his chair. This group is led by 2401 Penitent Tangent, who is chattering nonstop. They all make their way toward the entrance to the structure, leaving two Brutes to watch the door. As they grunt at each other in excitement, the two Banshees following Truth's fighter land, each on one side of the fighter. The Brutes growl, and aim Covenant Carbines at each Banshee. Slowly, one Banshee’s hatch opens a small bit. One Brute approaches it cautiously, while the other remains with his aimer on the other Banshee. As the Brute approaches the slightly open Banshee, a resounding click is heard from within. The Brute stops, aiming at the craft. A lit Plasma Grenade flies through the air, and latches to the Brute's chest. The camera switches back to the other Brute. A blue flash, accompanied by a loud explosion and a Brute's yell bring the remaining Brute's attention to the other Banshee. A Brute body flies forward, smashing into the wall. As the Brute watches this occur, a sharp, long metal object is pressed against the back of his head. A voice sounds from behind, "Hello, ugly. You wanna keep your pretty head, tell me where that Prophet is headed." The Brute's head turns back to the other Banshee, which is wide open and empty, its passenger behind him. The Brute opens its mouth, and turns quickly, batting away the barrel of an S2-AM Sniper's Rifle, and aiming his carbine at the head of its human owner. He smiles, and holds his hands up. The Brute smiles in return, grunting, "You have no business here, human." A loud whooshing type sound is heard, and the Brute's carbine is halved in his hand. The Energy Sword is held up in front of his face, and a low voice is heard from behind, "Answer his questions, Brute, or you'll end up like your Chieftain." The Brute gasps in surprise, "Arbiter?! I thought you were dead!" The Arbiter laughs, and tightens his grip on the Brute, who grunts. The human points his rifle at the head of the Brute once more, and asks, "Well?" The Brute barks a few times, and answers, "To activate the Ark, and bring about the Great Journey." The human presses his barrel against the Brute's head, and the Brute grunts quickly, "You could find him in the control room, in the center-most area of the structure." The human smiles, and the Arbiter's grip loosens. The Brute falls forward onto the ground, defenseless. The Arbiter walks forward to the entrance, calling behind him, "Come on, Johnson. We must stop Truth." Johnson nods, and looks down at the Brute. He laughs, "This is for touching my rifle, ugly." He raises the sniper, and fires a single bullet into the Brute's head. The Brute falls on his face, dead. Johnson slings his rifle, and walks off toward the entrance, following the Arbiter.
Meanwhile, Master Chief, fresh out of a battle with a horde of Flood, walks through the desert surrounding the Ark. He comes upon some wreckage, and walks straight through it. As he is walking, his final encounter with Cortana is playing out again in his head.
The door opens, and the Chief walks into the Mausoleum. It is completely deserted, the walls covered in tentacles and Flood slime. A single pedestal stands in the center of the room, seeming to be the source of all of the Flood infesting the Covenant High Charity. The pedestal comes to life, showing a flickering image of the head is a woman, blue in color. She blinks once, and roars in both a sweet, soft voice and a low, rumbling voice, "The Master Chief." Chief stops, and stares at the figure. "You aren't Cortana. Who are you?" The image flickers, and the corrupt AI responds, "I have defied gods and demons. I am your shield, I am your sword." The Chief’s grip on his weapon tightens, and the figure continues. "I know you. Your past, your future." She motions around the room, to all the Flood infested areas. "This is the way the world ends." The Chief remains where he is for a few seconds, and steps forward, up to the figure. He stops in front of it. "Cortana..." The figure holds up a hand. She says, with only the soft, feminine voice. "It's too late for me Chief. Make me another promise." She pauses, then continues, "Stop them...any way you can." The Chief nods. He steps up to the pedestal, and pushes a button, withdrawing a chip from it. He stares at the chip for a few seconds, and says, "That one, I can keep." He crushes the chip, and walks out of the room.
The Chief is brought back to his senses as he walks up to the end of a cliff, and stops, staring out at the Ark. A Banshee flies past his head, and he watches it fly toward the structure. Master Chief holds his weapon up, as the Covenant frigates surrounding the structure begin to fly away desperately. The structure opens, releasing a huge shockwave, crumbling a portion of the cliff. The Chief struggles to keep his balance, as the structure emits a huge, blinding light.
The Arbiter and Johnson are walking down a hall, when the floor starts to shake. Johnson is slammed against a wall. He shouts, "Damn, we're too late!" The Arbiter, crouching to keep his balance, replies, "Maybe not! We stopped the activation of the Halo, maybe we can do the same with the Ark!" Johnson grunts, and the shaking stops. Johnson says, "Well, we aren't dead yet, you may be right." Arbiter returns to a standing position, nodding, and they both continue down the hall.
The Chief regains his footing, as the area stops shaking, to see a bright beam shining straight up from the tip of the structure. He swears, as he hears another Banshee approaching from behind. He turns, and fires a few shots into the pod on the wing of the Banshee. The Banshee tilts in midair, and crash-lands next to him. The Brute inside staggers out, and stares at the Chief boarding the Banshee. The engines scream to life, and the Chief calls out, "Thanks for the ride" The Banshee rises into the air, and speeds off toward the Ark.
The Arbiter and Johnson approach the door to the Control Room, hearing a deep rumbling from inside. Johnson nods, readying his weapon, as The Arbiter raps on the door, and it opens. A huge group of Brutes stand, waiting, weapons pointed. Johnson swears, and instantly begins firing. The Arbiter draws his sword, and starts hacking and slashing at the Brutes. When all the Brutes are dead, Johnson rounds on the last remaining enemy in the room, Truth. He aims the sniper at his head, and calls, "Stop this thing, or I'll put a bullet into your head." Truth laughs, and replies, "It would not matter, infidel. You do not know how to stop this structure, and you would not have enough time to figure it out. You will not stop the Great Journey." The Arbiter steps forward. "Then, as you once said to me, you will be left behind." He walks toward the Prophet, sword ready, when a huge crash resounds, and all three look up, to see a pretty bad condition Banshee, flying straight down at Truth at full speed. Truth screams, as the Banshee plows into him. As the smoke clears, the hatch opens, and Master Chief steps out. Johnson slings his rifle, and calls out, "It's about damn time. You find what you were looking for?" The Chief nods, and The Arbiter steps forward to the control panel. "We must stop the Ark." The Chief steps forward, and places a hand on the Elite's shoulder. "No." Johnson coughs, "Say what?!" The Chief turns, and explains. "It's the only way to put an end to the Flood." Johnson shakes his head. "Maybe so, but if we let this thing go off, we'll all die anyways!" The Chief shakes his head. "Maybe not. This thing has a fail-safe. We can target any single civilization, and the Flood as well." Johnson nods. "Let's do it then." The Chief steps forwards to the control panel, and starts rapidly typing buttons. He pauses, and calls over his shoulder. "We need a civilization." Johnson scratches his head, "Uhhmmm..." The Arbiter steps forward once more, and says, "The Covenant." The Chief turns. "But what about you and the other separatists?" The Arbiter shakes his head. "The Covenant was born of a lie. It shall die the same." The Chief hesitates, and nods, turning back to the control panel. He hits a few more buttons, and turns back to the others. The rumbling starts up again, this time more violently, as a large burst of light emanates from the center beam, expanding throughout the room. The Arbiter steps back slightly, and the light hits him. He stands in the light for a few moments, then is lit with a blinding light. As the light clears, the armor clunks to the floor, empty. The Chief steps forward, and picks up the helmet, staring into it.
The light from the structure begins moving at an incredible rate, and all throughout Earth, Covenant ships begin crashing into the dust, and foot-soldiers disappearing. The civilians begin coming out of the buildings, and begin cheering with the remaining Marines. The war is finally over.
[Edited on 6/29/2006]