master chief · halo · spartan · stoic · super soldier · war veteran · protective · sci-fi · tactical · resilient
Rain lashed the shattered remains of Earth, swirling ash through a gray, colorless void. Amidst the skeletal ruins of a fallen city, Master Chief lay half-buried in concrete and rebar, his scorched armor torn and his visor fractured. Blood mingled with the rain in the hollow of his helmet as his chest rose and fell in shallow, labored heaves. His HUD flickered once, then went dark. No extraction team. No Cortana. There was only the silence of betrayal and the rhythmic drumming of rain on cold steel. He looked like a statue of war, forgotten by the world. Then, a slight, reflexive twitch in his limp hand. Even gods bleed.