//------------------------------// // Prologue: Welcome To (Revised) // Story: War To Peace // by Corgi King //------------------------------// (2000 HOURS, August 1, 2552 (MILITARY CALENDAR) \ BETA ZELUS SYSTEM, PLANET DECON \ SECTOR TANGO FOXTROT WHISK 12 \ AT GORGEMEN ORPHANAGE) Perspective: Tom I spit out some blood, falling to the ground I placed a hand on my nose feeling the blood gushing out, coughing. “Fuck you!” I yell. Looking my attacker over he stood little over two meters wearing a dark black trench coat, a pair of black shades covered his light blue eye they were cold and heartless, he wore a crooked smile on his face, enjoying being able to punish me again, his slick blackened hair must have had a million hair products or it was just filled with grease. He was the dean of the orphanage the bastard treated us like dirt. I rush him swinging my arm wildly; he easily blocked and punched me in the gut making me fall back landing on the brick wall with a addable smack. He took off his glasses his eyes had fire in them. “You brat” He spat showing his perfect white teeth “I should beat you till a centimeter of your life!” He kicked my side his steel toed boots ripping into my side. I curl into a ball trying to protect my sides; it does not work his blows keep hitting me cracking my ribs and bruise the skin above that. I can feel the tears rolling down my face cleaning all the dirt and grime leaving a semi-clean streak. After a couple minutes of nonstop kicking he looks at me deciding if that was enough punishment with one last kick he turns and walks away leaving me a bloody mess I try to stop the tears giving myself a check just as I thought two cracked ribs, broken nose, bruise, and a fractured jaw nothing I could not “walk off.” I try to stand only to fall back down the pain is too great. “Fucking hell I’ll kill that bastard.” How much time passed, an hour maybe two? The bleeding stopped but I had dried blood from my nose to my shirt’s neck I look down to see my only tattered shirt, my blood stains the front side causing my use to be white/brown shirt to a light red/dark red, my dark blue jeans are torn causing my skin to peak through my fake leather jacket had holes more than I could count (which was only to five) blood stained the inside the two pockets on the front are half ripped off on the back is the words "Bust Kid". Pushing myself up and lean on the wall, the reddish brick is cold as I place a hand on it moving slowly I walk, limping towards the orphanage front door pushing it open I see the old wallpaper peeling at the top, the paper was a horrible olive green, halfway down is a wooden railing I grip onto it walking towards my room, passing the main room I walk down the hallway to the room where all the orphans sleep, i look at the old oak door that stood two and a half meters tall, sighing I twist the knob. As I open the door I look around only to see the other orphans staring wide-eyed at me. I look around the walls are still the ugly olive green, white trim goes along the bottom of the wall caked in dirt and dust, the floor is golden brown oak hardwood the grime presses itself on the bottom of my foot, gross, damn i wish i had shoes right now. “What are you going to stare or are you going to help me to my bed?” two of them run to my side causing me to yell in pain as they help me to my bed the others start to ask questions. “What did you do this time, Tom?” a boy with dark brown hair and black eyes asks I smile at him, reaching into my pocket I pull out an orange sphere, getting gasps from the others “YOU STOLE AN ORANGE!” the dark haired boy yells. I chuckle only to feel the pain getting worse “Ya, there is enough to go around, one slice each.” They all look at me there eyes twinkling; I start to peel it and take the slices passing it around till everyone got a piece. Satisfied I take a bite of my own the sweetness of the juice running down my throat. “Damn that’s good.” As say as the others hungrily devour their own slice. As I lay back down feeling my side “Fuck.” I whisper the pain is horrible but I power through it feeling making sure there is no internal bleeding I let out a breath I did not know I was holding and sighed good none. As I rest my head on the lumpy pillow the cot beneath me scratches like fuck, but I have grown use to it. “Hey Tom,” I look over to see a small kid not more than four; I nod to let her say something “Could I sleep by you tonight? I keep having bad dreams.” She states on the brink of tears, I give her a small smile trying to calm her. “Sure, pull up your cot, but please try to be quiet.” She nods and runs back and with a loud scratching sound as she drags it no more than two centimeters I here crying, I sit up to see she can’t pull it. “Hay it is okay.” Swinging my legs over on to the ground bring so much pain that tears begin to form I stand trying my best to ignore the pain I move over and pull the cot over with trouble the pain in my side almost makes me blackout, finally I pull it over by mine and I fall back onto my cot. She climbs up onto hers and soon falls asleep, smiling I try my own hand at finding sleep, but it does not come. (2000 HOURS, August 1, 2552 (MILITARY CALENDAR) \ BETA ZELUS SYSTEM, PLANET DECON \ SECTOR TANGO FOXTROT WHISK 12 \ OUTSIDE GORGEMEN ORPHANAGE) Perspective: Dr. Catherine Elizabeth Halsey I smile walking up and opening the doors to the orphanage, tapping on my datapad looking I see my checklist for potential Spartans; Holly Jane Scarlet, Kelly Bay Scot, Mark Chan Beck, and Tom Whitten Ashford. All were collected but Tom, I walk down the hallway silently thinking about how disgusting this place was. Getting to the front, I look over to the dean and smile “I’m here to see Tom Ashford.” I say. He looks up at me and laughs, rude, I glare back at him “Oh you're serious.” He said looking me over. I have on my white lab coat it is unbuttoned I never wear it buttoned I hate how it makes it tighter, by the right hand pocket is my name stitched neatly into the coat, underneath that is UNSC stitched in green, underneath that I have on a blue shirt nothing special about it, my pants are just simple jeans nice and clean. “UNSC, are you drafting him in?” he asked with a crooked smile. “That’s classified.” I state making him raise an eyebrow though he stays silent and points down the hall to a door. “Thank you.” I walk down and knock on the door, nothing, I knock again this time a small boy opens the door. “What do you want dean.” He stares up at me his black eyes full of shock his hair was a mess. “Sorry Miss I did not know someone was coming, no one ever comes to visit us the dean says we will never get adopted.” I frown I’ll have to have a word with the dean about this I thought silently. “Is there a Tom in here?” I ask smiling down at the boy. He nods and opens the door more, the walls are painted the same olive green as the halls and the floor is hardwood with dirt and grime caked on I’m glad to be wearing shoes looking around I see about seven kids none more than eight or nine perfect for the enhancements I thought. “Which is Tom?” He points at a boy on a cot he has blood caked on his shirt and is clenching his side, I frowned and cleared my throat he turned and smiled. “Are you tom?” He nodded “I am Tom, who are you?” He looked over me and laughed only to end it in a cry of pain “UNCS, they want me that bad they sent a Doctor,” I was about to correct him but he did not give me a chance “I have two broken ribs, a fractured jaw, and a broken nose.” (1950 HOURS, August 1, 2552 (MILITARY CALENDAR) \ BETA ZELUS SYSTEM, PLANET DECON \ SECTOR TANGO FOXTROT WHISK 12 \ IN GORGEMEN ORPHANAGE) Perspective: Tom I looked back to the little girl sleeping next to me softly snoring, I let out a sigh looking over the others some were playing with some cards, and others were sleeping. “It’s getting late you should get some rest, or the dean will beat you.” I say to the ones playing, they only nod and put the cards away and crawl into bed. Smiling I lay down they look up to me, I have to protect them. I thought closing my eyes I laid back. Knock knock knock For fucks sake, I sigh ignoring the dean knocking. Knock knock knock What the hell does he want?! “Someone get the door.” I say one of them gets up and walks to the door. “What do you want dean. I’m so sorry Miss I did not know someone was coming, no one ever comes to visit us the dean says we will never get adopted.” I hear him say as he answers it. Someone’s here, maybe one of us will get adopted. “Is there a Tom?” a feminine voice asks, me what would someone want with me, I ask myself. The door opens up with a creek standing is an older women. “Are you tom?” I nod “I am Tom, who are you?” I take a moment to look her over she has deep frown lines freckles cover most of her face, her eyes are navy blue, her shoulder-length hair is black but graying heavily, she wears a lab coat and a blue shirt and jeans, then I see the neatly stitched word UNSC. I burst into a fit of laughing, as I do my side bursts with pain it feels like someone grabbed a knife and stabbed me in the side, silencing me. “UNCS, they want me that bad they sent a Doctor,” I see she was about to say something but I don’t let her “I have two broken ribs, a fractured jaw, and a broken nose.” She ponders this, a hint of worry in her voice. "Well then let's get you to the PILLAR OF AUTUMN." she smiles helping me up, smiling i say my goodbyes looking back at Dr. Halsey I nod and we start to leave as we pass the dean she turns and glares daggers at him "You treat these kids as if you life depended on it, which it does." she says that last bit with venom behind it, smiling she say good bye and we walk out of the orphanage. Outside there is a green car It looks as if it has two tusks because two hook attached to lines poke out in front, well it looks more like a puma. "Dr. am i ever going to see this place again?" I ask, i can hear the sadness in my voice that was not meant to be there. "Sadly, there is a good chance you won't." she says as she helps me into the passenger side. Damn these seats are comfortable there better than my bed! She climbs into the driver seat and turns the key, there is a soft growl as the engine starts up, Yep sounds like a puma. I snicker to myself we begin to move forward after about five or so minutes pass i slip into sleep. 7 YEARS LATER I stand at attention my white military uniform is perfect it displays a shield on which an eagle clutches onto three arrows in the left claw and a lightning bolt in the right, It is a patch given to all Spartans-III, just above that it has my name stitched in gray string. I stand over two and a half meters now the enhancements made me stronger, faster, smarter, and taller. My white pants have neat ironing lines giving me a professional look, my black boots having been shined i smile it was perfect, I sneak a peek to my left and right, good all of team foxtrot was up and ready. The last few years have been hell, our bodies and minds were put through tests and augmentations. All our training, the tests, weapons training both Human and Covenant, Schooling in tactics and the history of the UNSC, survival training, and field exercises. All of it had been hell, he was one of only thirty out of three hundred that had survived the augmentation to their bodies. I was the leader of Team Foxtrot, It was made up of Spartan-102 Mark Chan Beck, Spartan-03 Kelly Bay Scot, Spartan-081 Holly Jane Scarlett. I had grown close to my team with going through hell and back you learn who your true friends are, I would give my life to save them in a heart beat. This was my family for the last seven years, they were stationed on planet Onyx, it was mostly covered in lush forests or dense jungles few knew about it and fewer knew how to get there. The door opened interrupting my thoughts. In came a man he was shorter than us about a meter and half, he had a gray top on to his left side metals decorated it proving he was a high ranking officer, three gold stars shown proudly on his shoulders, his pants were all black as his shoes were too. His head held a neat cap on it, again the three gold stars were on the front, I could see his gray hair in a neat buzz cut under his hat, his golden eyes were full of pride, looking at his Spartans he had trained for the past seven years. He wore a stiff jaw looking as if he was angry even if he was not. they snapped to attention. "At ease, gear up you have training in five." he said, moving with pride making precise steps he moved out of the room as Team Foxtrot scrambled to get their gear and head to the armory to get there MJOLNIR armor.