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Alternate Ending
Posted By: Linda Bower<lindalizardlover9@yahoo.com>
Date: 23 November 2007, 3:13 pm


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They don't know how she survived. All they know is that she saved three lives. Those three lives were the Master Chief, Cortana, and the Arbiter. The only one who knows exactly how they were saved was the Master Chief.

When the Flood landed on Earth in New Mombasa, she was there. Some how, the Flood didn't get her, they couldn't infect her. Still, no one knows how she survived the Flood. But, lucky for her, before half the cotenant was glassed, some Marines found her. They herd her scream "No!" as she shot and killed a Flood infection form with a Magnum she found near by. At first, they were unsure if she was infected or not. But they couldn't just leave her. There was something about her, something that told the Marines that they should save her. Was it her eyes? They couldn't just leave her. This is the only thing we know about her past.

The Marines didn't know what to do with her, so they took her aboard The Shadow of Intent. This is where she met the Master Chief. Oddly enough, he gave her an Assault Rifle and told her that she was coming with him. She gave him a look that said "Why?" He said, "Obviously, you're immune to the Flood and you know how to fight. I could use some help in close-combat, and you're the right fit for the job." Without saying a word, she accepted the challenge.

She told the Marines, Master Chief, and the Arbiter to call her "Jacket". She said that because she was always wearing a jacket that she strangely loved so much.

On her first mission, she had not one scratch, no wounds, nothing was hurt. Chief soon found that she was a natural sniper. She seemed to be more relaxed outside than in a building or structure, almost like she didn't trust them. He also found that she was very stealthy and quick, fast on her feet. She often times accidentally snuck up on him. Even Jackals couldn't see her, let alone hit her. But, when they entered High Charity, she had hardly any courage at all. Never, did she let Chief leave her sight. He was a bit shocked at this, but then he remembered: she's not a Spartan, nor a Marine. She's just a kid. She made it out of there without a scratch. This, "invincibility", puzzled the Master Chief. She is human, right? Or is it just because she's lucky? Maybe she was super-natural? He still doesn't know.

During this time, the Marines had grown quite fond of her. Even Sergeant Johnson was fond of her. Like the Marines said, there was something about her that said she was, well, safe and important.
Unfortunately, she was with the Arbiter, Master Chief, Cortana, and Sergeant Johnson when he was killed by 343 Guilty Spark. Thanks to her unnatural speed, she was able to dodge Spark's beam when he tried to kill her. But for the first time in her fight with the Chief, she was clipped in her leg by the beam. She was in the back with the Arbiter while Master Chief was fighting Guilty Spark. Before Johnson died, he said to the Chief, "Get the girl out of here alive."

When Master Chief told her that Johnson was dead, she was a bit upset but very angry. She said "If he wants me out of here alive, heck let's get me out of here alive." She rarely talked. This was a surprise to both the Arbiter and Master Chief for her to be sarcastic. As the first door opened, and a few Flood came in, she pulled out her Magnum and said, "I was found using this weapon, and killing these vile creatures. If I go down, I'm going the same way I came." And with that, she killed all of the Flood that came through, ignoring the pain in her leg. Chief thought that she was a bit afraid of the Flood, and that she would let him handle them. She never gave any sign that her leg was hurt. She just ignored it. He thought that this was the last of her surprises. He knew he was wrong.

As they raced to find a way out, she killed everything that posed as a threat. If she had not known the Master Chief or the Arbiter, she most likely would have tried to kill them, too. Chief was glad that she did know them. When they found the Warthog, her eyes lit up for the first time. She bounded into the side seat and yelled, "Road Trip!!" Chief didn't know that she like road trips. Well he did now. This must be another mystery from her un-told past. Arbiter hopped into the gunner seat, and Chief got into the drivers' seat. She looked at him, and for the first time, smiled. She said, "So, what's the distention, Chief?" He looked back at her and gave her the smile motion along with an Assault Rifle. Then he floored it.

She was screaming with excitement. She was actually having fun. Every time they hit a big jump, she would scream "Yeah!!" Even the Arbiter was entertained. He was saying, "At least she is no longer upset." She had to admit he was right. For this short amount of time, she had forgotten that Johnson was dead. Master Chief knew that making her laugh (which was an almost unthinkable experience) was good for her. No one had ever seen her laugh until now. Chief was almost sorry that her Marine friends weren't here to see her laugh. If they had been there, they would still be smiling about it.

On the last jump, the biggest jump, she got a huge smile on her face. When they were in the air, she was screaming at the top of her lungs, "Woohoo!!!!" When they landed, she looked at Master Chief with en expression that said, "Thanks." With that, she pointed Chief to the passageway that lead to the cockpit where the Arbiter was heading with Cortana. She said, "Go. I'll stay alive. You're a hero know to all. You need to stay alive. You need to show them that it's over." Master Chief told her that it was she, that needed to stay alive and that it wasn't fair that he could go and she couldn't. She said, "I guess it's gonna have to hurt." Then, she kicked Master Chief with such force; he fell backwards into the passageway. The doors to the cargo bay had closed. It was too late to save her.

They headed towards the portal. Cortana was with the Arbiter in the cockpit. She made her way to the cryo tubes as fast as she could. While she was on her way, Master Chief had made his way to the cockpit. She was in the tube, soon, asleep. As they left to the portal, Master Chief remembered something she had told him. She had told him that she would stay alive. Chief knew this was true. She was smart and a fast thinker. She would worm her way into staying alive. She wouldn't let him down.

The portal collapsed. Master Chief and the Arbiter had made it through. But the girl was in the middle of it when it fell. The girl didn't know it, but Cortana had set a beacon to drop after five minutes of exiting the portal.

When they landed on Earth, Master Chief told the Arbiter that she was alive. He told him that he would go look for her. And that he would find her alive and unharmed. The Arbiter said he would go with him. Cortana told Chief that she a set a beacon to drop. She said that she programmed it to send her it's coordinates when it had. She was receiving those coordinates.

Immediately, they set out in slip-space to those coordinates. Two weeks had passed before they reached the spot. Thankfully, about 200 kilometers away, was part of a frigate. Master Chief, Cortana, and the Arbiter knew that she was in it. They turned, and headed toward it. When they got to it, they pulled it into The Shadow of Intent. It was cut in half by the portal. This is what allowed it to fit.

Chief and the Arbiter went into the frigate only to find that the first 5 cryo tubes were empty. Then, 2 more over, was the girl. As fast as he could, he opened the cryo tube and called for a medic. She was in a coma. It must have been the fact that her young body wasn't prepared for the sudden fumes that did this.

They brought her to Earth. There, the put her in a Marines' hospital. She was kept on observation and she was hooked up to an IV and a ventilator tube down her throat. Chief came in to see her and hope that she was awake. He remembered something she told him before they entered High Charity.
She was asleep when he nudged her to wake her up. She sat up and said "I get mad when people do that. If you want me to wake up, wave you're had in front of my face. That always does the trick."

Master Chief did as she had said. The Arbiter said, "What are you doing, Spartan?" Chief looked at him and said, "Doing a trick." Sure enough, her eyelids opened. Chief looked at her and said, "Don't try to talk. You have a breathing tube in your throat. The doctors will remove it tomorrow." This was too long a wait for her. She grabbed the tube with both hands, and began pulling it out herself. Chief reached out to stop her, but she just gave him a look that said, "Don't even try." She had it halfway out when a doctor came in. He looked in horror as the girl pulled the tube out of her throat. He rushed to her bedside and tried to stop her. But Chief was faster than he was. Chief grabbed his wrist as the doctor tried to push the tube back in. "Let her pull it out." Chief said. "But we don't even know if she can breath on her own!" the doctor snapped back.
"I beg to differ." It was the girl who said this.
"You should have had us doctors pull it out."
"Too late now."
Angered, the doctor left the room. She looked at Chief and said, "I told you so." Master Chief gave her the smile motion and said, "I guess you did." She looked over at the Marines on the other side of the room and said, "You all owe me. Big time." They laughed. And for the first time, she showed her small, unused, sense of humor.

The next day, she was up and running again. She was awarded the Medal of Honor. She had pinned it to her jacket.

She and Chief were out walking to the memorial for all of the Marines that had died. That was when she told Master Chief that it wasn't really over. He said, "What do you mean, 'not over'? We have destroyed the Flood. And the Covenant battle is over."
"The Flood aren't gone. When I was taken on board The Shadow of Intent, I heard Shipmaster say 'A Gravemind.' Not 'The Gravemind.' A Gravemind means that there are more Flood out there than we think. There are more Gravemind."
"Your right. But how would they get here?"
"I don't know. You tell me."
Trying to change the subject, he said, "What happened to you in New Mombasa?"
"My family was infected. It didn't get me. I'm sure God wanted me to meet you, and you to meet me. I don't know for sure. What I do know is that I'm still alive. I'm still a mystery to you and the Marines. And that this is all I have left."
Chief said, "Is that a good thing? I mean, that this is all you have left?"
"Well it's not too bad."

With a final laugh, they walked away. She never told them her name, or her past. But Master Chief has a feeling that she will now that it's finally safe……

Or is it?





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