Hello all! Well this is it! The final chapter for Halo 2! I have already started on Halo 3, and the first chapter will be out shortly. Please feel free to comment your thoughts, and for those who have liked and followed this story, I thank you!

I dont own Halo or Metroid. I wish I did...Now, read on!

Chapter 10

The room was huge, and scarcely lit. The only light source coming from the center platforms, which had faint lights along their surface. Samus kept her pace slow and quiet, the Arbiter matching her speed. She quickly picked up on noises up ahead, and soon spotted their origin.

In front of a large console, were a group of Brutes, all of which had their backs turned. In the center was Tartarus, she assumed. He was a large Brute, by far the biggest. His fur was an odd white, but she didn't really care about these minor details. She was more concerned with what he held in his hands. In one was a small, glowing object, shaped like a small key.

She knew what this was, she had seen it before. An Index, used to fire Halo rings. Her heart rate picked up slightly at the sight of it, but she remained focused. The Forerunners had encoded DNA locking on almost all of their technology, and after finding out Humans had been fighting the flood before them, had included Human DNA in their registry. Now that the Forerunners were gone, only Humans could do things like activate Halo.

Which is why the person in the Brutes other hand made her feel much more dread then the index did. The woman was short, looking tiny compared to her captors. She struggled in vain to get free, causing more than a few Brutes to huff in amusement. Tartarus however, did not seem amused.

"Come on human, it is easy. Just take the icon in your hand…" He started to say softly, before the woman struggled again. He growled, slamming his fist into the control console.

"And do as you are told!"

A small beep caused them both to turn. In another Brutes grasp was a Monitor, much like the one Samus had seen in the Graveminds clutches. Its eye was blue, unlike the red from the first one. Its tone sounded worried.

"Please use caution! This Reclaimer is delicate." It said, blue eye flicking between the woman and Brute. Tartarus snarled, baring his teeth.

"One more word Oracle, and I'll rip your eye from its socket!" He growled, before turning back to the woman and leaning down.

"Which is nothing compared to what I'll do to you…"

Samus turned to the Arbiter and nodded, this was the time to interrupt. He looked down a moment, as if gathering his thoughts, then strode forward, Samus right behind him. She switched her beam to plasma, ready for when things would inevitably turn into a fight.

"Tartarus, stop." The Arbiter said simply. He stopped roughly ten feet away, waiting for them to turn and face him.

The Brute froze, as if surprised. He slowly turned, disbelief on his face. The other brutes followed suit, many growling and snarling at the newcomers. Samus kept her cannon up, ready for anything. The Arbiter however, took a step forward.

"Put down the Icon." He said quietly, waiting for the Brutes response. Tartarus shook his head slowly, his grip tightening.

"Put it down, and disobey the Hierarches?" He growled, seemingly mad. The Arbiter looked away a moment.

"There are things about Halo, even the Hierarches do not understand." He muttered, turning back. The Brutes all growled, looking ready to rip him apart. They started making their way forward, but Tartarus held up a hand, stopping them in their tracks.

"Take care Arbiter, what you speak is Heresy." He growled quietly, looking like he wanted to run forward and attack as well.

"Is it? Oracle, what is Halo's purpose?"

"Well collectively, the seven-"The monitor started, before Tartarus grabbed him and started shaking him. He snarled, spittle flying in all directions.

"Not another word!" He roared, as if the little ball would be afraid of him.

Samus was preparing to fire at this point, she had seen enough. But she was interrupted by another voice, one she was becoming all too familiar with. Johnson strode up beside them, large purple Beam Rifle aimed right at Tartarus. He wore a smile on his face, as if they were not fighting for the survival of the galaxy.

"Please, don't shake the lightbulb." He chuckled, stopping right next to Samus and giving her a wink. If it was meant to comfort her, it didn't work. And it sure didn't work on the Brutes, who now were very clearly angry at the sight of the smaller Human. They all grabbed weapons and made their way forward, murder in their eyes.

"If you want to keep your brain inside your head, I'd tell your boys to chill." He shouted, nodding down to his weapon.

Tartarus roared, calling his Brutes back to him, but he looked like he wanted to eat the man. Samus glanced at Johnson, and wondered how on earth he was smiling right now. She shook that thought away, and turned to the Arbiter, who had remained still throughout all this.

"You were saying?" She asked, making sure to keep one eye on the Brutes at all time. The Arbiter nodded and continued.

"The Sacred Rings, what are they?"

"Weapons of last resort, built by the Forerunners to eliminate potential Flood hosts, thereby rendering the parasite, harmless." The Monitor chirped, his tone not matching the conversation.

"And those who made the Rings? What happened to the Forerunners?" The Arbiter asked slowly, as if fearing what the Monitor would say next.

"After exhausting every other strategic option, my creators activated the Rings. They and all additional sentient life, in three radii of the galactic center, died, as planned." The Monitor concluded, before adding as an afterthought "would you, like to see the relevant data?"

Samus turned her full gaze on the Arbiter now. She had told him already all about the Forerunners and Halo, but to hear it from the Monitor must have been just as shocking. The Arbiter stood there, mandibles flexed slightly, eyes wide. He seemed speechless. She was also aware that Johnson had lowered his guard, his expression almost one of pity.

The Arbiter slowly looked up, his eyes sad. When he spoke, his voice almost broke.

"Tartarus…The Prophets have betrayed us."

She looked at Tartarus, and was shocked to see him with a similar expression. He looked down at the Monitor with something akin to disbelief, and for a moment, Samus thought that the Arbiter had been right to talk it out.

The Brute then snarled, hurling the monitor right at Johnson. She wasn't fast enough to push him away, but she didn't manage to grab him, both of them flying backwards. Samus flipped them, making sure she landed on the ground, and Johnson on top.

He quickly jumped up, and she jumped up as soon as she could. However, Tartarus had used this moment to force his Human captive to use the Index. His snarl turned into a grin, and as he threw the woman to the side, he grabbed his weapon, a large hammer.

"No Arbiter, the Great Journey has begun! And the Brutes, not the Elites shall be the Prophets escorts!" He roared in triumph, taking a combat stance.

Samus ran back to the Arbiter, who had drawn his sword. Johnson was right behind her, aiming his rifle, smile gone. She analyzed her opponents, as well as the woman, to see if she was injured. She seemed fine, according to scans, but Tartarus was a different story. He had some kind of gravitational distortion happening around him, meaning a lot of attacks were not going to even touch him.

Samus thought, trying to form a plan.

"Alright, Arbiter, take out these Brutes. I'm going to fight Tartarus. Johnson, you-"

"I'll get Miranda, then help you both out." He finished, eyeing the woman on the floor.

Samus nodded, before turning back to her foe. Tartarus was in a defensive stance, meaning she would have to come to him. She sighed, an idea already forming in her head, a really stupid one.

She took one last breath, then charged straight for him. He seemed shocked at first, then chuckled, preparing his hammer. She was closing the distance, her strides powerful and quick. Just as she reached him, and he seemed ready to swing, she activated her afterburners, what as she liked to call it, 'the speed booster'.

She flew right into his chest, a startled grunt affirming that she had knocked the wind out of him. Both of them went flying off the platform, falling down to a lower level. They both hit the ground hard, ending up sprawled on the floor. Samus groaned, shaking her head slowly. Her world was spinning slightly, from the impact on the floor. As she was getting up, her hairs stood on end.

She rolled to the side, just as a large, black hammer impacted right where she had been, a huge dent appearing in the floor. She rolled and shot up, turning to face the snarling white haired beast. She fired her Plasma beam, aiming right for his chest. However, her shots seemed to deflect, and Tartarus ran at her uninjured. She jumped away, grimacing. She had been afraid of this happening. Whatever the gravitational distortion was, it was capable of deflecting weapon shots, both her beams, and as she realized after firing a super missile, her ballistics too.

She ran behind a wall, then rolled as the wall exploded into pieces. That hammer could sure do damage, she thought. She couldn't get close, or that thing would rip her apart, but her weapons were next to useless here. How was she going to beat this thing?

She was shaken from her thoughts when Tartarus swung at her, narrowly missing. She launched a kick at his chest, causing him to grunt and take a step back. She went for it again, except this time he was ready for her.

He caught her ankle in his big hand, and grinned evilly. He swung her, much like he did his hammer, into a nearby wall, denting it. Her shield took considerable damage, and as she tried to wriggle free, he slammed her into the floor. She grunted, trying to tug her leg free. She noticed him raising the hammer again, and rolled to the side, dodging the strike.

He snarled, and went to strike again, this time getting much closer. He went for a third one, then Samus had had enough, and rolled into her Morph ball. She started to roll away, but the Brute lunged, managing to grab her once again. He threw her against a wall, taking another chunk of her shielding out.

She changed back to normal, taking deep breaths. If this kept up, he was going to kill her, she had to think of something. As she ducked and dodged him, she wracked her brains for what she could do. What weapon did she have at her disposal to combat his reflective shield?

She came up short, starting to get frustrated. The Brute roared, charging her once again. She dodged him with ease, however, as he passed her, he swung the hammer, which hit her right on the shoulder. Pain flared out of her upper arm, and as she held back a yell, she flew into a wall, collapsing.

She heard him chuckle, and then his heavy footsteps as he strode towards her. She tried to get up, but the pain from her shoulder was close to unbearable. He grabbed her by the head, and leered into her visor.

"Who's divine now?" He snarled, raising his hammer for the final blow. "I am invincible!"

And then she got it. She knew how to stop him, wishing the idea had come a lot sooner. She also hoped that this wouldn't end up killing everybody in the room.

"Well that's good, I kill invincible things on a weekly basis." She joked, her voice announcing the pain she was in. Then, she raised her cannon, and fired.

The shot, a small purple blob, flew right past the Brute, who burst into laughter when it missed. He stopped however, when Samus deactivated her helmet, and winked at him.

The little blob flew a few feet away, before stopping. Then, with a sudden roar, it expanded, growing larger and larger. As it grew, it started growling hungrily, sucking in everything lose nearby. Bodies, scattered weapons and debris, all of it fed the every growing black hole.

The 'Dark Burst' was a weapon Samus rarely used because of how unpredictable it was. It remained open only a few seconds, but caused horrible damage while it was active. And, as a black hole, negated all other gravitational pulls. Like a certain Brutes shields.

Both of them started sliding towards the hole, Tartarus letting go of her as he searched for a handhold. Samus let herself slide awhile, until she was sure Tartarus had forgotten her, then she swung her grapple beam towards a nearby Pylon, anchoring herself in place.

Tartarus saw this, and lunged for her. But by then they had slid too far apart, and his grab came up short. He yelped, realizing that he couldn't escape. He desperately clawed at anything to grab, but it was hopeless. As he reached the base of the ever hungry hole, he screamed.

His screams were bloodcurdling, terror plastered all over his face. The black hole slowly consumed him, his body distorting as the gravity inside both pulled and crushed him. And then he was gone, the black hole and Samus the only things left on the lower floor. Shortly after sucking in the Brute, it winked out of existence, and Samus hit the floor hard.

She groaned, the pain in her shoulder dulling, but still present, as well as all the other aches and pains she now had. She almost forgot where was, almost. With a grunt of effort, she got up and made her way towards the firing mechanism nearby. She spotted the Index floating in its center, and it was simple to reach inside and pull it out.

She sighed in relief, closing her fingers around the small key. She closed her eyes, silently thankful for the ancient aliens who had created her weapons. As she stood there, then floor began to rumble. Her eyes flashed open, looking this way and that trying to find the source. When nothing presented itself, she looked back to the firing mechanism, and was surprised to see it still charging. Before she could think to do anything, it fired.

A large blue beam shot up and out of the room, and Samus imagined it flying up through the sky. It hadn't been Halo firing, so what was it? As she pondered the question, a large hologram appeared before her, a series of larger and smaller rings present. Samus figured it was some kind of map, taking a step closer to examine it.

"You, lady, are one tough customer. Remind me to never get on your bad side." A smooth voice called out.

She turned, and saw the Johnson, Miranda and the Arbiter were all walking towards her, seeming to survive their scrap with the Brutes upstairs. She smirked at Johnson, whose smile grew wider at the sight of hers. Miranda however, looked cautious, even suspicious. Samus couldn't really blame her, but have her a nod. After a while, the Commander returned the nod, turning her attention towards the holograph.

"What is this?" She asked out loud, though not directed at anyone. Samus was about to suggest her theory, when a cheery voice jumped in.

"It's a beacon." The monitor chirped, floating down beside them all.

"What's it doing?" She asked cautiously.

"Communicating, and super luminal speeds, with a frequency of-"

"Communicating with what?" Miranda nearly shouted, looking annoyed at the long explanation.

"The other installations." The Monitor explained, before continuing. "Failsafe protocol. In the event of an unexpected shutdown, all remaining platforms, are now ready for remote activation."

Miranda whirled on the monitor, eyebrows creased, and her lips forming a frown.

"Remote activation? From here?"

"Don't be ridiculous." The Monitor seemed to scoff, causing Johnson to growl slightly.

"Listen Tinkerbell…" He started, before Miranda shushed him.

"Then where? Where would someone go to activate the other rings?" She asked the Monitor patiently. The small ball looked between them both, as if in disbelief.

It was in this moment that Samus had a memory, a memory that explained everything they needed to know.

"The Ark…they would go to the Ark." She said quietly. Everyone turned to look at her, eyebrows raised in looks of shock. The Monitor made a squeal like noise, and flew over to her.

"Oh splendid! A Reclaimer that actually knows proper information!" He seemed to beam, flying around her. He was pushed out of the way by a large hand, which came to rest on her shoulder. She looked up into the eyes of the Arbiter, who peered down at her.

"And where, Samus, is that?" He asked quietly.

She paused, more memories coming to her. She jumped when she remembered a vital detail, something that everyone here, and the people of Earth needed to know.

"It's located outside of our galaxy, accessible only by portal. I only know of one…and it's on Earth." She said, looking between each face.

Miranda's eyes flew wide. She turned to Johnson.

"We need to get back and warn the UNSC. Lord Hood needs this information!" She nearly shouted. She turned to make her way out, when the Monitor brought up a valid point.

"Splendid, do you have a ship ready?"

She stopped dead in her tracks.

"No…Johnson?" She asked, slowly turning to face him. He shook his head, but smiled and pointed a thumb at Samus.

"I don't, but this pretty lady does. And it's a beast." He chuckled. Miranda turned her gaze on Samus.

"Would you be willing to fly us back to Earth? It's of vital importance." She said, trying to keep her face calm, but worry visible in her eyes. Samus nodded, making her way towards the exit.

"I was planning of heading that way anyway, I'll gladly give you a lift." She stated, signaling Adam to meet them all outside. They all fell in behind her, and they all left the now eerily silent room to head home.

"So Arbiter? What do you plan to do once we get to Earth?" Samus asked him, sitting in her pilots chair as the ship flew through slip space. The Arbiter grunted, staring out the window.

"I plan to rally my people, and bring an end to the Prophets lies. I also plan on working with the Humans, if they will have us." He said simply, as if it would be easy.

She whistled, trying to keep the disbelief out of her face. He didn't turn to face her, so it didn't really matter in the end.

"Good luck with that, as for me…I don't know." She ended up saying truthfully.

"We could sure use a powerful, sexy ass kicker in the UNSC." Johnson called out from the back. He and Miranda were in her small kitchen, eating whatever they could find. Adam had been filling them in on what was what, and what it was like compared to regular food.

"She would have to go through a lot of customs first, she is a civilian…technically." Miranda said, emerging with a cup of 'coffee'. Johnson followed, also clutching a cup. They sat in seats not too far away. Samus shrugged.

"I'm not really the military type, but I would be glad to help." She responded, before an alarm flashed up on the screen.

"We're coming out of Slipspace now." She informed them. "Once we reach Earth, I'll need you both to direct me to where we need to go."

"Can do lady" Johnson said, sipping his drink.

The ship shook, and the windshield soon displayed the large blue sphere that was Earth in front of them. That, and a dozen or so UNSC ships lined up in front of them, arranged in an attack formation. The ships were all of varying sizes, but all were much bigger than the Gunship. Nobody moved, even when a voice crackled over the radio.

"Attention unidentified craft, you are in restricted UNSC space. Prepare to be Boarded, if you attempt anything suspicious, we will open fire.

Nobody said anything for the longest time. Until finally, as small boarding craft began to make their way over, Samus spoke up.

"Well shit."