janitorscloset | [meme] RvB & Halo AU Meme

Matt doesn't bother to correct Kurt on one thing. It isn't that the program isn't SPARTAN. he can understand and accept that fact. But it also wasn't what it was supposed to be: a team. Humanity did need super soldiers in some form. Needed a way to end the war. The tech they were working with could easily help with that. But a team built up when a single man destroyed. And the clear addition of the obvious robot with Smart AI on board had bothered him.

Disturbed him in ways he couldn't begin to explain. That was why he had accepted the live ammo and the grenade. He had known AI. He knew the use and the personalities. But giving one a dangerous body, extra tech, and a clear failure to understand herself with rampancy still a serious problem? He passed.

"The only personal effects I have are classified military property. Technically so is what I am wearing right now..."

He pauses and considers for a moment, not sure about whether he should ask the next question.

"Two things: do I have to have a name as silly as Ambrose? And do they make the new ones as big as us?"

Kurt would be fascinated to hear about Freelancer but at a later time, once they were in a more private setting where they could talk truly freely. He didn't have nearly the same aversion to smart AI but then...they had been useful to his work even if the Spartan-III program only took up a small portion of the resident AI seemingly housed somewhere inside Zone 67.

Deep Winter in particular had been a very amenable AI and in his own way, he regretted the fleeting nature of a smart AI's seven year life cycle. It hadn't shown signs of rampancy but he knew that the madness that ultimately consumed a smart AI was always there like a ticking time-bomb in their code.

"Ah, well, then I guess you don't have to worry about packing. We'll get you properly kitted out when we get back to base."

Matt's unexpected question about his assumed surname surprised a laugh out of Kurt. "Ouch, I had no say in that name but it's grown on me over the years. It means immortal in ancient Greek, did you know that? A little on the nose perhaps but no, you don't have to be Matt Ambrose. I don't think anyone could look at us and think we were blood relation." Amusement twinkled in his eyes when he said that.

"As for the second, I guess you'll just have to wait and see. I think they'll impress you. Doctor Halsey would have judged them by their genes and labeled them inferior but they have more grit and drive than even we had when we were their age." The pride in his voice was unmistakable.

"Any current crop going through augmentation has zero reason to respect me," Maine counters, "unless I have rank, which I don't, or I can put them on their ass, which I may or may not be able to do."

Simple as that. He gets he is going to be in inclosed spaces with them and he will have to deal with curious looks and young people not ready to deal with their own bodies. He remembers how it was. How people could have been injured. What was said about What happened with John and some Marines.

As for grit and drive...

"My grit was extensive, I have to win so my team leader would quiet down."

"Respect must be earned, yes. But they will obey and serve all the same because they are Spartans.” They had both had the displeasure of serving under superior officers who were only entitled to contempt at best, he suspected. But they still performed their duties because that was what it was to be Spartan.

“However, I doubt it will take you long to earn their respect.” Kurt wanted to tell him about Mendez also being on Onyx but he didn’t want to reveal too many details until he knew there was no chance of things going sideways. He’d already broken opsec enough to turn this into a clusterfuck but he didn’t want to count his chickens before they hatched so to speak.

“Heh, what can I say? I’m competitive and the last thing I wanted was to see John and Blue Team end up with Top Honors.” They were all competitive, it had been bred into them part of the conditioning and indoctrination. Even now, that determination to win had far-reaching effects on all of the Spartan-II graduates.

"If you met him you at last have a victory in the form of outranking him," Matt smirks, shaking his head. Can't imagine it. A SPARTAN with rank? Just not right. They followed. Matt, though, already hope that Kurt wasn't going to ask whatever was being made to follow blindly.

But that leaves an interesting thought.

"Will you tell them what I am?"

Would that be giving away too much? Kurt was supposed to be dead. Officially Matt might be as well

“Yeah, maybe he’ll have to salute me but it’s not really the same. He’ll still remain the Master Chief. But…I made peace with the fact that I’d end up serving my career from the shadows years ago and we all have our own parts to play in this war. What I’m doing makes that sacrifice worthwhile.”

Much like his Spartan-III’s, no one outside of the Spartan branch would ever know the name of Kurt-051. His brothers and sisters might have mourned his unofficial passing but as far as the world was concerned, he didn’t exist. And for the most part, he was okay with that outside of the longing he’d wrestled with to be able to see his fellow II’s at least one more time.

In his more fanciful moments, Kurt allowed himself to fantasize about a day when this awful war would be over with and the need for secrecy ended. A world where his Spartan-III’s were allowed to step out of the shadows and their accomplishments and sacrifices could be recognized. That one day, he could be reunited with his remaining brothers and sisters once more.

“I’m not sure, yet. What is your preference on the matter? I haven’t made pains to hide who I am but I don’t talk about being a II either mainly because I don’t want it to interfere with the dynamic I have with my Spartans. We stress team cohesion even more than they did for us back in boot if you can believe that. I don’t want there to be a sense of division between me and them. But that is obviously not the case with them and the rest of their drill instructors. They make their lives a living hell while I try and inspire them.”

"I suppose it depends what sort of role you have intended for me," Maine muses. "Instructors need a division. Need to be larger than life."

He still had feelings about Mendez being larger than life. That was going to be an interesting surprise when he encountered the man again. If he even knew he'd look forward to it, but as it was he was just a bit... anxious about this. Which was impressive because anxious wasn't something he normally managed. Unless he was being kicked off of a building by Carolina. That sucked.

"Just don't expect me to do halo jumps. I have had a number of very good reasons to dislike heights. I am not ballast, so you know."

Though he had to admit, a Spartan made DAMN good ballast.

He takes a moment to finish his soup and then sets it, and his cards aside. There is an energy in him that he can't explain. Maybe it's because there's a chance he'll have purpose again. Maybe he's just fueled by the food. But suddenly he feels like he can give to the war in a real manner. "I'll follow your lead, Kurt. Remember being good at that once. Think I could manage it again, for a good purpose."

“I definitely think DI but we can explore other options if you would prefer. Right now, I have two of my former recruits helping out. They were from the last class we trained and they definitely help a lot and do the work of ten men each but we tend to have class sizes three and a half times what Halsey had to deal with so to say we’re spread thin would be a gross understatement.”

A playful part of Kurt, a part that was often sealed away these days because of the grim realities of his mission was eagerly waiting for the inevitable reunion between Matt and Mendez.

“Heh, we actually have a few ex-Helljumpers part of our DI roster, don’t let them hear you say that because you’ll bring shame to the entire Spartan branch if they find out they have bigger balls than a fully-trained Spartan.” Kurt teased him with a bemused shake of his head but there was nothing malicious in the man’s tone despite his words. “Actually, first exercise we put the new recruits through to test their resolve and dedication is a jump. Not HALO heights but it helps us separate the chaff from the wheat.”

It was a pretty intense initiation even for a Spartan. Even their first day in Boot hadn’t been that bad. But then, they had been trained to fight human terrorists. These new Spartans had to fight an enemy ten times worse and more fanatical than the worst Innie.

Kurt barely even poked at his own food, probably because he’d had his fill of bland hospital fare after his time on the Hopeful. “Good, I really am glad to have you Matt, and not just because of our past. My recruits give a hundred and ten percent but they aren’t afforded the same tech as what we were given. They’re expected to be more expendable because of their greater numbers and I’m heartily sick of watching their lives being spent so casually. If better training can save even a fraction of them then I will do anything it takes to give them that chance.”

There were ghosts and shadows in the other man’s eyes and a torment that defied all words or description. Like all Spartans, Kurt was driven to excel, to win, and every lost III felt like a personal failure that haunted him. And after twenty years of this, it had left its toll on his psyche.

"Helljumper ain't nothing," Maine grumbles. "I could do that. Pods are safe. Try getting kicked off a hundred story plus building, hear the top, and falling a good fifty floors to be ballast to lift a window cleaning unit. And all you get is to hold on to a single rope."

That was not fun. And he will break any ODST who sassed him until they did the same and then took out building security, stole a car, caught two more people falling from said building, and land on the freeway successfully. He won't hold them to the shot up part.

As for what e can train other than close quarters fighting he doesn't know. But where Kurt leads he will follow.

"Greene," he says after a moment. "Would be a good name. Matt Greene. Linda might even Chuckle over that. Don't have a right to claim to be a Spartan after all, even if it would be glaringly obvious to them once they had augmentation. The scars don't seem to go all the way away."

He only smiled and shook his head at the continued tradition of bad blood between the ODST and Spartan-II’s. John had certainly set off a feud for life all those years ago though it wasn’t one Kurt particularly cared to participate in. ODST were some of the most highly trained soldiers humanity could churn out so they tended to make excellent, if hard, drill instructors.

“That sounds like a wild story. Who kicked you off of a hundred story window?” Kurt didn’t know if Maine could give him the full detail but he was curious all the same.

Matt had lived through the hardest bootcamp known to man, he knew more than he realized and he could help Kurt and Mendez improve their training schedules as well as getting a hands on approach with the recruits. He knew that if he’d had more Spartans then the little stunt Tom and Lucy had pulled years ago where they turned the tables on their drill instructors would never have flied.

Of course, that stunt had been a hell of a confidence booster for the Beta Spartans and had solidified their team cohesion a lot.

“Greene, huh?” That seemed to surprise the other man but there was the beginnings of a smirk pulling at the corners of his lips. “I’ll see what I can work out. Either way it’s an improvement over your current code name and admittedly, I’m biased but now I’m kind of annoyed I didn’t think of it first. Not that I had much of a say in the name they gave me.” Green team for life apparently.

"Carolina," Matt says, because he knows the man doesn't have any reason to know what that means. "My CO for the op."

Did she have a rank? Matt sure as hell doesn't know. As for the name, he smiles, and it's soft and warm and he's actually happy. It's almost like he's home. Family. SPARTANs didn't have families, except for each other. He was going home.

"You're... a miracle out of heaven to take me away."

He wants to go home. Serve. Finish this war. And he's being given a chance.

"Okay. I'm going to go mad here. Maybe I should check in with my doctors and figure out how I'm supposed to heal. Better know."

“Sounds tough, and a little reckless. I’m glad you didn’t end up having to be scrapped off the pavement but I can assure you, we have no hundred story buildings to throw people off of where we’re going so you’re safe in that regard.” He managed to say with an absolutely straight face.

Onyx was downright primitive compared to most UNSC space. There were no cities, no signs of human interference outside of the low, sprawling training camp they had carved out of the forest of the lush world. To the cursory eye, it was a planet completely uninhabited and they kept a small footprint to keep it that way. In other words, it was the perfect place to train hundreds of illegal Spartan supersoldiers in complete secrecy.

Kurt looked a little ill at ease with Matt going that far with the praise but he let it go so he could focus on other things.

“Why don’t we have one of our doctors check you out. The less exposure you have to the unregulated side of the station, the better. They have more experience with our augmentations as well so they’re probably better suited to treating your injuries. And while you’re getting checked out, I’ll start getting things prepped for our departure.”

"Sounds smart. They brought me here because... well, unless you get a specialist, this is the best place for one of us to get treated."

Halsey herself would have done better, but no one had that pull. Except maybe John. Somehow Matt knew she would appear out of nowhere to help him if she could. The favored son. Helped that they all respected him. Even if Matt liked Kurt better.

"Can your doctors be spared if there's an augmentation going on? A lot of us died from that. What loss percentage are you experiencing?"

"That's why we come here ourselves. Jeromi isn't Halsey but he and his staff have handled all of our classes augmentation procedures thus far."

There was no one like Catherine Halsey, she'd quite literally written the book when it came to the Spartan-II program. But ONI had taken her research and some of the most brilliant minds in the UNSC had figured out how to recreate and improve upon the procedures they'd had to go through all those decades ago. Now, they weren't experiencing any loss of life compared to the near fifty percent loss their class had suffered.

"The heavy lifting is done, we're in the observation phase which is why we're shipping out tonight. We'll finish the rest of the rehabilitation back at the base, no sense in tying up their time more than we already have." When Matt asked him what percentage of Spartans they were losing in the augmentation process, Kurt was visibly excited.

"Zero percent loss and rejection in Gamma. We've improved Halsey's technique to such a level that we're not losing anyone. Compared to what we went through, her augmentation process looks like butchery." The pride was unmistakable in the man's voice, as was the unexpected criticism of Halsey.

The criticism actually left the man staring at Kurt. Incredulous. Shocked. A bit... less than pleased. The woman made him what he was, and he didn't mind that. He had been the one to fail her, not her him. Not her any of them.

"She did something no one else has. Repetition can make things easier. It wasn't butchery..."

It was them failing her. Matt shifts uncomfortably and looks away from Kurt. Gamma.

The name implies the number of classes, and leaves him wondering just why he hadn't heard of more SPARTANs. And why he would need more trainers. Surely his Spartans would have one or two who would help. Clearly there was a lot more he needed read into.

Kurt could see he’d surprised his brother and he felt a little bad for it. It wasn’t fair for him to project his own complicated feelings towards Halsey onto Matt.

“I know that, Matt. And I’m not trying to belittle what she did because she did the impossible. But I’ve also seen the communiqués she had with other doctors in her field including Jeromi. He warned her about the side-effects of her procedures, she knew exactly what she was doing and knew that a large portion of us would die from it. That’s why they wouldn’t fund her for her next attempts at duplicating the II’s”

That was not something that was common knowledge of course. And like Matt, he had believed in Catherine Halsey unquestioningly until he’d seen the other side of her research and realized just how she’d tried to play god with them. Then, it had become a little harder to forgive her for the Spartans who had died, or the ones like Musa who had been crippled for life. Even the candidates like Matt or Serin who could still serve in a limited capacity had paid a steep price.

“She made us who we are and for that, we all owe her a debt of gratitude. I wouldn’t trade my life for anything and I know you would do the same thing in a heartbeat.”

"I... expect we'll have time for that fight," Matt grumbles. "I... need time on that one, okay? And I need a doctor, my throat hurts. And I am going to finish your meal if you won't. I've been on IV since I was injured. And since I don't know what day it is..."

Could have been a damn long time he was out. And he doesn't know that he minds. Meant he was here, could enjoy this. In fact...

Matt smirks and just reaches across to liberate the meal anyway. Kurt could get his own food. COs don't need generosity from their subordinates. Which raised another question.

"Don't let rank divide us."

“Not a fight, a debate at worst but that’s fine, Matt. Let’s get you checked out and don’t push your voice anymore than you have to, alright?” Kurt said with a concerned look and nudged his tray across the small table towards Matt and informed him of the date.

His brother’s serious statement made him sober up and he shot a serious look over at the other. “I won’t let that happen. We’ll have to maintain some semblance of chain of command but when it’s just the two of us, you can speak as freely as you want to, Matt.”

He waited while Matt finished the food before he climbed to his feet so he could escort him to the medical bays where Gamma was recovering. Unsurprisingly, Tom and Lucy were both were nearby watching over them as he expected. Lucy seemed to notice them first and tilted her head towards them to get Tom’s attention.

The two Beta Spartans both came to attention and saluted when Kurt and the unknown soldier approached and it was obvious both teenage Spartans were curious about Matt’s presence though they had too much discipline to break protocol by asking.

“At ease, Matt, these are my two attaches, Tom-B292 and Lucy-B091. Graduates of our Beta class. Tom, Lucy this is Matt Greene. He’s transferring in to help us with Gamma.”

The Beta Spartans shared a glance but slipped into an at-ease posture.

“We look forward to serving with you, sir.” Tom said neutrally and since Kurt hadn’t offered up any rank for this Greene, he opted to stray on the side of caution by addressing him like an officer.

Lucy just offered Matt a tense looking smile but didn't say anything.

They aren't too much smaller than him, and Maine is almost impressed by that. Almost. Spartans are supposed to be big. He has to wonder if they are making a similar appraisal of him as he is of them. They seem young, but that isn't strange. It's been so long since he saw another Spartan that he'd been young then. Had been shocked to see how old Kurt was. How old that meant he was by extension.

"And I you," Matt agrees, his voice a pained rumble. "Excuse the voice. Recovering. I highly advise not being shot in the throat. Multiple times."

They seem tense, and Matt doesn't like that. How does he take that out of the equation? How did he bridge the distance between them when Kurt's tone was just the littlest bit familiar with his name?

Fuck saluting. Attaches should have a more casual relationship with instructors than a CO should. When there are subordinates around he will happily do whatever bending over backwards is needed. For now he offers a hand to them.

"I look forward to seeing what the Spartan program has to offer. Kurt speaks well of you."

Hasn't said much about them, but he's good for it.

Lucy was unusually small for a Spartan, Kurt had never figured out why that particular part of her augmentations had never took but figured it was part of that same not ideal genetic markers that would have made her unsuitable for Halsey’s vigorous standards of what a Spartan could be.

But she had never let her size be a detriment to her and even used it to her advantage in perfect concert with Tom’s more standard Spartan size and build. Halsey might have written her off as being not good enough for the Spartan-II’s but she and Tom had managed to make it through the hellish crucible of Operation TORPEDO that had doomed nearly every other Beta Spartan. They had survived while 300 of their brothers and sisters had perished.

It made them all the more remarkable in Kurt’s eyes.

“Not a problem, sir. Please don’t strain yourself on our account.” Well, that certainly solved a small piece of this puzzle didn’t it? Tom still had no idea why Kurt would so brazenly break protocol by bringing an outside amongst them.

“Matt and I go way back, he’s a good man and will bring some much needed fresh blood going forward with Gamma’s graduation testing and helping with Delta.” Kurt supplied with a smile.

Tom shook Matt’s hand firmly before stepping aside so Lucy could do the same. She was still pointedly silent thus far before she turned to Tom and made a gesture in the hybridized Spartan signing they had adopted to help her overcome her communications issue. Matt would recognize the signal for intel and injured.

“Ah, you’ll have to excuse Lucy, sir. She uh…suffered a combat injury and hasn’t been able to speak since. She does a pretty good job of communicating on her own but if you ever need any help, I will be happy to translate for you.”

Go way back. Matt almost huffs a laugh at that. Yes, they go beyond way back. Good choice there, Kurt. If the younger Spartans hadn't already come to the conclusion of 'SPARTAN' for Kurt's background, that was going to underline it. Because Matt's darker skin still shows his augmentation scars very easily, even after all these years. Never healed quite right, left them uglier on his hands, and still obvious on his fingers. Looking at all at the hand when they shook it would mean they could see it. Could draw the right conclusions. They should know what he was then. And if they were 'B's then he could logically only be Alpha team, or a II. Given his age...

"Need to learn for myself," Matt counters to Kurt, focusing on that for now. Can't go to the CO just because he can't understand the people that might be sent to communicate with him. Not efficient. Then again...

Perhaps they need some comfort of their own, and Matt offers it. Does it with a single sign of his own. One that would tell them all they really needed to know about him even if they clearly would be smart enough to guess it on their own. So he signs a smile at them both. Better to underline and confirm now than speculate later and let that take time off of the important things.

"I look forward to working with you both."

Matt hadn’t said for certain if he wanted Kurt to disclose his Spartan-II heritage or not. Technically, he hadn’t officially confirmed the fact that he was a Spartan though he suspected Tom and Lucy knew. After all, he bore the unmistakable augmentation scars and his superior height and bulk had him towering over many of his Spartan-III’s.

It was definitely a reasonable leap in logic to make though he suspected his two prized pupils respected him too much to pry. So he stuck to keeping things deliberately vague.

Kurt nodded placidly when Matt stated his opinion on the matter but didn’t argue. “Tom will help you out as needed. He and Lucy helped formulate the more extended dialect.”

“I’ll be happy to help in any way, Commander.” Tom put in with a polite looking smile. When Matt signed a ‘Spartan smile’ to the two of them, the Beta Spartans both stood a little straighter when the full realization of just who was standing before them sank in simultaneously.

“Walk with us? Matt here needs to be examined and you can catch me up on Gamma’s progress while the doctors are checking him out.” Kurt ordered once the introductions had been made and started up again, absolutely confident that the trio of Spartans would fall into line behind him.

"Guess he wants to watch me get prodded," Matt grumbles. Of course it's an empty complaint because it's supposed to be an empty complaint. Maybe he wasn't as good at it as Kurt had ever been, but playful ribbing was more in his wheelhouse now than he had been before. Freelancer had changed him, that much was obvious. To the point that he was happy to be a bit freer with information.

Thing was he knew this was an ONI black hole you didn't fall back out of. Freelancer had some candidates released, but training Spartans? He doubted he would get out of that so long as there was a demand. And he didn't care.

"Hoping I get to keep my voice," Matt admits. The more he spoke today the worse it sounded, leaving it now harsh but also quiet. Not so quiet that a Spartan couldn't hear of course, but still quiet.

“Nah if I wanted that, I’d insist on your doing a full work-up and physical rather than them trying to save the voice you’re supposed to be saving by not talking so much.” Kurt said archly with an amused look over his shoulder.

He hadn’t missed the fact that Matt seemed...different from the teenage Spartan candidate he remembered. He seemed less uptight, less serious and it was a heartening change because that would make the transition of him working with children and potential Spartan candidates easier.

Not that he’d been afraid of the man being too harsh on them that he might actually cripple their potential. But Kurt knew from first-hand experience that you needed a certain sense of humor to deal with rambunctious children no matter who they were. Spartan or civilian, they were still prone to getting into shenanigans and create mischief.

“How are we doing on getting Gamma prepared and ready to do for tonight, Tom?” Kurt asked and he had to use an ID card and a security code just to get through the next set of doors.

“Good, sir, we’re doing PT drills now and transferring them to Tarawa.” Tom supplied smoothly. “We’ll be able to do more physical rehab once we get back to Onyx and have them back to regular gravity.”

The Beta Spartan didn’t realize Matt hadn’t been fully debriefed yet and thus had no idea where they were…actually going.

In silence Matt considers all the information flying out around him. Better not to seem ignorant before he is read in. The other Spartans would handle him better if he seemed to know. Which would mean he had to deal with getting briefed soon. Which couldn't happen until Kurt could officially read him in. It was annoying but at least his throats gave him a reason to be silent.

Still he listened quietly as he followed, staying half a step behind Kurt so he could be guided to where they were going. Gravity had been so hard to adjust to when they came out of augmentation but he thought he might enjoy helping there. Even after PT in space the young Gammas would be learning more about their bodies. Their strength and speed. If nothing else he would be a better sparring partner than their normal trainers. More repayment to possible damage. It would be good for them and mean they were less likely to hurt each other as well.

And when he thought of it he could even see a use for himself with a new generation. They were being trained against Covenant threats. Maine actually had real life combat experience on that front, and unlike normal personnel, he was a good stand in for the larger species like the Elites. Might help to train them young in how to deal with bigger, faster, stronger opponents. None of his Spartan training had prepared him for that one unexpected fistfight with an Elite.

Matt smiles at his thoughts. Maybe he might. It fight this war as intended, but he was going to fight it. And probably fight off any promotion Kurt offered.

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