A/N: After much consideration, I've decided to put a new story series on my profile. Even though I've been very committed to my other series I need a change of pace so that my thoughts aren't restrained to one kind of idea. And thus I came up with this. There have been dozens upon dozens of these all over the sight, but I haven't tried my hand yet and I'm giving it my best.

So here goes something. (I own nothing)

Sgt. Alexander 'Maverick' Drake

USMC Timberwolves,2nd Platoon - Bravo Team

Three Clicks North of Chaman, Pakistan - (Just Outside Afghanistan/Pakistan Boarder)

July 13th, 2013 - 18:23 hours

Gunfire and the smell of smoke filled the air, the two combined with the pain was making it hard to focus.

Sargeant Alex Drake leaned heavily against the crumbling wall for cover as several rounds tore past. Leaning out of cover, he fired his M4A1 at the hostiles that had him and his squad pinned down. The rifle clicked empty making him cuss as he dropped back down to reload.

Reaching for a spare magazine on his vest, the 22 year old Marine saw blood oozing out from under his flak vest and uniform near his stomach. A similar wound was also seen on his right thigh.

It was suppose to be a routine mission. Recon the sector outside Chaman close to the Afghan boarder. There had been a lot of suspicious activity in the area for the last two months and the Brass had several squads stationed nearby to make sure nothing happened to the local civilian populations.

The Sargeant's squad was on patrol when one of their hummers struck a hidden IED and exploded. The survivors leapt out and took cover in a small abandoned town as a large group of men with assault rifles and small arms fire began shooting at them.

The ten man squad was down to six with two others wounded and being treated. And the hostiles had them boxed into a small two story house close to the town's edge.

"Overlord! This is Bravo Team, where's our damn backup!" Alex shouted into his comm as he slammed a new clip into his rifle. 'The closest Blackhawk is currently enroute to your squad's current position. ETA 10 minutes.' replied Overlord.

"10 minutes guys! Keep 'em held off!" he shouted to his squad as he started shooting again.

One of the others dropped down next to him. "Sir, your wounded!" shouted Corporal Denning seeing the blood. "I know Corporal! How are the others?" asked Alex as he managed to drop two hostiles before they could fire a shot at them.

"Stable, but we need to get them outta here for better treatment!" replied Denning as he fired a few shots.

Several shots rang out, "Fuck! Richardson's down!" shouted Private Evers as he checked the downed man's vitals. "Shit he's gone!" the Private said taking the man's tags before resuming his position.

"Fuck." Alex muttered as he took down another hostile. 'Bravo Team, this his Wingman 5-2. That you out there Maverick?' The Sargeant hit his comm, "It's me 5-2, how far away are you? We got casualties and wounded down here."

'3 minutes and closing Maverick. You guys got an open space for me to land?' Alex looked at their surroundings quickly, looking out the back window from the bottom floor. "There's a large enough backyard behind our position, we'll pop smoke."

'Roger that Maverick.' said the pilot. Alex looked over to Evers who had dropped down to reload, "Evers! Go out back and pop a smoke so we can get outta here! We'll cover you!" he shouted. The Private nodded before taking off out the backdoor while Alex and Denning kept the hostiles from getting closer.

"We're gonna make it, aren't we sir?" asked the Corporal.

Alex looked at Denning, the guy was two years younger than him and had hopes for going far in his military career. One he intended to make sure continued. "Yeah, yeah we are Corporal. I'll make damn sure of it." he said sternly making the younger soldier nod before resuming the fight.

'Sir! The Blackhawks here!' shouted Evers over the comm. "Good! Get back in here and help Denning move the wounded out back, I'll cover you!" replied Alex. Denning took the que and fell back to help the two other members of their squad move to the extraction point.

When they made it out back, Alex slumped harder against the wall. The pain from his wounds and the bloodloss had started to take it's toll on the Sargeant. But he refused to let it affect him in front of the others. He was the only high ranked official since everything started.

Their Lieutenant having died in the IED explosion.

A round struck his cover forcing the soldier back into the situation at hand. Shaking his head, he leaned out and emptied the rest of his clip as he heard the sound of chopper blades outside, followed closely by the sound of a chaingun powering up before the building that the hostiles had taken refuge in started being ripped apart by the heavier slugs.

'Maverick get the lead out!' called Wingman.

Staggering to his feet, Alex began limping as quickly as possible toward the back where the Blackhawk was landing in the middle of the very large backyard. The chopper touched down and two other soldiers leapt out to help the wounded inside.

Denning saw Alex and ran over, slinging the Sargeant's left arm across his shoulders as he helped him to the chopper. "You alright sir?" he asked as they reached the Blackhawk.

"I'll live, let's get the fuck outta here!" he said over the chopper's blades. Once everyone was loaded up, they started rising into the air to head back to base.

Denning took out the medical kit and started working on Alex' injuries. "Fuck...sir the wounds are pretty bad. We gotta get you back to base ASAP." he said putting pressure on the wounds and wrapping them in gauze.

Before Alex could speak Wingman shouted, "RPG!" The Blackhawk pitched to the left dodging the high explosive as it streaked by.

The sudden movement of the chopper caused Denning to lose his footing and tumble toward the open hatch. Alex quickly lept to the side and grabbed the Corporal's hand before he could fall out into the open air.

The wound in his stomach flared painfully from the sudden movement making him grunt. "Gotcha!" he shouted through the pain as he helped the younger man back into the chopper allowing him to grab onto the benches inside.

Another RPG shot past forcing the Blackhawk to pitch to the side again. With nothing to grab onto, Alex suddenly slid out of the compartment and fell out. He was vaguely aware of the others screaming his name as he tumbled through open air. The pain from his wounds long forgotten as the ground quickly rose up to meet him.

X

Alex Drake's life had been an easy going, yet adventurous one. His mother was a nurse at the local hospital in their hometown in North Carolina. His father, a retired Vietnam veteran, worked as a drill Sargeant at Fort Lejeune.

The military had been apart of Alex' life since before he could walk. And his dad had been proud when Alex had pitched the idea of joining the army once he was out of high school.

As a teenager, he had a huge like of video games, especially those that were war related. His mom thought it a little impractical, but his dad thought it was interesting. In his time off he would sit down with Alex and play a few. On some saturdays the two would go against each other, where Alex discovered that his dad was a quick learner and used his past combat experience in tactics to give his son a real fight.

Out of everything the young man played, he had become a fan of the Halo, and Mass Effect series'. The future based combat had made Alex wonder about what the military in the future could be capable of.

Other than school, friends and gaming. Alex' dad had begun training his son for when he got out of high school and joined up. Exercise regiments, CQC training, and being taken to the shooting range at the base twice a week. He'd been on the base so frequently that a lot of people knew him. And because of all the training his dad did with him, he was a lot bigger and stronger than a lot of people in his graduating class.

Then disaster struck.

Two weeks after Alex graduated from high school, his parents had been killed in a robbery gone wrong. Leaving the teen orphaned.

When the funeral service for his parents was over, Alex was approached by his father's CO who had asked him what his plans were. Looking up from his parents' headstone with a look the higher up had seen on his father's face many times he said, 'I told my dad I was joining up...I'm going to honor that, sir.'

Once everything was taken care of, Alex joined the Marines. He went through basic training getting high marks in marksmanship and close quarters combat. His skills in leadership had impressed his superiors and was on the fast track up the ranks.

He spent the last few years being deployed to various locations throughout the Middle East. Each time showing that he went above and beyond the call of duty. Not just for the mission, but for the people that were serving with him. In one incident, Alex ran out into an open battlefield and picked up a fellow soldier who had been wounded. Dodging bullets and explosions to get the man back behind cover and safety.

His actions caused many to respect him. His superiors were proud and saw much potential in the young man.

When not on duty, Alex had himself a small one bedroom apartment in his hometown where he could relax on his down time. It didn't have much, but he did have an Xbox 360 set up with the latest war-based games, of which he was still a fan of.

He had managed to beat Mass Effect 3 (of which he was really disappointed in the ending), Crysis 2 and 3, and Halo 4 before he was redeployed to the Middle East for the third time. Despite everything, being a soldier was the only thing that Alex had in his life anymore..

The newly appointed Sargeant had been in Pakistan a whole two weeks before his last mission went wrong. And he was added to the list of KIAs, honored for his sacrifice to his men all the way to the end.

But many have wondered...is a great warrior truly dead? Or are they selected for a much higher purpose?

X

The first thing he noticed was that there was no pain. The second was that he was laying on a smooth warm surface. And the last...was the loud hum of some kind of machinery.

Alex cracked his eyes open slowly, blurred vision slowly coming into focus as he looked around his environment.

At first he had to blink a few times. He was in what looked like a room made entirely of metal with long beacons of light running through the walls, ceiling and floor. Sitting up, he looked around more closely at the room. The humming sound he had been hearing was coming from all around the room.

"What the hell..." he wondered as he slowly got to his feet. He was still wearing his uniform and vest, both damaged from combat, but his wounds were completely healed.

With his mind weighed down with confusion, Alex ran a hand over his clean shaved head as his cobalt-blue eyes locked on a door...or what looked like a door. Checking his pockets and holster he found that all of his weapons and ammo were gone. Even his combat knife was missing. "Dammit." he muttered as he treaded slowly to the door.

The section of wall seemed to sense his approach and split apart on it's own, sliding into the rest of the wall to reveal a long hallway beyond.

Stepping out cautiously, Alex saw strange machinery lining the walls of the corridor. Some blinking with light. Others went up and down on their own as though some invisible force was lifting them. "Why does all of this seem familiar?" he thought to himself as he slowly began to walk down the hall. The humming of the machinery blocking the sounds of his footsteps.

He stopped a moment to look at a machine that had a large glowing blue crystal inside of it. "What is this place?" he asked outloud.

"All will be answered soon young one."

Alex whipped around hearing the faint voice that seemed to echo through the long hallway and his mind at the same time. "What?..." he looked left and right but didn't see anyone. "This way. And all will be explained." the voice echoed again, this time seeming to come from the end of the long corridor.

He felt hesitant for a few moments before his feet started to lead him toward where the voice was coming from. His mind in a slight fog as he walked all the way to the end where a second door slid apart. The room beyond was twice the size of the one he woke up in, but the center was divided by a large crevice that lead downward into pitch darkness.

Looking around, Alex saw a palm sized device hovering in the air at the edge of the drop. A glowing green button in the center of the device seemed to call to him. Reaching out, the soldier pressed the button.

The device closed up before vanishing in a burst of light. When it faded, a bridge made of pure light connected the two sides of the room over the dark abyss below.

Shocked, Alex looked down before looking at the bridge. "Oooookay...this is starting to get really familiar." he muttered as he leaned out with his right foot and pressed experimentally down onto the light-bridge.

His combat boot met a solid surface. Pressing a little harder, he moved his other foot out onto the bridge just to be sure.

Sure that the thing wasn't going to drop him into the darkness below. The Sargeant made his way across to another door. When he stood in front of it, it parted letting blinding light into the room making Alex cover his eyes.

When the light faded a little, Alex looked up and felt his breath hitch.

The doorway lead to a large balcony that overlooked a massive expanse of open air. Crystal clear blue skies and white clouds were everywhere, but the thing that really got his attention where the large buildings that floated in the air beyond.

Each structure had several parts that shifted on their own accord giving the hint that the buildings themselves were alive in some way.

"...I'm dead...there isn't any other explination...I died and this is where I'm gonna be for eternity." Alex said in complete awe.

"You have died young one, but you are not completely gone from the land of the living." Alex's focus snapped to a bright light coming from the clouds above. When the light reached the edge of the balcony it faded to reveal a being the likes of which he had never seen before.

The being was clearly female. She stood at 7 feet easy wearing an elegant blue and white dress with an odd crown on her head. The only thing that made her really different despite her height was her nose which looked more serpent-like, and her eyes which seemed to glow as she gazed at the shocked Sargeant.

She smiled at Alex, "Where one journey has ended, another has revealed itself to you. Alexander Drake."

That had snapped him out of his light trans. "How do you know my name? Who are you? And where the hell are we?" he asked not taking his eyes off the woman.

"I am a being that has seen many things, in this universe and several others. I go by many names, but the one you should be familiar with, is The Librarian." said the being.

Alex's brain came to a halt. He did know that name, heard it before, but believing it was something else entirely. "W-What? T-The Librarian? How is this possible?" he stuttered out while stumbling back a step.

How could it be possible. An all knowing entity that only existed in a video game was before him, speaking to him. Alex was questioning his sanity, if any of this was even real or some kind of limbo that exists between life and death.

The Librarian raised her hands gently sensing his distress, "Calm yourself child. I assure you that this is no illusion. I truly exist, as does many other things you are not aware of."

Once he got his breathing under control, he looked at the Forerunner in understanding. "So I really did die." The Librarian nodded sadly, "I'm afraid so young one. But it was to be, just like the path that now opens itself to you."

Alex tilted his head confused, "You've mentioned that twice now. What are you talking about?"

"You are a part of something far greater than anything ever asked of any being in this universe or any other. A destiny that has been mapped out since before you were born." said The Librarian.

"Destiny? What kind of destiny?" asked Alex. The Librarian waved her hand motioning to the sky behind her. "Your universe is only one of millions. Each one very different than the last. That which you think is mere fiction in your world, is very much real in another. Which is why I am before you now."

She looked back down at the young Sargeant, "After my time in my universe, I have been watching several others for specific signs. Signs that proved my belief."

Alex mulled over her words when he remembered what she had said to the Master Chief in the fourth game, "You mean watching Humanity. You believed that we could inherit the mantle of responsibility that you and the other Forerunners left behind."

The Librarian smiled, "Indeed. You truly do have knowledge of the universe I came from. And it is that knowledge and experience that will prove invaluable for what lies ahead."

"What is that exactly? And what has all of this have to do with me? I'm no one special. Just a soldier who gave his life." said Alex. "That is where you are wrong, Alexander. This has everything to do with you." said The Librarian. "You already know that when the Halo Rings fired, and I ensured that when Humanity was repopulated that specific seeds were left behind to ensure that they would be ready for what was to come."

Alex nodded, "Yes. You told the Chief that he was the culmination of thousands of lifetimes of planning."

"Precisely. However, his ultimate creation wasn't the only one I took great interest in. There were two others. Each from different universes, each with a destiny that would greatly change the course of many worlds."

Soaking in the information. Alex began to understand what The Librarian was telling him. It wasn't just the Halo universe that she had made sure was ready for what would happen, she had a hand in two others. But what did that have to do...with...him...

His eyes widened with revelation. "...No...you mean...one of those people..." The Librarian nodded slowly. "You now see the truth, Alexander. Much like the Spartan, I saw something in the Humanity from your universe. I planted the seeds, and ensured that everything was ready when the time was right."

Alex felt anger well up within him, "You mean to tell me, that my whole life has been lead to this point? That everything was 'planned' to happen?"

"Your anger is misplaced. I merely prepared you on a genetic level. The events taken place in your life were the result of your own choices and the choices of others." explained The Librarian calmly. "The so called 'games' in your universe were also my doing. I simply made sure that the ideas for such simulations were with the right people at the proper time."

Taking a deep breath, Alex calmed down, "Alright, you say my 'creation' was planned. But for what purpose exactly? My world wasn't facing anything nearly as destructive as your universe was, as far as I knew."

"That may be so. But your universe is not in danger, unlike the other two. That is your purpose. To assist in the security of one of those universes, and to ensure the survival of those who face destruction." said The Librarian.

"And how do I do that exactly? I have no knowledge of the universes that you have been talking about." said Alex crossing his arms. The Librarian smiled as she began to hover closer to the young man. "On the contrary, young one. You know this universe a lot more than you know."

She reached out and rested a six fingered hand on his head. His mind was suddenly bombarded with images, memories that were not his own.

"In order for you to be ready to face the tasks ahead, you must acquire the tools to assist you. I will help you acquire those tools, Alexander" said the Librarian as darkness began to creep up around his vision.

Through the darkness, he could hear the Librarian speaking again. "I have given you the first stepping stone in your journey young one. The rest is up to you, but be warned. Your mind, your body, your heart, and your skills as a warrior will be tested in more ways than you can fathom. You must overcome, thrive, and fight for what you believe. Or...all will be lost."

X

A bright light filled his vision and slowly swam back into focus. A spot light shined over the darkened area where Alex laid face down on the wet ground. The sound of water crashing against the shore behind him as he attempted to move.

Pain burned through him making his vision lose focus. The sound of gunfire erupted in the distance as someone approached, feet pressed the wet earth with each step as they drew closer.

Alex vaguely felt someone grabbing both his arms and start to drag him across the ground toward a small cluster of buildings not far away. The pain in his body increasing with each passing second as he heard the one dragging him grunt with exertion.

He heard a door being kicked open before being dragged across a concrete floor. After a moment everything stopped. The one dragging him gently rolled him onto his back where the soldier looked at his bloody reflection in a red visor. "Vitals...dropping. Have to work...fast." said a strained yet deep and grave voice.

Everything faded to black as Alex felt the unknown person removing his bloodied uniform.

X

Alex slowly awoke, feeling better than he had the last time he was conscious. But something felt off.

Raising a hand to his face, the soldier saw a black and silver gauntlet instead of his bare hand. Sitting up quickly, Alex looked down at his body and saw that he was encased in a suit of armor that he knew all too well.

"T-The Nano suit?" he wondered reaching up to touch his face. The feeling of a smooth helmet that covered his whole head. "What is all this? How did I get here?" he wondered outloud as he slowly stood up.

It was then he remembered his conversation with the Librarian, and the last words she left him with. "In order for you to be ready to face the tasks ahead, you must acquire the tools to assist you. I will help you acquire those tools, Alexander"Alex looked down at his hand again, fingers flexing into a fist. "The tools to assist me?"

Something out of the corner of his eye caught his attention. A body in a skin tight white suit laying behind a stack of crates. Walking over, Alex looked down at the dead man on the floor. His face was cut horribly in several places, but what stood out the most was the bullet wound to the side of his head, a large puddle of blood having already formed around the man's head from the exit wound.

"Prophet..." Alex said recognizing the dead man immediately. "Voice Recognition. System coming online." said a deep voice from within the helmet of the Nano Suit. The HUD of the visor flickered before showing his vitals, compass and energy levels for the suit. "Initializing Playback." a video screen appeared on the HUD revealing an alive, but extremely wounded Prophet looking back at him.

"Something tells me that this is only the beginning." Alex thought as Prophet began speaking.

X

Alexander 'Maverick' Drake

Location Unknown

Date and Time Unknown

Alex's vision slowly swam into focus as he let out a low groan coming back to conciousness. "Prophet...where the hell are we?" he asked trying to get to his feet. "Location...unknown. Suit System rebooting." Spoke the sentient AI in the suit.

The HUD shimmered slightly as everything came back online. Alex leaned his back against a metal wall has he tried to get his barrings. The room he woke up in was pitch black with glowing red light illuminating what little there was. The only thing in the room other than him were a few crates.

"Did we do it Prophet?" Alex asked leaning his helmeted head against the wall he was sitting against. "Did we stop the Ceph?" he asked hoping for the right answer.

"Ceph troops within New York City limits were terminated shortly after the destruction of the central pilon. Mission Successful." spoke the AI

Alex let out a breath of relief. Ever since he woke up in that place with the Nano suit it had been a non-stop fight to help the military fight back against not only the Ceph, but also CELL forces. Almost everyone in New York wanted him dead, and nearly succeeded more than once. The young man turned super-soldier had to rely on quick reflexes, every ounce of his military training, and a shit ton of luck to get as far as he did...but he accomplished his mission and saved the city.

"Now if I can only figure out where the hell I am now." he muttered getting to his feet and checking his supplies.

He had a pair of Hammer pistols on his waist, a Grendel assault rifle with an assault scope on his back, and a Jackal shotgun laying next to him on the metal floor. Alex also had a bandolier of frag grenades, EMP grenades and a full load out of ammo for each of his weapons.

For some odd reason, he had felt the urge to stock up on as much ammo as he could before heading to the central pilon to stop the Ceph once and for all.

"Alright, let's find out where the hell we are." he said racking the shotgun and chambering a new round before heading to the only door in the small room.

The door suddenly opened and the sight before him made him pause.

In the threshold, was a Krogan and three Vorcha. "Move it! Unless you want to face my wrath." said the Krogan glaring into Alex's red visor. The nano suit gave him quite a bit of height, he was nearly towering over the alien.

Without pause, Alex lashed out striking the Krogan on the side of the head with his shotgun sending him crashing into a crate and shattering. Before the Vorcha could react, Alex shot two in the head with quick shots and snapped the last one's neck all in the span of four seconds.

He looked over at the downed Krogan and saw him attempting to stand. Alex walked over and grabbed the alien by the front of it's armor and 'helped' him stand. "Now what were you saying about wrath?" Alex asked getting into his face. "Heh, tougher than I took you for." said the Krogan.

"Mind telling me where we are and what the date is?" Alex asked casually. The Krogan gave him a dumb expression. "Are you fucking stupid or something?" The knife Alex had used to kill dozens of Ceph came out and the tip was placed just under the Krogan's head plate. "How much could I get for a fresh head plate?" Alex asked venomously.

The Krogan pales and gulped loudly. "Your on Omega. And it's 2180." Alex gave a nod before quickly slashing his throat and tossed the body aside.

"Prophet, hack into and monitor all radio traffic and report anything important back to me. I don't want anyone of power learning about us just yet." Alex said leaving the room quietly while activating the suit's cloaking ability. Only one question weighing on his mind.

Why the hell was he brought here after surviving the Crysis universe?

A/N: This is the pilot chapter, if this thing is worth continuing than let me know. But all things considered I've never given up on something that I've started. Let me know what you think guys.