Matt-038 (Halo Fanfiction)

Chapter 1: Back from the Dead

Author's Note: If you have any tips writing tips, please feel free to comment.

Again, I gratefully accept constructive criticism as a means to help me develop my skills further as a writer.

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Chapter 1: Back from the Dead

Location: Unknown system, planet Verent

June 15, 2511

1300 hours

Petty Officer Jack "Rabbit" Pravdin surveyed the road as he drove. He'd just come home from the hospital. 8 years as a special forces operator and this was his worst time in. He'd been brought into the hospital in critical condition; shot and left bleeding out for hours, he was declared dead. Luckily he was able to be brought back, for his heart has stopped. This wasn't the end of his death however, he was declared dead by ONI, KIA, it rang in his head as he drove on...

He was told that he was KIA (according to ONI) after a mission where he and Mother, the team leader of AFO Neptune, went to rescue their two teammates, Preacher and Voodoo, from some insurgents. They found the two AFO team members, but Jack was severely injured and passed out from blood loss and everyone thought that he was dead. The truth was, his heart had stopped and he was in a coma for several months. Everyone, including his wife, Claire, and his friends believed he was dead.

When he returned to home in Verent after several months in the hospital, his wife was shocked and didn't think it was really him. His wife told him that she had heard what happened to him on that fateful day several months earlier. He sat her down in the living room and told her how he was in a coma and how he had been in the hospital for several months healing. His wife asked if his friends in AFO Neptune knew that he was alive.

"No," he replied sadly with a shake of his head.

"Why?" his wife asked.

"ONI classified that I'm KIA and I'm not allowed to tell my friends that I'm alive... at least not yet," he told her.

"Oh honey, I'm so sorry," she said, "Oh, I just remembered something, come with me," she said taking his hand and dragging him upstairs to the second floor.

Right before they entered a room his wife said,"Shhhhh. be quiet or you'll wake her."

"Her?" he asked. He remembered that right before he left to fight insurrectionists his wife had told him that she was pregnant, but she never told him what gender the baby was.

"Yes, she. It was a girl," she answered, "Remember the names we talked about when we said that if the baby was a girl?" she asked him.

"Yes... if I remember correctly, we wanted the girl to be named Linda," he replied.

Claire opened the door, and in the corner was the crib and inside the crib was a baby girl. Claire picked her up and handed her to Jack.

"She's beautiful, Claire," he said

"Yes, she is. She has your green eyes and my red hair," his wife put the baby back in the crib and they silently exited the room. Downstairs, the communicator chirped. Claire went and picked up the communicator.

"Hello? Dusty! It's been a while. Listen, I have someone here who I think that you would like to talk to you," she said

She handed the communicator Jack.

"Hello?" he said.

He heard a gasp on the other end. "Jack!" exclaimed Dusty, "We thought you were dead, buddy."

"Dead? Not even close," he answered.

"Tell me how you're alive," Dusty told the same story that he had told his wife an hour ago.

"Damn, that's crazy a story, man," Dusty replied when he was finished.

"Listen, Dusty, you can't tell anyone that I'm alive."

"Yeah I know," the AFO Wolfpack member said, "Sometimes I wanna go and punch every single person at ONI in the face."

"I hear ya, man," he chuckled, "No one knows I'm alive except you and Claire Dusty," he said,"Can you keep a secret? I trust you."

"Of course I can, Rabbit," he answered.

"Can you keep me informed on Neptune's missions for me since I can't talk with them?" he asked.

"Sure, glad to," Dusty replied.

"Ok thanks, man. I knew I could count on you," he answered.

"No problem bud. Isn't that what friends are for?" Dusty said with a chuckle.

Jack laughed, "Yep, sure is."

"Alright, I gotta go. I'll talk to later," Dusty said.

"Yeah, we sure will, bye."

"Good to hear from you again. I'll keep you updated on Neptune's missions for you. Talk to you later!" Dusty replied.

Jack hung up the communicator with a smile on his face.

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AUTHOR'S NOTE: I want to give a very special thank you to emarsh1999 for helping me edit the beginning of this chapter. Thanks so much! :)

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