Feet First Into Remnant.

Months Past

Its been a few months ever since Beacon had fallen. Chief and Cortana were given unknown orders from someone Cortana thought is Ironwood. She still has to explain all the business to Chief, who's been questioning everything ever since.
The sudden silence and walk through the woods was broken by Cortanas voice:
"Chief, maybe its the best time I explain to you what happened.."
Chief stood still, looking down at her hologram while she looked away in shame.
"Make it quick." Chief said, making sure not to make his AI partner feel uneasy by his rather strict tone.
Cortana looked up at him, holding her hands infront of herself.
"Its obvious we're not in our Galaxy. What I did is communicate with people here so that they could replicate as many things as I remember just for us. Replace their 'bullheads' with Pelicans and give you some upgrades.
I was honestly afraid you wont wake up from stasis in that new pod, but seeing what happened there, I'm glad we made it out."
His AI companion smiled, reassuring Chief that everything is alright. He grabbed the handle of his MA5C, holding the foregrip as firmly.
"Whats our mission?" Chief quickly asked Cortana, looking around this forest area.
Cortana's voice rung out again, this time she sounded somewhat confused.
"The contact told us to find the teams that were assigned before the fall.. Yet, I havent found their exact positions yet. Maybe thats because you jumped off at the wrong island and thats why we're lost..?
Hm, I'm detecting some signatures in that cave 500 meters east."
Cortana said, Chief turned his head to the right. Making his way there as he kept his guard up. Making sure nobody or in this case, nothing could surprise him.
Once Chief made it to the cave, he looked upwards to see that he has to climb the wall. His grapple hit the ledge as it began to pull him upwards. Quickly reeling the grapple in after detaching it, Chief landed near the entrance of the cave.

Ready to explore, he entered inside, the flashlights on the sides turned on as he ventured deeper into the cave. He saw a familiar metal door, raising his rifle up and slowly approaching it. He recognized it as Forerunner.
Multiple questions rung through Master Chiefs head, but nonetheless. He slowly went inside, infront of him was a small elevator with a glass panel and a floating console that leads downwards. Below ocean level.
He placed his palm on the console as it began to take him down, the doors opened infront of him as the facility lighted up. Its all Forerunner. Metal, glass. All bland, like it always was. Yet something that made it recognizable as that was its architecture. Which clearly wasnt human or Covenant.
Cortana finally spoke, although with a sense of... Distress behind her words.
"How is Forerunner technology here? I thought they were only present in our... Universe?.."
Without wasting a single second to think about her words, Chief wondered:
"Forerunners, here?"
Cortana replied, somewhat surprised at how fast he asked her the question.
"Well I didnt detect anything here either. This could be dangerous if they kept something in here. Or it could be an outpost of some sorts. Since its architecture doesnt remind me of the ones we had met on the Ring.
I assume they were here, underwater. Since what else could've they done?"
Thinking about all she had said, Chief explored the facility further. His rifle up and ready to shoot any enemy, even the ones that think they're invisible.
Minutes of walking through gray metallic corridors had went by, Chief havent found anything. Until...
"Chief, that door is locked by... Something? A password is set on it."
Cortana said, as Chief looked to his left.
He remembered his time on the first Ring that he was on, slowly approaching the door and entering the password.
He went inside the room, quickly glancing around to ensure nobody uses this as an ambush.
Upon fully investigating the room. He was met with an AI voice. That spoke to him, it wasnt Cortana yet it clearly sounded somewhat like Guilty Spark.
"Greetings primate, your armor is much more advanced than previous entities that had entered this facility!
I am 643 Hope Lane, the overseer of this facility and station created on this planet!
Way before these primates like you, but my data-logs do show that you're not EXACTLY like them!"
The metallic orb with a yellow light floated down from a tunnel, Chief remained cautious. Aiming his rifle at it.
"You dont have to be afraid of me-"
Hope Lane cut off, inspecting Chief for a short while. Before eventually continuing what he meant to say.
"117! Of course, humans tend to act on instinct but the primates living here only WORK on instinct! How foolish of them."
Chief remained quiet, before eventually asking Hope Lane a question.
"Station? What does it do exactly?"
643 Hope Lane suddenly lowered itself down infront of Chief's face.
"Parallel universes! This galaxy was the furthest and thus allowed for much dangerous experiments. With such the Forerunners created many things on this planet! Besides life.
No they only created some things, even I dont remember! I was inactive for exactly 3482 years!"
Chief was greatly surprised by this, to know that Humanity had a doppelganger of itself somewhere deep within the stars without nobody knowing about their existence, also being a Forerunner facility.
Chief didnt waste time to ask Hope Lane another question:
"By primates, who do you mean exactly?"
Hope Lane flew away from Chief's face, a compartment in the ceiling opened as a body of a Faunus dropped besides him. On the back of the body was White Fang insignia.
"These creatures! They wanted to dismantle my facility while I was inactive and my Sentinels quickly took care of them. Of course, they learned their lesson."
Hope Lane fired a beam into the corpse, turning into ashes as it then asked Chief a question.
"But what are YOU doing here, 117?"
Chief kept quiet, as Cortana replied instead of him.
"We both dont know Light Bulb, now would you kindly tell what do you want from the both of us?"
643 Hope Lane let out an audible gasp, inspecting Cortana.
"A sentient being? All... Digital?! My oh my, you ARE surely from a different world! I have to activate the nearby installation to move onto yours and see your mechanical progress!"
Chief quickly stopped Hope Lane.
"Thats not going to happen."
Hope Lane flashed yellow for a couple of seconds lowering itself down and staring at Chief.
"Because we cant go there, thats why!"
It replied cheerfully before flying around, talking to itself about some sort of Convergence.
"Once all Forerunner items are collected we can begin the Convergence to activate the travel between dimensions and across galaxies. Almost instant and perfectly crafted! All we have to do is summon two entities and kill them with my help!"
643 said cheerfully, finally realizing its going to move into a much more interesting galaxy.
The one Chief originated from.
"We'll make even greater allies if we work together!"
Quickly cutting 643 off, Cortana added.
"As long as you stay invisible and keep this planet as it is."
Hope Lane shined yellow for a while, indicating its anger.
"I cannot promise it however I do have something I can help with that you'd be surprised of."
It slowly began glowing green yet again, as it turned invisible.
"I'll be going with you now, sadly I'd have to lock this facility. I'll speak in your Communication system to ensure those animals do not spot me."
Hope Lane said, as Chief began to leave.
Although before fully exiting the facility, he asked:
"What about The Flood? Is it here too?"
A sudden silence struck the three, before Hope Lane replied in a monotonous voice.
"Its on the nearest Installation. Its locked away but I doubt it will be as soon as everyone on this planet gets to it."
Chief continued walking to the marked point, although what he hasnt realized is that inside that facility time moved faster on the outside. Leaving him to believe that those bodies that Hope Lane talked about are either fresh or been stuck inside of the facility for weeks, months maybe.