He stared at the burning crater that he once called home with wide, unbelieving eyes. He had only been gone a few days, and before he left, everything was just fine. What the hell happened?! Now, where there was a house, there was only ashes and rust. Looking around yielded the same sight as the one before him: Destroyed homes, burnt corpses, abandoned and wrecked vehicles...
"Daddy..." a small girl's voice called out, weakly, as if fading with the wind. "Daddy, where are you...?" Jim turned toward the voice, and saw the girl standing there on the street behind him. she had his brown hair, and her mother's beautiful green eyes.
"Grace!" Jim called out as he ran up and hugged the girl. "Oh, baby...my little princess, I'm so happy you're alive..."
"Why didn't you come save us, Daddy?" Grace asked. "Why didn't you come save me and Mommy?" Jim pulled back from the hug and looked at her, confused.
"What do you...? I'm right here. Daddy will always be here for you, sweetie!" Jim said, tears in his eyes.
"That's not how I remember it..." Grace whispered. Then her voice distorted. "YoU nEVeR caMe."
Suddenly, screams echoed all around Jim. As he looked around a second time, the scenery turned from ash gray to a fiery red. Houses were still standing, but now bonfires and targets to a hail of laser fire and carpet bombing. Along the streets, civilians ran for their lives, and Covenant soldiers marched along the road, firing at any and all humans in their field of vision. It took Jim a moment to recover from his shock and reach for his pistols, but they weren't there. Confused, Jim looked down and realized he wasn't even in his armor! He was wearing a collared golf shirt and shorts, with sandals on his feet and a cowboy hat on his head, the same outfit he wore on his casual days. With no other option, he charged headfirst into the horde of aliens and punched one. His fist phased right through as if it were made of fog. They didn't even notice him. All he could do was watch the Covenant tear his home to pieces. Then a bomb dropped on his house...
Jim sat bolt upright in bed, trying to catch his breath as he wiped sweat from his brow. "A...a dream..." he gasped. "It was just..." he looked over to the picture on the desk, with him smiling with a woman and girl. Looking around, however, he realized this wasn't quite the room he cried himself to sleep in at central command.
"Awake at last, I see."
Jim's attention was snapped to a dark corner of the room. There, seated in a chair, sat a figure with glasses, a beard, and a stern face. "You don't have to worry. You're safe here." the man assured.
"I dunno, the fact that you're sitting in the dark and speaking to me like you don't particularly like me kinda worries me." Jim retorted. The dark figure just chuckled in response.
"Let me introduce myself then: I am Leonard Church, Director of a special operatives group called Project Freelancer." he paused to let the intro sink in. "And it looks like you're our newest member."
"I'm sorry, you kinda lost me...Project Freelancer?" Jim questioned. "What the hell is that?! I never heard of a group like that."
"It's still kinda new in the making." Church explained. "Project Freelancer is a special operations program to study soldiers implanted with A.I. implantations and state of the art equipment. Our agents are specially trained to be the best of the best, and I've heard a lot about you, Crimson Cowboy Jim Falkner."
"What do I have to do with all of this, then?" Jim asked.
"As I stated earlier, we want you as one of our members. We can push you past the boundaries of a normal soldier in exchange for your services to our organization." Church replied. "I'll give you 72 hours to think the offer over. Maybe that'll be enough time to set your thoughts and affairs in order." With that, Church left Jim alone in the room, mulling over what he should do.
It was at the dawn of the third day that Jim finally left his cell and walked up to Church, asking where to sign. Church smiled in response.
"I look forward to working with you, then...Agent Jim Nevada."
"Daddy..." a small girl's voice called out, weakly, as if fading with the wind. "Daddy, where are you...?" Jim turned toward the voice, and saw the girl standing there on the street behind him. she had his brown hair, and her mother's beautiful green eyes.
"Grace!" Jim called out as he ran up and hugged the girl. "Oh, baby...my little princess, I'm so happy you're alive..."
"Why didn't you come save us, Daddy?" Grace asked. "Why didn't you come save me and Mommy?" Jim pulled back from the hug and looked at her, confused.
"What do you...? I'm right here. Daddy will always be here for you, sweetie!" Jim said, tears in his eyes.
"That's not how I remember it..." Grace whispered. Then her voice distorted. "YoU nEVeR caMe."
Suddenly, screams echoed all around Jim. As he looked around a second time, the scenery turned from ash gray to a fiery red. Houses were still standing, but now bonfires and targets to a hail of laser fire and carpet bombing. Along the streets, civilians ran for their lives, and Covenant soldiers marched along the road, firing at any and all humans in their field of vision. It took Jim a moment to recover from his shock and reach for his pistols, but they weren't there. Confused, Jim looked down and realized he wasn't even in his armor! He was wearing a collared golf shirt and shorts, with sandals on his feet and a cowboy hat on his head, the same outfit he wore on his casual days. With no other option, he charged headfirst into the horde of aliens and punched one. His fist phased right through as if it were made of fog. They didn't even notice him. All he could do was watch the Covenant tear his home to pieces. Then a bomb dropped on his house...
Jim sat bolt upright in bed, trying to catch his breath as he wiped sweat from his brow. "A...a dream..." he gasped. "It was just..." he looked over to the picture on the desk, with him smiling with a woman and girl. Looking around, however, he realized this wasn't quite the room he cried himself to sleep in at central command.
"Awake at last, I see."
Jim's attention was snapped to a dark corner of the room. There, seated in a chair, sat a figure with glasses, a beard, and a stern face. "You don't have to worry. You're safe here." the man assured.
"I dunno, the fact that you're sitting in the dark and speaking to me like you don't particularly like me kinda worries me." Jim retorted. The dark figure just chuckled in response.
"Let me introduce myself then: I am Leonard Church, Director of a special operatives group called Project Freelancer." he paused to let the intro sink in. "And it looks like you're our newest member."
"I'm sorry, you kinda lost me...Project Freelancer?" Jim questioned. "What the hell is that?! I never heard of a group like that."
"It's still kinda new in the making." Church explained. "Project Freelancer is a special operations program to study soldiers implanted with A.I. implantations and state of the art equipment. Our agents are specially trained to be the best of the best, and I've heard a lot about you, Crimson Cowboy Jim Falkner."
"What do I have to do with all of this, then?" Jim asked.
"As I stated earlier, we want you as one of our members. We can push you past the boundaries of a normal soldier in exchange for your services to our organization." Church replied. "I'll give you 72 hours to think the offer over. Maybe that'll be enough time to set your thoughts and affairs in order." With that, Church left Jim alone in the room, mulling over what he should do.
It was at the dawn of the third day that Jim finally left his cell and walked up to Church, asking where to sign. Church smiled in response.
"I look forward to working with you, then...Agent Jim Nevada."