Editing William-043

{{Status|Canon}}
{{Disambig header|the Spartan-II|other people with this name|William}}
{{Character infobox
|variant=Human
|name=William-043
|image=
|homeworld=
|birth=c. [[2511]]
|death=[[2552|November 3, 2552]]
|causeofdeath=
|parents=
|siblings=
|spouses=
|children=
|species=[[Human]]
|gender=Male
|height=7 feet
|mass=
|hair=Black
|eyes=
|affiliation=*[[UNSC Navy]]
**[[UNSC Special Forces|Naval Special Warfare Command]]
***[[SPARTAN-II program]]
|rank=At least [[Petty Officer, Second Class]]
|sn=S-043
|notable=
}}
'''William-043''' was a [[SPARTAN-II]] supersoldier. He was one of the few Spartans to survive the catastrophic [[Fall of Reach]], but he was later killed on [[Onyx]] by a [[Mgalekgolo]] pair, after valiantly engaging them in hand-to-hand combat. Complying with [[ONI Directive 930]], William-043 was listed as [[Missing In Action|MIA]], continuing the tradition that Spartans never die.

==Biography==
===Childhood and SPARTAN-II program===
William-043 was conscripted into the SPARTAN-II program in [[2517]], at age six, when Dr. [[Catherine Halsey]] singled him out as a physically and intellectually superior child. He was then replaced with a [[Flash cloning|flash clone]] and taken to [[Reach]], where he was trained by [[Déjà]] and [[Franklin Mendez|CPO Mendez]] alongside the rest of the Spartan children. He was part of the missions to the [[Military Reservation 01478-B]], [[Military Wilderness Training Preserve]], and several missions in the [[Highland Mountains]].

===Reach===
{{Main|Fall of Reach}}
During the [[Covenant]] invasion of Reach, Will assigned as Red-Twelve, part of [[Fred]]'s team sent to protect the [[orbital defense generator]]s. As the group descended to the surface of Reach, their [[Pelican]], [[Bravo 001]], was shot down. The Spartans were forced to jump from the crashing Pelican. William suffered injuries upon landing, including a cracked tibia and some internal bleeding. Although these injuries severely hampered his fighting abilities, his Spartan endurance and [[biofoam]] allowed him to continue on.

Will was assigned to lead the splinter team designated [[Team Delta]] by Fred. His team consisted of five other Spartans as well as the remains of [[Charlie Company]]. They were to secure the fallback position for the Spartans; [[CASTLE Base]]. Though separated from the Charlie Company [[Marine]]s and three of the Spartans, Will, [[Vinh-030]], and [[Isaac-039]] managed to make it to the entrance of the facility. They were unable to enter it until Fred and [[Kelly-087]] met up with them and whispered [[Oly Oly Oxen Free]] into the speaker of the base entrance. It turned out that Dr. Halsey was in the facility, and she let them in.

Seeing that William's injuries were the least severe, Halsey sent him and Fred on a supply run in the base. They picked up a number of experimental pieces of equipment, including several armor modifications and new weapons. Dr. Halsey then activated [[Operation: WHITE GLOVE]]; the self-destruction of the base to prevent the data within from falling into Covenant hands, forcing the five Spartans and Halsey to retreat to the mining caves beneath the base. They were trapped in the caves for several days, during which William received an upgrade to the tracking system on his HUD, which improved his accuracy at nearly 1,000 meters.

A Covenant strike forced them deeper into the mountain until they discovered a [[Menachite portal complex|Forerunner complex]] housing a [[Forerunner crystal|crystalline artifact]]. It sent a spike of radiation that allowed the Covenant to triangulate their position. The Covenant breached the ceiling of the complex and a [[gravity lift]] soon appeared, sending [[Sangheili|Elite]]s and [[Kig-yar|Jackal]]s pouring into the caves. The five Spartans and Dr. Halsey attempted to escape into another tunnel, but as they ran into a nearby cavern. Vinh and Isaac managed to drop [[satchel charge]]s and collapse the entrance, which protected Will, Fred, Kelly, and Dr. Halsey for some time until they were rescued by [[Danforth Whitcomb|Vice Admiral Danforth Whitcomb]] and the survivors from [[Installation 04]]. Will was then brought aboard a [[Spirit]] and taken to the captured ''[[Ascendant Justice]]'', under control of [[Cortana]].

===Operation: FIRST STRIKE===
Will was then designated as Blue-Five for the Spartans' extravehicular mission to repair the ''Ascendant Justice'''s damaged plasma conduit while the ship was in an anomalous [[Slipspace]] bubble caused by the Forerunner artifact. He managed to survive, braving incoming saboteur Elites as well as dangerous rogue plasma torpedoes.<ref>'''[[Halo: First Strike]]''', ''page 223''</ref>

Will was then a part of [[Operation: FIRST STRIKE]]. He went along with John, Fred, Linda, and Grace to the ''[[Unyielding Hierophant]]'' where he followed them into the core of the ship and helped detonate the [[pinch fusion reactor|fusion reactors]]. They then returned to [[Earth]] aboard the ''Gettysburg''.<ref>'''[[Halo: First Strike]]''', ''page 325''</ref>

===Battle for Earth===
During the continuing [[Battle for Earth]], Will aided [[Frederic-104]] and [[Linda-058]] in defending [[Earth]] for two weeks after the {{UNSCShip|In Amber Clad}} disappeared. Will and Blue Team stopped a Covenant invasion of [[Mount Erebus]] in [[Wikipedia:Antarctica|Antarctica]] through use of a [[HAVOK tactical nuclear weapon|HAVOK nuclear warhead]]. They also destroyed Covenant forces on the sea floor near the [[Yucatan Peninsula]]. Lastly, Blue Team were deployed to [[Havana]], [[Wikipedia:Cuba|Cuba]], to battle Covenant forces who had taken control of the [[Centennial Orbital Elevator]] and were attempting to use it to bring captured [[FENRIS nuclear warhead]]s to orbiting ships. Blue Team destroyed the Covenant forces and captured the warheads.

Soon, [[Lord Hood]] sent a transmission to [[Frederic-104]] informing them that Doctor Halsey requested Spartan reinforcements on Onyx. William, Fred, and Linda traveled to Onyx by capturing the {{Class|CPV|heavy destroyer}} ''[[Bloodied Spirit]]'' and using it to travel there, destroying the Covenant vessel's sister ship before leaving.

===Onyx and death===
{{Main|Onyx Conflict}}
After landing on Onyx, William and the other Spartans soon encountered [[Kurt-051]], Halsey, [[Kelly-087]], [[Franklin Mendez|Mendez]], and the [[SPARTAN-III]]s. After Blue Team was informed of the situation on Onyx, the [[ONI]] [[Artificial intelligence|AI]] [[Endless Summer]] informed the group of his discovery of a [[Forerunner]] [[Sentinel manufacturing facility|facility]] at one of the planet's poles that was producing [[Onyx Sentinel]]s and that the group needed to destroy the factory.

The group disabled the factory and pressed on towards the [[core room antechamber|core of the planet]], where they discovered a [[slipspace portal]] at the apex of a tiered structure. Will and the surviving Spartans took positions around the portal, preparing to defend it from the pursuing [[Joyous Exultation Covenant|Covenant]]. The Covenant soon arrived and the two groups engaged in a large battle. Will's final act was to leap forward and engage two [[Mgalekgolo|Hunters]] without a weapon, to distract them so Kelly could recover from a concussive blast, which had also killed [[Holly-G003]]. He killed a Hunter by ripping the [[Lekgolo]] worms that composed it out of its armor. Stunned by the sight of the Spartan taking on a Hunter in hand-to-hand combat, none of the other Covenant attacked him.

The creature's [[Mgalekgolo#Anatomy and physiology|bond brother]] shot him with its assault cannon. Will took a single step towards the Hunter after the blast melted the front of his MJOLNIR armor, and then collapsed and died.<ref>'''[[Halo: Ghosts of Onyx]]''', ''page 361''</ref> After successfully escaping into the Shield World, the surviving Spartans held a funeral and memorial service for their fallen companions.

==Personality and description==
Will was resolved to be a very reserved, but extremely determined individual. [[John-117]] once noted that "''He never failed to complete his missions.''" When he was younger, he always had jokes and riddles that kept the spirits of the Spartans high. Over the years, his lifetime of combat hardened him, as it had all of the Spartans. [[John-117]] thought that something special in Will had been lost. Because the SPARTAN-IIs' numbers had been thinned by the war, it seems that he developed a close working relationship with [[Frederic-104]]. He preferred his shortened name, "Will" over "William", which he thought of as too formal.

He seems to have a talent for using the [[Rocket Launcher]]. He could shoot down a moving [[Banshee]] at long range. He also shows exceptional hand-to-hand combat skills. Before his death, he was able to fight and slay a Hunter in unarmed combat. This was a valiant action that cost him his life, as he was struck at point-blank range by the other Hunter's [[assault cannon]].

Will is sometimes considered to be one of the most courageous Spartans, alongside [[Sam-034]] and [[Kurt Ambrose|Kurt-051]].

==List of appearances==
*''[[Halo: First Strike]]'' {{1st}}
*''[[Halo: Ghosts of Onyx]]''
*''[[Halo: Reach]]''
**''[[Dr. Halsey's personal journal]]'' {{Mo}}
*''[[Halo: Fall of Reach]]''
*''[[Halo: Glasslands]]'' {{Mo}}
*''[[Halo: Shadows of Reach]]'' {{Im}}

==Sources==
{{Ref/Sources}}

{{Spartan II}}
[[Category:Human characters]]
[[Category:UNSC Navy enlisted personnel]]
[[Category:Spartan-IIs]]