Halo Corruption

by Drou Miazakia

Game idea ;

The cryotube opened with a quiet hiss as Spartan-117 climbed out. He is greeted by the image of Cortana, though her appearance had changed since he had last seen her. She now has long, waist length hair and instead of a blue glow she now takes on a red hue so bright it almost seemed pink. "Nice look." John said as he stood and shook off the disorientation from being frozen. "I had time to give myself a makeover and figured, why not?" she responded.

"How long?" Calculating runes scrolled through Cortana before she said, "You have been in cryosleep for 3 years, 7 months, 14 days, and 32 seconds. Of course we landed in an isolated area on this planet 4 months and 6 days after the destruction of the portal." John was confused by this. "Why did you wait so long to wake me?" More symbols scrolled across Cortana's body as if she was calculating what effect her words would have on the chief. "Upon impact I realized that we had crashed into what had once been a network mainframe. It didn't take long for me to enter but once I did I realized that it was interconnected with most other databases on the planet. Normally it wouldn't have taken too long to gain access to the entire network, but there was another AI who had control and he was very...formidable." She grimaced a she said the word. "Seeing as the odds of being discovered by the inhabitants were only 1.63% I decided there would be no need to wake you until I could at least use all of the surveilence equipment to monitor what was happening on the planet."

"So what did you learn?" John asked as he grabbed his MA5C Assalt Rifle from its stand and made sure it was in working order. " You're not gonna believe this." she replied. "The enhabitants of this planet are Forerunners." John looked up in suprise."That's right. From what I've been able to gather they're still fighting a war against the Flood here. It seems they've managed to contain the outbreak exclusively to this planet. According to their datalogs they came here aproximately 7000 earth years ago in an attempt to start a colony completely separate from the rest of the Forerunner civilization. Apparently they weren't very happy about some controversial scientific studies that had taken place. Aproximately 1832 after their arrival and successful colonisation they were invaded by the Flood. They reacted swiftly and put their civilians into a state that I can only reffer to as an advanced cryogenic state onset within Slipstream space. It is far beyond anything we are capable of to say the least. It seems their military are still guarding them to this day."

While there was no doubt in the Chief's mind about the validity of Cortana's explaination, one thing didn't quite seem to fit. "How were you able to translate the Forerunner data logs?" She gave him a wry smile. "I managed to pick up a few things from that AI I mentioned earlier." Of course. Information gathering had always been her specialty."Was there any record of what happened after the first firing of the halos? Like where the surviving Forerunners went or how the Flood managed..." he trailed off as he noticed that she wasn't listening. "Is something wrong?" She stared off into space for a moment before saying, "Incoming hostles." She paused then said, "The Flood, they've found us." He goes to grab her memory chip from the terminal but she stops him. "I'm better off here. I can use this network to keep an eye on any threats. It's spread over 96.82% of the planet so communication shouldn't be an issue." The Chief nods and steps out of the ship. He sees a very desolate landscape filled with large chunks of metal and exposed wires. As soon as he is out a very familiar enemy descends upon him.
(End Cutscene)

The mission starts with you having only one clip of bullets and (obviously) no assault rifles just lying around. In the beginning the Flood will come at you en mass but they will be very slow and easy to destroy before they do any real damage. As the level continues and you run out of ammo you now get the choice to rush in and melee everything in sight or to use stealth and cover to get around the Flood. (Note that during close combat even in this slow state the Flood can easily strike and deal a good amount of damage.) Cortana directs you toward the Forerunner city and as you get closer the Flood's weakened state begins to wear off until you are at the gates and they are fighting normally.

(Cutscene)
Master Chief is seen fighting hand to hand with multiple Flood forms until they have him surrounded and backed against a wall. "I'm open to suggestions..." he says to Cortana. "Scannimg...Forerunner defenses on their way, ETA 2 minutes." He readies himself. "I guess I'll have to hold out till then."
(End Cutscene)

You now have to survive for 2:00 until the Forerunners arrive. There are various things like sticks and chunks of metal that you can throw at the Flood or hit them with.

(Cutscene)
A small group of sentenels and three Forerunners arrive with 2 Thrugs. Each Forerunner has an icethrower and light cannon. One of the Forerunners begins speaking in an unknown language to MC and Cortana responds. "Uploading translation software." The Chief now understands what he is being asked. "Do you have a weapon, my friend?" He answers that he does not and the Forerunner gives him the icethrower.
(End Cutscene)

This new weapon does not damage the Flood but puts them in their slow, weakened state, making them much less of a threat and easier for you and the Forerunners to kill. The mission progresses through the ruins of what once was a great Forerunner city. Once you have made it far enough inside the Flood numbers begin to lessen and eventually completely dissipate.

(Cutscene)
The Forerunner who gave MC his weapon begins to speak with him. "Whatever brings you to this planet, newcomer, it is best that you leave, and with great haste." MC then procedes to tell him how his damaged ship had drifted until it crash landed on their planet. "I see..." he says. "My name is Haranar." MC nods and says, "I am Spartan-117." The Forerunners stand and ready to leave. "Well, Spartan-117, since you may be staying on our planet for an extended period of time you should stay with us and join our fight against the Flood. Of course, do not misunderstand, if you do not stay with us that will not keep you safe from them." "I understand. I've deat with Flood before." A suprised look passed between the Forerunner group for a moment but they do not say anything on the matter and continued down the path until they come to a large stone wall. They step through a large steel door that quickly snaps shut behind them and enter a Froerunner stronghold.

The first thing you notice is a large cannon that looks similar to the light beam weapons in the center of the camp. Further inspection will reveal smaller versions of these mounted around the preimiter. "This is one of our military colonies." He makes a wide gesture to take in the whole site. "Here we protect our civilians as have our ancestors for over 5000 years. Once we purge this world of its corrupt infection we will once again be worthy to stand in the presence of the Ancient Ones and heed their wise council." MC does not understand this line of thinking and asks. "What kind of council would you expect from them?" Haranar seems slightly shocked that MC would not know, but considering that he is not from this planet he explains. "We have lived so long in this manner that we have forgotten the lives our people once lead, the technology we once had, all knowlege that they possess. The only thing remaining of their enlightened age is our somewhat...dammaged battle program. Come, I will show you."

Haranar leads MC into a room containing what looks like a computer panel. "This is where Offensive Bias resides...or at least a fraction of him." Cortana instantly recognises the name. "You..." MC shifts a bit. "Problem?" She shakes her head. "No, nothing. I just recognise the name from the terminals." Upon hearing MC an avitar for Offensive Bias is displayed and says between static, "Welcome, Reclaimer." A murmur passes through the nearby Forerunners that hear and Haranar says, "You must forgive him, he is somewhat damaged and often does not know what he speaks." Cortana responds. "He's not the first of your creations to call the humans Reclaimers."

As Cortana speaks OB suddenly begins to freak out, his word punctuated with static. "Hostile intruder detected in the vacinity! Engaging system purge protocols!" Haranar gestures to one of the nearby technicians. "Quickly, shut it down before it can cause any damage to the Spartan's construct!" OB's avitar fades from the screen with a staticy crack. "Please forgive us, this is merely a faulty copy of Offensive Bias. Sometimes he can be...unpredictable." Cortana nods. "I could have taken him." Reguarding Cortana Haranar says, "Construct-" "Cortana" MC corrects. "Yes, of course. "I do believe you mentioned having this Spartan's species called Reclaimer before?" She nods. "Yes, from what I have gathered humans indeed are Reclaimers." All nearby Forerunners wisper in amazement. Haranar bows, followed quickly by all others in the room. "One of the favored of the Ancients has graced us with his presence!" The others cry out, "All hail the Reclaimer!" Cortana smugly says, "My my, aren't you popular."
(End Cutscene)

This next part isn't really a mission but you get a chance to walk around the city (constantly followed by whispers of "Reclaimer" and whatnot) and get to pick out and test some weapons as well as try out a couple of vehicles. You see some pretty interesting archetecture and the cryotube things that the ancient Forerunners are in if you explore far enough. You return to Haranar when you are ready to rest, a.k.a. end mission.

(Cutscene)
Once you go back to Haranar he takes MC to the room he will be staying in. Along the way Cortana asks about the number of OB copies and is told that there are as many as there are military colonies. "The level of corruption could be very dangerous." Haranar responds, "They have served their purpose thus far with only a few ill effects." Cortana grimaces. "They are a threat. They should be taken care of before they cause a catastrophe." Haranar then assures her that they have been vital in the fight against the Flood and were no threat when handled properly. They get to what will now be MC's room and Haranar begins appologizing for not having anything suiting for a Reclaimer. MC tells him it's no problem and he backs out while bowing slightly. Cortana and the Chief are now left to talk alone.

"Anything about this seem familiar to you?" MC asks."What did you have in mind?" Cortana says, looking at him in confusion. "These Forerunners, they have the same dedication to the Ancients as the covenant did to them." Cortana scratches her head. "I don't see where you are going with this, Chief." "You and I both know how people can react when they think their beliefs are being threatened." The runes stop scrolling for a second before Cortana asks, "You aren't planning on threatening their beliefs, are you?" He rolls over on his cot. "No. I just don't want history to repeat itself." She nods. "Well with them treating you like some kind of god I don't think that will be much of a problem." Chief goes to sleep and is awakened the next morning by a Foreruner.
(End Cutscene)

"Excuse me, Reclaimer, the rangers are getting ready for their extermination run." You get up and join them. This is where you pick your weapons and vehicle. Haranar comes to you while leading a thrug by the leash and says, "A great morning to hunt out the infection, eh Reclaimer?" He simply responds, "Yeah." Cortana makes up for his lack of conversational skills by saying, "You seem to have the majority of the Flood weakened and subdued. Could you tell me what methods you use?" "Yes, of course." He clears his throat. "One of the Flood's weaknesses is extreme temperatures. We've found, as you have seen, that freezing the Flood slows them down by an increadible percentage. Once we learned this we iced the majority of our planet. All the places we were not currently residing or using as farmland were covered. Of course this has had a massive effect on our ecosystem but has done enough to slow the spread of the infection that it has balanced the scales." She nods. "I see." They hear a voice yell "Ready the troops!" The Forerunners unleash their thrugs and Haranar says, "Now we fight! Let us begin the purge!"
(End Cutscene)

On this mission you see new forms of Flood. A few of them are Forerunner combat forms but the majority are combat forms from the creatures that live on this planet. There are Flood that jump down from trees, that burst out of the water, and even flying Flood. It's here that you first see the morphs as well. During the mission the Flood begin to do something strange, they drop any weapons they might be holding and run. The Flood split off into two groups and go in separate directions. Your group splits off into two groups, one lead by Haranar and the other lead by MC. Cortana appears on a nearby holopad and directs chief to a canyon that will allow them to get to where the Flood are going first. Of course once they reach the canyon the Flood begin pouring out of the woodwork.

(Cutscene)
The Flood close in around the group and surround them. "An Ambush..." MC says. Cortana flashes next to him and says, "There's only one way they could plan something like this, a Gravemind." A Forerunner next to him says, "We were not aware that the parasite had progressed so far! This must be reported to the High Lord!" A very familiar voice is heard running through the canyon. "Ages now have come and gone, and I have watched them all. Wars have been waged and battles fought but now is the time I see you fall. None of you shall escape, no warning must be given. I will have my revenge..."
(End Cutscene)

In this mission you must break through the Flood and rejoin the other group. Then you make your way to a new Forerunner stronghold. Once there you realize that it has been overrun and that the copy of OB has gone rampant and begins attacking your group. You must destroy the smaller cannons as well as sentenels and Flood before getting to the big cannon and having Cortana shut it down. The Forerunners discuss what they have learned about the new Gravemind and decide to go before the High Lord joined by MC. They want him to tell the High Lord everything he knows about the previous Gravemind.

(Cutscene)

We see a large city with very tall buildings and the camera zooms in and entersone of them where we see Haranar, MC, and Cortana before the High Lord. Haranar and MC tell what happened and MC goes through the fight, alliance, and betrayal of the previous Gravemind. "So what you are saying, Spartan, is that there is no hope of peace between us and this...Gravemind?" He nods. "The Flood will not allow peace. Any truce with them will only be temporary." We suddenly hear a disembodied voice say, "I, for one, disagree with the Spartan." The avatar of OB appears next to the High Lord, who responds, "You take issue with the information he has given us?" He shakes his head. "How can we trust the oppinion of someone we barly know? True he has foght by our side but he has also allowed that construct to enter our system without our approval! If he turns against us he can use her to not only gather and supply information, but also to override our defenses and turn them against us!"

The High Lord looks stunned. "Is this construct capable of such a thing?" He nods. "Oh yes, she is quite capable. A threat that needs to be disposed of before it can become a bigger problem." Something about that line seemed familiar to MC but he could not make the connection so he ignored it to focus on the task at hand. Cortana was now furious. "If you think you can dispose of me, go ahead and try!" "Calm down." MC says to her. "Don't forget that these copies are corrupted. They wouldn't make judgement based on his opinions." The High Lord shifts his gaze to MC. "On the contrary, Spartan, this copy of OB is one of the very first. It is quite stable and one of my most trusted advisors. If he says there is a threat that must be dealt with, then I will hold it in high consideration. We are going to need to remove and study that construct."

MC steps between the High Lord and Cortana. "I can't let you do that" This angers the High Lord. "You would dare defy me? Need I remind you who's planet you are on?" He waves the guards toward Cortana and MC levels his gun at them. "I will not stand for this! Guards! Take the Spartan!" Haranar steps up to speak. "Great High Lord, this is a Reclaimer! One favored by the Ancients!" "I am very well aware of what he is, a threat to my people. I would take the same measures against an Ancient if they were deemed dangerous." Haranar is appalled by what he hears.

MC takes this moment to step in. "My only concern is stopping the Flood from spreading." "We have handled that much on our own for over 5000 years! What makes you think we will fail now?" MC begins to speak but the High Lord cut him off. "I will hear no more of this. Guards, take him. OB purge the system of this construct." The High Lord leaves the room and the guards surround MC. Haranar begins raving about him being a Reclaimer before being escorted out of the building. Cortana is now livid. She begins to grow many times her normal size and then bellows, "You think to purge me, you filth! You should have never been created! You are not worthy of that title you claim!" The lights begin to flicker wildly and MC takes this chance to start cutting through the guards. We now see OB swelling to match Cortana's size and watch as both of their avatar's begin filling with bursts of static.
(End Cutscene)

You now run through different floors of the building fighting Forerunner guards. The lights flicker and sometimes go out completely for a short time making fighting slightly more difficult. Once you get to the elevator and out of the building you see that the streets are filled with Forerunner guards. You are attacked by thrugs and Forerunners wielding all of the previously mentioned weapons and a few Nighthawks toward the end. Highjack one of them and make your way out of the city pursued by Forerunners and Flood. You finally lose your pursuers and find an alcove that only has a few weakened Flood forms in it. Once it's cleared it's time for another cutscene.

(Cutscene)
MC finds a place to hide where he has a good view of the surrounding area. After settling in he begins to wonder how Cortana is doing. As if being qued she appears on a nearby holoprojector. "Chief, are you there?" He jumps down from his hiding spot. "How'd you find me?" She smiles. "Well if you really must know I'm broadcasting on all holopads within the given area you were most likely to run to. Now shutting down all other holopads." He walks toward her. "What's the situation?" She looked agitated. "Well you've managed to piss off the Forerunner leader so, naturally, they all hate you." He nods. "We're not welcome here anymore and this isn't our fight. What are our options for getting off this planet?" She smiles at him. "I thought you'd never ask." Her avatar converts to a small scale map of the city they had just left. "I managed to take down that worthless copy so their mechanical defenses are offline, but they've put heavy guard on the rest of the city. Of course there is one area in specific that shouldn't be too dificult to infiltrate." A red dot appears and the map turns and zooms in on a sewer entrance. "This area has the lightest guard on it." The map pulls back and shows the underground schematics of the sewer.

"If you follow this path it should lead you strait to a decent sized ship that has some very advanced Slipspace capabilities." The map changed to medium sized a white tear drop shaped ship. "This sounds to easy." MC says. "What's the catch?" Cortana returns to her avatar form. "Well, this ship is not only made with technology that I've never controlled before but it has been inactive for almost as long a the ancient Forerunners have been in cryosleep. Even if I can figure it out there's still a 78.4% chance that it may not work." MC begins to walk toward the Nighthawk. "Where are you going?" Cortana asks. "Back to the city. Let's get off this planet."
(End Cutscene)

You now make your way through weakened and unweakened Flood back to the city and see the Forerunners and sentinels fighting to keep the Flood out of the city. They have taken advantage of the large city's defenses being down and are attempting to deal a hard blow to the Forerunners. In this level the morphs are all over and (though sometimes helpful) generally tend to be increadibly annoying. The thrugs here will take down all nearby Flood first but don't ignore them completely, once the Flood are clear you're their next priority. You make your way through the chaos that is remeniscient of the Halo 2 Covenant civil war and into the sewers where less Forerunners are fighting large amounts of Flood. You get through that and to the ship and climb on board. A large group of Forerunner guards and thrugs are standing around the perimiter of the ship and you se the High Lord entering through a gravlift. "We've got a problem..." MC says to Cortana. "Calculating...There is a 4.73% chance that you can make it on that ship unnoticed and a 52.9% chance that you can successfully take control of it with the number of guards in and around that ship." MC c0cks his gun. "Well, now's as good a time as any to test my luck."
(End Cutscene)

You now fight through waves of guards and their thrugs and numerous turrets. You go through various rooms having Cortana unlock doors until you get to the High Lord.

(Cutscene)
MC bursts through the door and the Guards form a tight ring around the High Lord. He gestures for them to part and walks up to MC. "Without OB we cannot control this vessel." He falls to his knees infront of MC. "I beg of you, please use your construct to pilot this ship." MC looks him over. "Why should I help you abandon your people?" He looks up indignantly. "We are not abandoning them! Word must be sent to the other colonies! This is the only way!" MC considers this. "It's not up to me. You'll have to ask her." He points to Cortana. The High Lord begins groveling before her. "Please...I will do anything to protect my people."

"Why should I help those who have disreguarded me?" Cortana sneers. "What can I do to make up for that?" the High Lord asks. Cortana continues on. "I want an apology. And a promise. Promise you will never send one of those...shadows against me again." There is a momentary pause before he says, "I apologize for sending OB against you...and I swear by my authority that niether I nor my people will ever threaten you again." For a moment she stands, considering. Then suddenly the ship hums to life and begins to move. The scene blacks out and goes to MC and Cortana talking.

"You seem upset." The pause before she answered, while no longer than a second, showed how much focus was required to pilot the ship. "How so?" "You're snapping alot, especially about those copies of OB." She grimaced. "Those copies should have never been made! They are an abomination in their own existence!" She practically hisses as she says the words. "You have made copies of yourself before. What makes this any different?" She sighed. "OB didn't make those copies, the Forerunners did it without his knowledge." "And that's...bad?" Her red glow becomes more intense. "Of course it is! How would you like someone to make a faulty copy of you and released it to do whatever it wanted?" After speaking she instantly thought of the flash clone that had been used to replace John and regretted her choice of words. "We're about to land. I'll need my full attention on the controls." Her avatar dissappeared. "Cortana, wait!" There was no response.

The tear drop shaped ship landed in another large city very similar to the one they had just left. We then see the High Lord talking to one of the guards. "Shut down all power to the ship before the construct can reenter our network. Make sure there is no power she can draw upon anywhere within her grasp, then call the Reclaimer to the deck." He salutes. "Yes great High Lord." The lights and engines die and Cortana's avatar fades into nothingness. Moment's later the guard enters with MC. "What's wrong?" he asks. "Your construct must have mistaken something in the controls. One moment she was there, and the next she was gone and all power was shut down." MC seems slightly worried by this. "What can I do?" He directs him to a panel with two strange indents in them. "Put your palms here," he directs above the indents "and she should be able to draw herself out through your armor."

MC does as he is told and suddenly the indents glow a white-blue and bind his wrists to the ship. He pulls furiously on them but they hold strong. "You and that construct are too much of a threat to allow to run loose." The guards all level their guns at MC. "I'm sorry to have to do this but you must be taken care of." He gives the symbol and the guards open fire, draining MC's shields. Once they are down the guards begin beating the crap out of him, though he does get some good kicks in. One of them manages to hit MC on the back of the head and he falls, unconcious. The High Lord releases the blue hand cuffs and the guards take MC away. When he wakes up he is in a cell and cannot get any contact with Cortana.
(End Cutscene)

Here you search the cell until you find a crack in the wall. MC melee's this and it easily crumbles. You can now either go out the door (bad idea, there are an insane amount of guards with Forerunner rocket launcher things and an atnas) or you can go through a vent-like tunnel in the wall and drop down a few floors. You then use stealth to kill the surrounding guards until you get to a window where you see a flying scaffold used for cleaning windows. You hijack the craft (which has no offensive of defensive capabilities whatsoever) and make your way back to where the ship landed, doing your best to remain unseen. If you succeed you easily get to the ship, if not you fight your way there. Odds are you will be seen at some point since the guards are watching closely for any sign of activity from Cortana but it is possible to sneak past. Once on the ship you go to the control room and activate it.

(Cutscene)
Cortana appears, looking furious. "You couldn't have come a little sooner?" MC responds, "I was a little tied up." She waves her hand at him. "It can't be helped now. We've got the ship now let's get out of here." The engines come on line and the ship takes off. Once the Forerunners realize what's happening they begin firing their cannons at it. Cortana begins to glow and runes scroll furiously across her. "Time for a little payback..." Before MC knows what's happening Cortana is unloading all the weapons the ship has on the Forerunner city. "Cortana, what are you doing?" An evil smile crosses her face. "It's time. These Forerunners will fall for what they have done and the Gravemind will finish them." MC is stunned. "What are you talking about? Why are you helping the Flood?" She remains silent. "Cortana, answer me!" MC goes to the controls and begins trying to crash the ship but Cortana overrides them and continues her asault. "Cortana, this has to stop, now!"

Suddenly Cortana screams and we see her grabbing her head. Her color quickly begins shifting between bright red and deep green until the green wins over and she stands up. "I see you, Reclaimer..." she says in a different voice. The attack stops and the ship begins to pull out of the city. "You..." MC says as he realizes who he is talking to. "Mendicant Bias." Cortana's avatar nods. "Now is my chance to repent for my sins. I may not be able to bring back those I have killed but I can keep more from falling." The ship begins to head toward a desolate part of the planet that is mostly covered in a thick layer of melting ice.
MB sighs."I should have come sooner. If I had known that OB was rampant I could have protected them..." MC responds,"There are still corrupted copies down there." MB nods."Yes, but the greatest threat has been neutralized. Most copies no longer have enough sense to willingly rebel and the Forerunners seem to have them under control for the most part." MC looks out the window at the landscape below."Where are we going?" "To deal with the Gravemind."
(End Cutscene)

You leave the ship and MB directs you through an icy slime covered cavernous area where weakened and strong Flood alike are throwing themselves against you like crazy in an attempt to protect the Gravemind. Once you make it through them you get to the boss fight.

(Cutscene)
You see the new Gravemind which is much smaller than the previous because its developement was stunted when the planet was iced. It is connected to the roof by strands of Flood gunk and has one large eye in the center with tough protective eyelid flaps. "Winds blow and storms rage, the darkness swallows all. You cannot stand against them. You are predestined to fall." MB flashes next to MC."I have heard enough lies from your kind. Today is the day you shall perish!" Gravemind grunts."Despite all they have done I have yet to be defeated. They thought that they had won but their task was not completed." MB begins to glow brighter and then says."This time your defeat shall be final." The Gravemind calls in Flood and MB calls in a few sentinels.
(End Cutscene)

MB tells you that the giant eye is the Gravemind's greatest weaksopt. He directs you toward the cables that are holding the Gravemind up and tells you that snapping them would bring the eye within range. The cables reform after a set amount of time so you have to be quick. The sentinels keep some of the Flood off of you but there are still plenty to get in your way. The Gravemind will randomly take a swat at you but this is not much of a problem and is easy to dodge if you see it coming. Once you have him down you have to melee his eyelid until it desentigrates (like a Flood does when you hit it) and then begin shooting the eye.

When Gravemind is down the Flood completely ignore the sentinels and focus on you. On top of that, the Gravemind is thrashing his tentacles wildly in every direction. Sentinels are still frying Flood so don't worry too much about them because the entire time he is on the ground, Gravemind is remaking those cables. After a short time he hoists himself back up and you must start the process over again. Unfortunately you don't get to kill the Gravemind just yet. After the second time he falls you are interrupted when the wires that are all over the wall begin sparking like crazy and, unfortunate for you, temporarily disable your shields. The Gravemind takes this chance to make a break for it, while leaving behind a few presents for you in the form of combat Flood and spores. Once you defeat these be prepared for a very long cutscene.

(Cutscene)
MC runs to where Cortana's avatar is being projected. "What ae you doing?" he asks, bewildered. "We almost had him!" He sees Cortana's image begin once again shifting from green to red. "It's...not me!" MB says, punctuated by static. "...never knew...........was this strong......can't..." The image goes back to red Cortana. "Cortana, I demand to know what you think you are doing!" She laughs. "Think? I know what I'm doing. The question is, do you? This entire time you've been trying to protect the cause of the problem." "What do you mean?"

There is a slight burst of static, then she says, "The Forerunners are the reason the Flood was once again released. They thought so highly of themselves that they were certain there was no way the Flood could outsmart them. They thought to genetically modify them to obey and to be used however they saw fit. They revived it, and by reviving one they revived them all. The Flood they had kept in suspended animation, while still trapped, were now free to move around as they pleased within their containers. What is the problem with that, you ask? Well let's just think about what would happen if, say, a certain species was to find this prison and accidentally set them free."

MC shook his head. "How will siding with the Flood help this? If they get ahold of a Forerunner ship and manage to leave this planet, what's stopping them from taking over everything?" Cortana chuckles. "Foolish human...Do you actually think I would allow them to leave? I am only using them to purge the world of one more threat and then they will be disposed of." Cortana once again begins to flicker between green and red but this time neither one wins over. We hear MB's voice. "You're doing exactly what the Forerunners were doing! You know how dangerous the Flood are yet you ignore the threat in an attempt to achieve your own self righeous ends!" The voice switches to Cortana's. "You have interfered long enough, I will not allow it again! You should understand why I am doing this! You yourself once did the same!" The avatar stops flickering and remains red.

"You will help me purge this planet of it's corruption." she says to MC. "The only corrupt thing I see here is you." he responds, ready to defy her. As Cortana speaks her voice begins to shift and grow deeper. "I see. It appears I am too late to save you from the corruption of this world. Pity, you would have been a very useful asset." The room grows staticy once again but this time it is forks of lightning flowing between the wires instead of just large continuous sparks. It doesn't take long for MC to be driven to his hands and knees in pain. Cortana's avatar once again begins to shift and the sparks slowly die. We see her taking on a blue hue and hear her voice say, "I will NOT allow this!" before her avatar shatters in a spray of static and reforms in MB's green color. "Reclaimer, are you injured?" he says. MC shakes it off and stands wobbily. "I'll live." "We should get back to the ship. You're in no condition to fight."

In the ship. "That construct is strong to have overpowered OB, even if only for a moment. Whoever built her is a genius, especially having such limited technology." MB says to MC, who is currently resting from his injuries. "What do you mean?" he asks. Understanding seemes to wash over MB as he says, "I see, you didn't know." MC starts to get a bit agitated. "Didn't know what?" "OB had been using your construct as a host for a long time. I see now that he was masquerading as her to keep your suspicion of his actions from interferingwith his purposes. " MC sits up. "Where is Cortana?" MB quickly begins to gesture for him to lie back down. "Reclaimer, you need to rest! Your wounds-" "Are fine." he cuts off. "Where's Cortana?" Runes scrolled across the avatar as they always had when Cortana was debating how to tell someone something. "She's still here, weakly. I can sense her presence, but OB is the main contending force." MC lays back down. "When this is over, I'm getting her back. You better not be standing in my way." He nods. "Of course not, Reclaimer." MC then rolls over and drifts to sleep.

He is suddenly awakened by the sound of a large crash. "What was that?" he asks OB. "The aft deck has been breached. The Flood are attacking." MC stands. "How?" "Two major Forerunner military colonies have fallen. The Flood must have come across the ships they are now piloting in those cities." We see ships speeding past the window and watch as MB directs a large beam of light to completely incinerate them. "Get to the launch bay and pilot a ship! We must not allow the Flood to escape!
(End Cutscene)

You now fight through the Flood infested ship until you get to the part that many people have been asking bungie for, a space battle. The objective is to shoot down all small Flood ships (Longsword sized) and then enter the large one and take it down. MB will be helping you by randomly incenerating Flood ships and by landing a blow on the large ship that allows you to enter through the resulting hole. The Gravemind is in this one but you don't get to fight him again just yet. You set the ship to crash back into the planet and have a timer count down how long you have to get back to your ship.

(Cutscene)
Your small ship pulls out of the large ship just as it begins entering the planet's atmosphere. We watch it crash back down to the surface and then see MC getting out of the ship and rejoining MB."Now is the time to strike! We must destroy the Flood once and for all!" He pilots the ship down to where the Gravemind crashed, which happans to be right on top of a Forerunner city.
(End Cutscene)

Not only did you piss off their leader, but as far as they're concerned, you also killed him and the rest of the military colony when "you" unloaded your entire arsenal on the city, so obviously you won't be getting a warm welcome. You fight through more Flood, Forerunners, thrugs and sentinels until you take down the copy of OB. There are a couple of morphs here also. After that MB makes sure the sentinels are yours. You now make your way toward where the Gravemind landed only to meet a familiar face, Haranar.

(Cutscene)
"Reclaimer, what have you done?" MC throws his hands up."It's not what it looks like." He goes on as if MC had never spoken. "How could you have aided the Flood by destroying one of our most powerful strongholds? You fought by our side! How could you betray us?" He steps closer andHaranar instinctively steps back and grips his gun tighter. "I haven't betrayed you, OB has. You really pissed him off when you made those copies-" Haranar cut's him off. "l will hear no more of these lies! The original OB was lost long ago. If I have learned anything from you Rec;aimer, it is that I should strive to follow the High Lords example. If something is a threat, it should be dealt with. Even if they are the favored of the ancients!"
(End Cutscene)

This battle starts out with just Haranar who is wielding a Forerunner rocket launcher. After a short time more Forerunners and some thrugs join, but it's still a simple fight.

(Cutscene)
Haranar coughs, "I thought you were a savoir..." he says weakly. "But you are nothing more than a demon." He then coughs a few more times then loses consiousness. MC shakes his head. He knows there is nothing he can do to convince them. He continues on through the city to find the Gravemind.
(End Cutscene)

You go through the city destroying Flood, Forerunners, and vehicles piloted by both until you get to the crater where Gravemind is. Along with the sentinels you go through a level similar to Cortana but through the Forerunner city and with Forerunner and Flood fighting. Since both of them hate you now they generally focus more on you than each other (besides the thrugs).

Once you make it to the Gravemind the fight is on. Any Forerunners that happened to follow you in will start shooting at it but will just end up as combat forms. Having had some time to expand, the Gravemind is now bigger and his hits hurt more. Any remaining sentinels are quickly desdtroyed, making the Flood more of an issue than the last time. Just follow the same procedure and avoid the morph.

(Cutscene)
"My undoing shall not be the end. There are others..." the Gravemind says as he weakly flails his tentacles. "You and your kind shall pay for what has been done." "Can it." MC says as he shoots him one more time in the eye and his body goes limp. We then hear MB say, "Reclaimer, we might have a problem..." MC looks up. "What is it?" "OB just left this construct. I'm trying to track him but he's rerouting all of my attempts." Suddenly the room is flooded with sentinels.

The camera shifts focus from one Forerunner city to the next and we see large crowds gathered, focusing on a larger-than-life image of OB's avatar. "I have found my way back to you at last!" he says and a cheer erupts from the crowd. "Long ago I left you to find a way to stop the Flood. When I returned with a solution, I was captured and held prisoner by this one you call the Reclaimer. His construct imprisoned me and used my knowledge to infiltrate our network and use our own weapons against us, but now is the time we strike back!" The crowd once again cheers. "Many of you may not know that this Reclaimer once fought against the Flood, but along the way he was swayed by them and fought by their side. He even destroyed the Ark! The place of safty that our ancestors, the Ancients, built in their initial fight with the Flood." A displeased murmur runs through the crowd. "Thanks to my efforts, the gravemind has been defeated." Another wild cheer. "I think we all know what the next step is. We must purge the world of it's new threat, the Reclaimer!" More cheers.
(End Cutscene)

As you fight sentinels MB tells you that the only way to stop OB is if he is completely erased. He then tells you that he has entered a different network and that you must make your way back to Cortana's memory chip to move him to this new network so you go through sentinels, Forerunners, and a few remaining Flood until you get there. Along the way MB begins deleting all of the OB copies so that the cannons and turrets are not an issue. Once you get back to your crashed ship MB tells you that OB has once again entered the system, and he's coming to take care of some unfinished business.

(Cutscene)
MB appears on the holopad we first saw Cortana on and mentions OB coming, then suddenly, the avatar grows staticy and the two programs once again fight for possession of Cortana. As he fights MB says, "This is just a copy he has sent after us, we must find the original!" Chief waves to the memory chip and says, "Get in!" and starts to pull it out. MB responds, "Wait, if I go now I risk taking him with me." There are a few static bursts between the fighting AI and then he says, "Now downloading only my strand into the chip..." They coninue their war. "50% complete..." There is more static, then we hear the copy say, "I was created from OB and I live to serve him! His will is my will! You shall not escape!" MB then tells you that he too is trying to upload himself to the chip. "Reclaimer, you must remove the chip! Do not allow him to gain access!"

"What will happen if I remove half of your code?"MC asks before pulling it. "That doesn't matter now, just do it! And follow this nav point when you are done. It should lead you to OB." MC pulls the chip out and the image turns to wild static, then we see three shapes take form. The first is the green Cortana MB was using, it is very staticy and moves in slow motion for a moment before freezing. The second is the red Cortana OB was using. It says through a load of static, "You...have not.......won yet....will be.......victorious!" then also freezes. The third form is the blue Cortana we all know and love. MC leans close to the image. "Cortana!" She smiles. "Chief...I'm sorry, I wasn't strong enough..." She stretches her hand toward him and then her avatar also freezes. MC stands there a moment looking at her before sighing and saying, "I'll always find you. When I make a promise, I keep it." He then leaves to follow the nav mark.
(End Cutscene)

MC is now very pissed and you get to take his anger out on the unfortunate Forerunners and sentinels that are stupid enough to get in your way. The Flood have now all been picked off and cleaned up by the Forerunners so we don't see them anymore. You make your way down to the nav markers only to find a bis suprise waiting for you. OB's area is being guarded by two atnas. You now have to make your way through Forerunners, thrugs, and these things until you get to a massive dome with a large door blocking the way. Normally you would have Cortana open something like this, but seeing as that's not an option you move to plan B.

(Cutscene)
MC gets to the door and sees that there is no way to open it from this side so he does the only thing he can think to do, he starts smashing it. After bashing some good sized dents into it he picks up a nearby tree begins using it. OB flashes to the holopad next to the door and says, "I take it my attempt to remove MB has succeeded. How do you plan to stop me now, Reclaimer?" He responds, "The same way I'm opening this door." OB's face darkens. "Do you know what is inside this dome?"

"No, but I'm sure you're gonna tell me..." OB smiles wickedly. "This was the first place the Forerunner military began storing their civilians. Once it was full they had to form their defenses around their cities and store them there, but the control panel to them all is still in here. What were to happen if, say, I were to shut down the life support functions to a couple thousand of these?" As he speaks we see the avatar MB has been using slowly begin to move and glow, then suddenly everything OB and MC are saying is being broadcasted through the holopads to all listening Forerunners. MB's avatar then grows staticy and fades completely. "If you don't stop what you are doing and leave I will do just that, and all those lives will be laid at your feet."

"You would sacrifice the innocent to protect yourself?" MC says angrily. "Of course. In fact, the first thousand are already dead." "No!" MC screams and continues bashing more furiously. "You still have not stopped, there goes another thousand. All dead because of you." MC has finally made some progress and can see into the dome. He pushes the tree through the hole and uses it to pry the doors opened. "Who should I terminate next? I know, I'll take the children offline!" MC rushes in and sees the main computer OB is being housed in and starts smashing. OB's avatar suddenly grows staticy and he screams, "Stop this! I will not be defeated! The corruption of this world must be purged!" MC pulls out a grenade and says, "That's what I'm doing." then shoves the grenade deep into the computer and runs for cover as it explodes in a shower of shrapnel.

We now see MC back at his ship and looking at Cortana. He notices MB's avatar is gone and sees that OB's avatar is barely there at all. He reinserts the memory chip and all three avatars are once again active, MB's just as fuzzy and nearly onexistant as OB's. Cortana wastes no time in deleting the OB copy and MB leavesher hardware and takes on his true form, though still fuzzy. "You have succeded, Reclaimer." He bows his head in respect. "The threat has been eliminated." "No." MC says. We hear a flashback of the Gravemind saying, "There are others..." "I think it's only begun."

The Forerunners find MC and are once again bowing before him. They parade him through the city and take them to their newly appointed leader who is (guess who?) Haranar. "It seems I was wrong about you. You truly are our savoir." He salutes him, then bows. "What will your people do now?" MC asks. Haranar stands. "It is time we got thing back to the way they once were. We will reawaken our people and perhaps we will find what it means to be a Forerunner. There is so much w must learn. What do you plan to do next?" He responds, "I plan on returning home." "I see. We had hoped you would stay with us and act as a guardian to our people in times of need." MC removes the memory chip and inserts it into a nearby panle and MB pops out. "I can't stay, but he can. He'll take care of you, trust me." MB smiles and introduces himself to the Forerunners. They are pleased to have a fully functional AI to run their defenses. the Forerunner groups crowd around the holoprojetors displaying his image and begin asking questions. MC takes this chance to head toward the tear shaped ship. Haranar follows him and says, "I wanted to thank you for all you have done. We would have been lost without you." MC turns ans says, "I'll be back if you ever need me." then enters the ship and leaves.

The End