A/N This is part 2 of Just Plain Weird. If you have not read the first one, go back and read it. Else wise, not everything will make sense. Unless you genuinely don't care… read on. To all who have read it, welcome back, glad you could make it – Aurum Animi

Chapter 1

Kelly, Linda, and Fred sat in worried silence in the Pelican with John. He hadn't said a word except to the pilot they were to get back to Infinity as fast as the bird was able. But the moment they touched down John was out and exiting the hanger. His team lead out of the Pelican slowly. Tiffany's brother was a top looking for her and looked at them with confusion. Kelly dropped her head and sprinted after John. The others followed once Linda shook her head to Tif's brother.

John burst into the crowded war room and shot the hovering Monitor. All the officers ducked in a shout but John didn't let up or give the Monitor a chance to return fire or take cover. Once the clip ended he was close enough to grab it and pin it to the ground.

"Chief?" Lasky yelled, "What the hell?"

But John ignored him, "You tell me EVERYTHING!" Vestige sputtered and cried out in surprise as John slammed him over and over into the floor, "I'M! DONE! PLAYING! GAMES!"

The war room was dead silent, not many people had ever heard him speak, but not even his siblings had ever heard him roar. The Spartan fours who were supposed to guard the war room stood down as Fred beckoned them out of the way.

"You should know good fucking well I don't like your kind; do you see who's missing from my team? Do you see?"

"T-t-the third, young female." Vestige sputtered, "I warned you! We would defend that facility!" he cried.

"Not a good answer." John pulled at the back of the Monitor and his case groaned horribly and ripped off in a shriek as if in pain, "Monitors have self-preservation codes, this looks awfully important." He snarled, grabbing a fistful of wires.

"Wait!" Vestige wailed, his green eye flashing red in his distress, "I'll tell you what you need!"

000

The Master Chief paced back and forth like a caged animal, making everyone on deck nervous. Lasky was trying to keep his composure as he prepared the Infinty for departure. John had snapped at Flight Lieutenant when he was moving slower to the Master Chief's liking.

"Master Chief Petty Officer One-One-Seven!" Lasky barked, "I understand your loss and I'm sorry she's dead, but your current attitude is not helping readiness. Get yourself together and be civil. If you cannot comply, get off the bridge!"

"She's not dead 'til I see a body." He growled, looming over him. Regardless of his statement, he stormed out of the bridge.

Rage burned through the Master Chief's body, so much so, his eyes hurt as did his chest, the fire consuming him felt as if it would burn out his very heart. He was feeling more than he knew what to do with. Everything burned. He fell to his knees when he had approached the Observation deck. He tore off his helm and gauntlets and just looked at the stars. All of them seemed so bleak. So dead in the dark void of nothingness. He wiped his wet face and he nearly snorted. The Master Chief crying. It was nearly comical, if everything in his life hadn't been torn from him by one form or another. It had been a miracle his team had survived. He had believed he was the last. But the rest, the rest were all day or forever missing. His own family had been taken from him; Reach had been glassed and Cortana…

"be human" she had said to him. If this anguish is what it meant to be human, he didn't want it. He wanted it gone, but he wanted her back. He couldn't have both and that truth was frustrating. He wanted to love her without the all the pain. Even when they would retrieve her body, it wouldn't truly bring her back. Tiffany was gone. He watched her vitals drop until they ceased and disappeared completely. Why did all of this had to happen to him?

"Son?"

Fuck me John thought as he turned around to look at Chief Warrant Officer Reynolds.

"I suppose it would be too much to hope that the rumors are false." Her father said delicately, assessing the Master Chief's own current mood, trying to keep his own shattering composure.

"You will find no hope here." He said bitterly, turning back around. He heard him take a few steps closer to him until he was directly behind John.

He gingerly laid a hand on John's head. "I would have been proud to call you mine."

John cursed again in his head, wondering if this is what it might have been like to be loved by a true father. It was another reminder of something he could have had, but lost. Lucky, he was called. None of this felt like good luck. What was the point in being alive, being human, if you didn't have anyone to share it with?

000

Forty-eight hours had passed since they had arrived back to the Infinity, Fifty-two since the incident, when the Pelicans were lifting off with a company of Spartans to investigate the Cartographer that doubled as a containment facility. For what, they were going to find out, one way or another.

Atoning Vestige floated as far from the Master Chief as he possibly could without actually being outside the ship. After what John had done to Vestige, he was truly terrified of the human. But John paid him no mind. Not until they had landed on the beach of the Cartographer facility.

Blue team along with Kurt and a squad of Spartan III's, readied their weapons and jumped out of the back of the Pelican, landing with a muffled thud on the sand. Once they were out of the way, the pilot dropped the Scorpion he was carrying. Four other Pelican's dropped Scorpions, many more released Warthogs and nearly all had a Mongoose driven and jumped out of the bellies of the birds.

Kurt motioned for one of his Spartans to drive the tank, a quiet girl named Lucy, her companion Tom took the turret. Kurt motioned for the rest to hop aboard. He followed suit and jumped on in the front, where Lucy could still see him and take silent direction if need be. Engines all around roared to life as the fleet of Spartans made their way towards the Forerunner building. All Pelicans were on standby.

The Arbiter had been invited along, and made his way to John as the Lich deployed a Spectre, "What do you believe we will find behind these walls, Demon?"

"A Spartan."

"Do you believe this to be wise, if there truly is a Forerunner alive inside?"

"I can't find it in me to care, Arbiter." Despite his statement, John looked up to see if the Infinity had come in over orbit of the facility. If there was a problem Forerunner, they would handle it. "Besides, blowing up Halo rings is at the top of my repertoire."

Spartans around him chuckled, and the Arbiter looked at each one of them. He did not voice his worries about the Demon to him. John had changed a great deal over the last few years, even more so recently. Thel did not want this new found change to disappear into something worse than what he was before. He had merely been ignorant on how to be part of his species. To act as his species should. But he had learned, and it was worse to purposefully become ice, to intentionally block away all souls. For it wasn't truly living. Not in the Arbiter's eyes.

The Arbiter motioned for his soldiers to stay in formation with the humans and made his way on foot with John and his team.

When they had reached the entrance, John opened his com, "Start knocking."

The cannons all seemed to move as one towards the door, but they started opening before any one let out a round.

A lithe female stood at the center and waited for the door to open all the way before she seemed to glide forward. John raised his battle rifle and made his way towards her and stopped when she stopped at a respectable distance.

She gave a small smile, "You are in no danger here, John. The Didact has been expecting you." She said gently, and carefully. It was obvious her mouth was not adept to speaking their language. John was also sure they sent the most demure and gentle forerunner to greet them. For she barely stood a foot taller than him, and her eyes were a soft pink, as was her hair, that was done up in intricate twists and turns and held in place by beautiful silver hair ornaments. The gown she wore was silver and white and billowed around her in the slight breeze. Only adding to her willowy appearance.

"My name is Essence-of-Future-Life and I am a Lifeworker. I have been attending to your human compatriot and her geas. The Didact named her Celestial-Glow-of-New-Light and her geas Ambience-of-Knowledge, until we could learn their parent given names." She looked around to all the vehicular weapons and armed humans, "I do ask that you leave your transportation outside, though. Come."

With that, she turned and walked away back inside and stopped when she realized no one was following, "Unless you would rather leave them to us? Didact believes Celestial is an excellent warrior and would do well in the Warrior-Servant caste."

"The Didact is dead," John said, "I killed him myself, how can he possibly be alive?"

"You met the Lifeshaper's husband, I presume. A hideous creature to say the least, with a wretched heart. This galaxy is better for his absence. The Iso-Didact, is the new Didact." She turned and started walking again, this time Blue team followed, "New, being a relative term, seeing as he has been our Didact for over a hundred millennia." The dark hallways she led them down started to glow as she walked through, lighting our way.

"You must know, John, Didact is excited to meet you. The Librarian promised a Reclaimer of great prowess. And it seems you have been busy. It's a pleasant surprise to see the Sangheili and Humans getting along at long last. Although it was always the San'Shyuum everyone had to look out for, pretty race, but very self-serving." John and Thel met each other's glances and looked away, Thel shaking his long head.

They had been walking for several minutes when she motioned for them to stop and walked through a door and started speaking in her own dialect, a deep male voice responded. When he had finished speaking she waved them through. All the Spartans looked to John and he cautiously approached the door way. The light in the room emanated from two tanks, where two personages floated, but the light was too bright to make out any details, in between stood a large, dark figure. Presumably, the Didact. The room felt cavernous but it was too dark to tell, even to John's eyes. She waved her arm to a table, "You can place your weapons there."

Without seeing if he would oblige, she walked over to the tanks and murmured to the Didact.

"Are you really going to relinquish your rifle?" Fred whispered, incredulous.

"I think if they meant us harm, they would have done so already." Against his better judgement and all his training, he set his rifle down. With a deep breath, he removed his helmet, and set it beside his rifle. He wanted to see her with his own eyes.

Kurt and his Spartans stayed by the door, Blue team lingered by the table, debating whether they really wanted to follow their Chief.

Master Chief walked over to the glowing tanks, and to the Forerunners. The Didact turned to observe him as he approached. The Chief made his own observations. The Didact was pale and flat faced like Essence, but twice as big. Not quite as big as the Ur-Didact he had met, and nowhere near grotesque as the Ur-Didact had been. Iso-Didact was just as fair Essence, and his eyes matched his hair. Pale blue. And to his surprise, unarmed. He wore plain garments that did nothing to hide his muscular figure, it was no mystery, the Didact was a warrior of the highest echelon, to his stance and demeanor. He commanded respect and loyalty.

The silent Forerunner held a hand towards the tanks and John stepped in to look. Tiffany floated in a blue liquid, her body naked, bruised, and wounded. Recent surgery marked her skin, making it red and angry. But her silver white hair a mane around her.

John crossed over to the other tank and felt his stomach plummet like an orbital drop pod. Dark hair, button nose and a voluptuous figure. John would bet his armor her eyes were blue.

"By the gods." Arbiter whispered.

"Well, shit." Kelly said a loud, "Spartans never die, and neither do their A.I.'s"

"Cortana."

Xxx

Cortana was Tiffany's geas. How do you like them apples? Hmmm?

LOL REVIEW!