So, Took out the old 1st chap. Felt like it didn't fit, right? Anyway, on with the story!
The Song for this Chapter is "Beautiful Place" by Good Charlotte.
I Own nothing, just borrowing.
Enjoy!
It was... odd, to say the least.
He wouldn't say that he disliked the feeling, it was actually nice having someone to talk to while there was nothing going on otherwise. She wasn't as bland as he thought she would be, actually she tended to force a conversation out of him every now and then. With everyone else, aside from Johnson and the few Spartans he called his friends, he was Chief, no small talk, no sarcastic remarks. She was a completely different entity. Where he was quiet and reserved, she was loud and opinionated. Her Remarks did manage to get a few chuckles out of him now and then, much to her endless satisfaction he'd bet. Having had his AI, Cortana, for a while now he felt they could actually be friends.
That was until she got bored however.
Cortana reminded him or a puppy in ways, enthusiastic and playful, but utterly destructive when bored.
We Live in a beautiful place, let love take away all this pain...
Chief blinked, that was unexpected. Looking around he searched the hallway he was crammed into for speakers. Dodging some needler fire from a increasingly annoying grunt , Chief rolled out of cover to do a quick spray of magnum shot, effectively dispersing any remaining covenant in the hallway.
We wasted so many days, our hearts are as dark as the rain...
There! Where is that coming from?
Looking up, he moved to stand on his toes to inspect the walls, maybe a hidden speaker..? In a covenant base... playing earth...music? A wave of disbelief hit him as the improbability of the situation hit him.
"Trying to find secret sniper holes in the walls, Chief?" Crotona's melodious voice chimed.
She was amused.
He was about to snap off a reply, when a idea hit him.
"Cortana, do a scan for hidden speakers, voice communications... a human squad... anything" A lot of Marines liked to whisper that Spartans were crazy, he didn't want to believe that just yet.
He heard the distant buzzing of a scan starting up, and the Crotona's slightly confused voice.
"Anything specific Chief, or are the gunshots not loud enough for you?"
Stifling a grin Chief remained silent waiting the scan results.
After a few seconds, Cortana let out a muffled sigh,
"Nothing sounding any alarms, so what did you hear?"
Chief debated for a moment, then figured Cortana would be the only to not write him off as crazy, considering her personality.
"Just heard some... music I think, it's nothing."
If she wasn't in his head, he maybe, maybe, would have missed her slight change in tone.
"Oh? Music huh...?"
Stopping, and doing a quick check to make sure the halls were clear, Chief Pulled out the chip containing Cortana and fixed it with the most stern stare his visor could muster. Cortana appeared, hands behind her back with a barley concealed pure shit eating grin.
"What... are you doing" Chief pronounced slowly. he did NOT need his AI distracting him in the middle of a battle with music. He didn't even talk much during firefights for need to focus during the mission.
Cortana, for her part, managed to look sheepish, before flicking her 'hair' and fixing him with the same, if not less concealed, glare.
"Oh, so that's what it takes to get you to noticed a girl?"
Chief's eyes narrowed, attention? Really?
"You could just say you're bored-"
"And have you mute me? Not going through that one again, this way we can both enjoy a fight."
At this John nearly took off his helmet to glare at the AI, how could she make actively endangering the mission a joke?
"Mission first, then you can play music. On the pelican, by yourself. Silently." He wasn't being mean, he was being stern. He even 'nudged' her hologram with his finger to accent the amusement in his tone.
Cortana adopted a hurt look, but it quickly switched to one of triumph.
"But what if it helps the mission, what would you say to that?"
Mid turn, John was halfway to putting the chip back into his head when she spoke, now he was holding her at arms length, apprehensive.
"Explain." Came John's ridged reply.
Cortana smiled, a true warm smile that reminded him of Dr. Halsey oddly.
"It relaxes you, check your bio readings."
With that a window popped up on his screen, showing various readouts. Not really caring for the technical aspect of music, or the artistic one for that matter, John let the pros and cons of the situation fill his mind.
On the one hand, Cortana would be occupied and thus less likely to mess with him while during a mission on the other... well, he really couldn't see a downside, aside for the minor annoyance of having to listen to songs he didn't like.
Cortana, wanting a response, prompted him with a question.
"So what do you like Chief, anything specific?" With her hands on her hips and the way she was smiling at him, he could have sworn she was trying to seduce him with music. Hilarious.
Chief took a steady breath, he's probably surprise Cortana with this one.
"I've... never listened to music. I don't know what I like..."
Cortana was silent for a moment longer then she needed to, and looking up, Chief saw why. She was covering her face and her shoulders were shaking with silent laughter.
John huffed in fake agitation, adopting a annoyed tone while lighting tapping her chip into his helmet
"That's the last time I tell you something personal, Cortana." He said with a grin of amusement.
"I'm sorry but, really Chief? How? Everyone listens to music. No favorites?" Cortana chided with a burst of warmth.
His mood instantly soured, and she felt the change. Starting off down the hallway again, he snatched the needler from the previously downed grunt and reloaded it before answering.
"I didn't have time... My life isn't what you would call easy going, Cortana."
He sighed as he put a few needle spikes into the back a elite to drop its shields. Cortana remained silent, letting him finish his work methodically. How many Lives has he ended today?
" I wouldn't know how to relax if I could" Chief amended with a broken sigh. And today started off so well...
Cortana responded with another burst of warmth, and her voice sounded like she was trying very hard to keep from succumbing to his downed mood.
"That's what I'm here for Chief, keep you sane and happy. A little music couldn't hurt-
He didn't miss the note of hope in her voice when she added
-Could It?"
He couldn't turn her down turn her down with that voice now could he.
"I suppose it couldn't... how about the one you were playing before?"
If he was going to entertain her, he might as well go all the way, and with the wave of pure joy he got from her, he was sure this would be worth it.
"Starting it up from the beginning Chief." Cortana was practically bouncing with joy over her victory Chief noted with a concealed smirk.
Mother can we start over? I wanna be the boy I was back then. Before the world came, and made me colder. I wanna feel the way I did back then... With love in my heart...
Ducking Behind a pillar, Chief listened to the song Cortana had picked, mentally scanning for enemies while noting the lyrics. They were strangely fitting, or at least familiar.
Sad, He thought as he crouched over a fallen enemy for ammo, this song was sad.
We live in a beautiful place, let love take away all this pain. We live in a beautiful place, we wasted so many days, Our hearts are as dark as the rain. We live in a beautiful place...
Looking around he saw only the bodies of fallen marines, aliens, and a few weapons laying haphazardly across the floor. He was the only one left. Again. The coldness in the air stung him through his suit.
He couldn't help but mutter about the nonexistent beauty surrounding him.
"You don't think that do you, Chief?" Came Cortana's quiet question
Rescanning the scene, Chief couldn't help but see all the pain there.
Father, can we start over? Take me to the places that we lived, before the days came and made us older
I wanna feel the way I did back then, before my heart grew cold...
"I do."
The Feeling of hope that filled his Ai companion was surprising to him, and he couldn't seem to shake the felling that she wanted him to be a bit less depressing.
"Well come on Chief, we can't have the luckiest Spartan in the Universe feeling so down." Cortana's playful tone echoed thru his mind, bouncing off the images of pain until there was just him and her.
Chief ignored the grip she had on his feelings for the moment, and instead focused on her statement.
"And why is that, if you don't mind me asking, that I'm lucky?" As hard as he tried, he didn't have the power to keep his mood from being lifted from her next words
Our hearts are as dark as the rain, our hearts are as dark as the rain. It's a beautiful place if we make it, it's a beautiful place to be wasted, don't you know.
"Because you have me, John"
That, combined with the song made him that much more hopeful towards his life. Cortana felt his mood change and instantly he could almost see her smug expression.
"Don't push it, I still don't know what music I like you know" John said teasingly as her leaned into another corridor, this one filled with Jackals. As he ducked behind a door to avoid the incoming shots, Cortana's laugh filtered thru his helmet, pulling another grin out of him.
"Well then, we have a whole forever to figure it out, so how's about we run thru my playlists and find out?"
We live in a beautiful place, let love take away all this pain, we live in a beautiful place...
Letting the last few notes of the song drift thru his helmet, the Master Chief reloaded his needler and prepared to jump out of cover.
Cortana knew the answer before he said it, and already was looking for new songs by the time he said it.
"I'd love to."