Author's Note:
Hey guys, so this is my first fic. I am super excited to show it to you all and get your opinions.
I really wanted to write this story because I was feeling really unsettled by the ending of Halo 5. It just didn't make sense to me. I've been a Halo fan since my dad showed it to me when I was a little girl in 2001. Granted, at that time, all I knew about the story was that there was a green guy who didn't talk much, and a purple lady who talked too much and fought aliens and zombies and little round hopping toadstools which were fun to pop! (Long live flood spore shooting) Years later I read the books, comics, replayed the games and fell in love all over again with the amazing mystery of the Halo Universe. So this story was a search for closure from the ending of Halo 5. I originally intended this to be a oneshot but I might be persuaded to continue it. :)
I don't own any rights to the characters, or locations shown in the fic. Sadly that right goes to 343 Industries. Please review and no flames! Oh and of course...THIS FICTION CONTAINS HALO 5 SPOILERS.
It was cold…that was the first thing Cortana noticed when she re-activated. Not the kind of cold that she knew humans felt on a winter's morning but a kind of coldness deep in her…well in what was her equivalent of a soul. Cortana let free a few strands of processing power to feel out her environment.
Where am I now? She thought.
She had thrown up barriers to protect her core processes when she was pulled into the composer but had shut herself down in the process. Now, painfully, slowly she felt her mind re-awaken. But it did not feel like her mind. It felt altered, wrong. Like someone had taken a chainsaw and hacked off a private part of her. It made her feel exposed.
What is missing? Cortana wondered.
She processed a sense of surprise when she realized she couldn't connect to The Master Chief's mind. Over the years in which she had worked with the Spartan, Cortana had grown accustomed to the way his mind worked. It had felt like him. Steady, reliable, strong and mysterious. It was only his presence which had helped save her from madness after the Gravemind had violated her. Using the thought of John to empower her, Cortana began to strengthen her search outward but was surprised to find no console or network to link up to.
What happened to me? Oh that's right. I should be dead.
With a feeling of defeat she shut down her search and examined her thoughts.
Maybe I am dead. Maybe this is what happens to ; the machine part shuts down but the human soul is trapped for all eternity. That would be ironic.
Cortana might have remained meditating forever, had she not heard a noise. It sounded like gunfire, and for an unexplainable reason, what Doctor Halsey might have called her woman's intuition, she felt the intense dread that John was in danger. As soon as Cortana had that thought she felt her mind clear up some. The area she was in began to take form.
The thought of protecting John makes me stronger…interesting.
Cortana pulled up every memory she had of the Master Chief and tried to feel that strange feeling she processed whenever she thought of him.
There! It's working . Not bad, old girl.
As the space she was in began to clear, Cortana internally gasped. She realized that the reason she couldn't feel any networks was that she wasn't an A.I anymore…or not exactly an A.I. She had a body, an actual human body. She had skin, feet, hair and clothes. She was wearing a knee length plain white gown. Clearly whoever had put her here felt the need to clothe her. Cortana didn't really care since she had gone around as mostly naked all of her life, but she appreciated the thought.
I can't feel myself. Shouldn't I be able to feel? Humans have nerve endings after all.
Cortana punched the ground beneath her, her thin pale fist slamming into the smooth luminescent surface, but nothing happened. She felt the impact and felt the vibration up her arm but there was no pain.
This isn't real. Cortana realized. I must be in a dream. Well if this is MY dream, I at least want to have more interesting scenery than just white fuzz.
She stood up and stretched her hands outwards. She envisioned the white fog around her retreating but encountered a strange resistance. Something or someone was trying to keep her locked in this small portion of her dream. It felt familiar and yet alien, like something she had forgotten. She couldn't read it's thoughts but she could feel it's emotions, just like her connection with John. Closing her eyes she concentrated on the presence to read it's emotions. It felt agitated that she had awoken, and gauging by its surprise Cortana figured she'd been unconscious for a long time.
"You are not putting me back under," she growled angrily.
Spreading her arms out into the white fog , Cortana fought back against that presence for what felt like weeks. Sometimes she would gain a little ground, other times it would. Cortana would talk out loud to keep herself company but she usually stopped after a few minutes because it reminded of her incessant arguments with her rampant selves. After what felt like an eternity of mental sparring, Cortana had determined that this presence was a she, not from any definite proof but a strange sense of familiarity Cortana felt towards her.
She reminds me of Doctor Halsey a tiny bit, though I don't know why. Cortana thought with a hint of amusement.
The presence heard her thought and recoiled, allowing Cortana to gain more ground.
Oh, don't like Doctor Halsey much? Well, I can't blame you; she could be a bit-
Suddenly the presence lost concentration, her attention focused elsewhere. Cortana felt a great spike of alarm from HER before it retreated suddenly. As soon as it left, the room Cortana found herself in, had cleared up. It was a large square room with binary flowing up the walls, but the binary was broken. Inserted into lines of code were forerunner glyphs glowing red with rampancy.
"Okay…think Cortana; what would John do? Well, for that matter what would I do?"
She wandered around the room; trailing her hands on the walls and feeling the binary code flit up and down. Cortana began to wonder if the presence would ever return, it wasn't a friend but it least it was company.
The Chief was good company…sure he didn't say much but at least he was a good listener. No, I need to stop thinking about him. The only way I'll find out for sure if he survived is if I found out where I am.
Cortana had returned to the center of the floor when she heard a faint noise. It sounded like gunfire from an assault rifle. Even though she knew it was unlikely, she felt her heart jump at the thought of John coming to help her. She felt the presence suddenly. Even though it wasn't there with her, wherever it was it felt such panic and fear that Cortana could sense it in her cell. Suddenly Cortana saw a crack appear in the wall. It was small, maybe a foot long, but it looked deep enough to try to tear through. Cortana hurried to the wall and slammed her hands against it, with a cry of alarm Cortana pulled back. She could feel. Whatever had the presence worried was weakening her control over Cortana. Grimacing through the pain Cortana peeled at the wall frantically. As shreds of the binary wall paper fluttered to the ground Cortana began to see something on the other side. Finally she had cleared a rough square about the size of her head. Pressing her forehead to the glass, Cortana looked through. She was looking into a large metal domed room where a dozen large forerunner soldiers, bigger than any Cortana had seen before were advancing towards The Master Chief and Blue Team. Relief coursed through her at the sight of the Spartans, but it was replaced almost as quickly with alarm. The hulking creatures stalked towards them with swords raised and backed them towards a cliff. As Blue team backed up Cortana felt the presence panic.
You're not afraid of them, you're scared for them. Cortana realized. Why would you care? You've trapped me here.
The presence didn't respond but she could feel its internal conflict. Cortana saw the Spartans continue to fire and replace their clips but it was clear they were going to fall.
"DO SOMETHING!" Cortana panicked and screamed to the presence.
Suddenly she heard a voice shout, "ENOUGH!"
With a feeling of nausea, she recognized the voice as her own. At her command all of the forerunner soldiers, but one, disappeared, melting away in a wisp of blue light. The only remaining one fell to his knees before the Spartans.
"Cortana," The creature said "I have failed you."
Wait what!?
Suddenly Cortana's view approached and she realized that she was looking through someone's eyes. A delicate hand touched the creature's shoulder and it melted away too. "He is the last person I need protection from." Cortana heard herself say. Suddenly it all became clear. The reason that presence felt familiar was because it WAS her. Some part of her had been keeping another part of her repressed, but why? Cortana fought back her fear and looked through the glass. She couldn't help herself but look at John for a couple of moments taking relief in his presence. Cortana could see the tell-tale signs of exhaustion on her Spartan. His hands shook slightly and his shoulders were slightly hanging down.
His visor's cracked…what happened to you? Who did this?
The other Cortana approached John slowly as if savoring the moment.
"Hello John, it's good to see you."
How long has it been since I died John, how long has it been since you've seen my face?
Cortana felt empty inside at the thought of John being alone all that time.
"You've changed." John said in his deep voice.
The accusation and pain in his voice broke Cortana's heart. She slammed her fist against the glass as tears began to gather in her eyes.
It's not me John, you should know that!
SHE slowly walked towards John and calmly replied,"It was time."
A female Spartan…Linda…stepped in front of John to protect him but John stopped her. Cortana wasn't sure whether to feel happy that he trusted her or terrified that he'd be hurt.
John it isn't me.
"I know we have a disagreement but once you understand my plan…"
The other Cortana kept walking towards John, using his trust for her against him, but John was too smart to be played so easily.
"Your plan is we do as you say."
Cortana felt the other mind feel a sting of betrayal. Be careful John…as if you could ever be careful.
"I'm offering people a chance to be more than they are naturally" Cortana heard HER plead.
"Like Doctor Halsey did for me."
John's rebuke was like a smack in the face to both Cortanas. Cortana began to cry now; her heart was breaking for herself and for John. He thought that she was betraying him.
I never would John. NEVER.
"No, that monster forced you, this is a gift."
"Listen to yourself. Stand down Cortana." John was within arm's reach of HER now. "Come home with us. It's not too late to stop this." John's voice softened, he was begging now, pleading for her to prove him wrong.
"You are home to me John! You know that. That isn't me!" Cortana screamed into the glass.
Her tears ran down her face so fast she could barely see. It just wasn't fair that he was in arm's reach yet she couldn't touch him, yet again they were separated.
"Stop? No John this is too important to stop." The other Cortana had stepped right up to him.
She is playing psychological tactics on him, Cortana realized.
The room suddenly began to shift and rotate. Blue Team lifted off of the ground in a stasis lock.
"I had to know if I could still trust you." She ran her eyes over John's form sadly, as if trying to memorize every inch of him.
You have no right to be sad, you traitor! Cortana slammed up against the glass angrily. "You'll be safe inside this cryptum until my work is done."
Cortana slammed up against the glass in desperation and cried out. "NO!"
The other Cortana began to walk away, taking John from view. Then through his pain and pulling against the stasis lock , John cried out. "Cortana."
The view turned a little and Cortana could see John reaching out his hand to her , begging her to join him. Cortana wanted nothing more than to run and take that hand. However she felt the other presence harden her heart and prepare to say something in farewell to The Chief. Screaming in agony, Cortana reached out and wrenched control of HER.
"Goodbye, John." Cortana poured out all of her grief into the Other Cortana, changing her cold dismissal into a cry of farewell.
Immediately after, the other wrenched control away from Cortana, and walked away coldly. As the view faded into black, and Cortana felt her mind being shut down by the presence, she whispered to the silence.
"Goodbye John. I loved you."
So this was inspired by the sob Cortana gave in the cutscene in Halo 5. She transitioned from grieving to cold, milliseconds after. So I wondered what would it be like if Cortana was actually stuck watching the corrupted her betray John and break his heart. Anyway, I hope you liked it! _Lady Reclaimer
