Aiden Price studied the woman in front of him. She studied him back, expression unreadable. The Director had insisted that she be 'obtained' for study – he had not yet specified the purpose – but had been hesitant to let the so-called reject in for Freelancer training. After watching her physical testing, he had changed his mind.
Aiden found her demeanor…fascinating. He preferred to interact with the Freelancers when they were out of uniform. It made them more human, allowed him to record and analyze their facial expressions to better understand their emotions.
That did not work with Agent Arizona.
Aiden leaned back, pretending to reread her profile, seeing if her countenance cracked when she was not being studied directly. He let the silence stretch for a minute…several minutes…ten minutes. Agent Arizona waited patiently. Back straight. Hands folded politely in her lap. Shifting occasionally, but never fidgeting. Finally, Aiden spoke.
"You were in Spartan Unit Echo-441, is that correct?" he asked her in his soft, comforting voice. Of course, he already knew the answer, but he was not interested in obtaining factual information from the newest addition to the project. He needed to try to see under that mask.
"Correct, sir."
"Please," Aiden said, giving Arizona a small smile, "you need not distract yourself with formalities." He paused as Arizona nodded her understanding. "Very few people are aware of what happened to your squadron. A terrible accident. I understand you lost most of your team."
"Correct." Arizona's face was inscrutable. No anger, no sadness, no regret.
"You have my sincerest condolences."
Arizona nodded her head respectfully. "Thank you, sir."
The action seemed sincere enough. She was not faking her respect for her fallen comrades. But she was not allowing herself to grieve for them, either. "We have obtained footage of the incident, but I would like to hear your account."
The agent before him was silent for a moment. "Where shall I begin, sir?"
"Let's begin with your assignment. Why were you and the remainder of your unit on the ship?" He knew, of course. And she knew that he knew. She was a Spartan. Not one of the originals, psychologically molded from childhood to be the perfect soldiers. But a Spartan nonetheless. She was not stupid.
"We got word the Covenant was looking for something in one of the outer systems. No exact coordinates, so we couldn't just jump to them, we would have to track them – pretty standard. Echo-441 usually went in cryo for the trips that were supposed to take more than a few weeks. Just some support personnel and the ship's AI to stay awake, keep everything running, track the target." She shrugged her shoulders ever so slightly, betraying her first hint of emotion in the entire time she and Aiden had been sitting in the room together.
"Of course," Aiden replied, nodding for her to continue.
"Well, one of the things the AI is supposed to do is cognitive maintenance. They engage the neural implants, make sure our brains stay active and healthy during cryo. We usually don't remember any of it when we are reactivated. Only this trip…" she trailed off, studying a space over the counselor's shoulder. He glanced back, but nothing was there. She was just remembering.
"Agent?"
"I'm fine," she replied pleasantly. Her voice held no indications of post-traumatic anxiety or emotional distress. "Just trying to find the right words." She paused for one more moment. "The ship's AI was about six years old. It entered Rampancy during the trip. The reason for the early breakdown was never disclosed to me.
"The AI – we called him Leo, I don't remember his official designation – tried to slow his rampancy by using our neural implants. He…hijacked our minds, I suppose. Started using our brains for his excess thought."
Arizona fell silent. Aiden allowed her to gather herself for a moment. He pressed a button on his console before continuing. "And what were the results of this hijacking?"
"Everyone responded a little differently. Some started waking up and died in their pods. Couple others tried to treat Leo like a normal AI, and he ended up destroying their own thoughts. Most just couldn't distinguish their minds from Leo. Once the onboard personnel realized something was wrong, they started activating everyone." She shook her head. "They were behaving in the way they believed to be logical, but it probably killed most of the team. Once we were out of cryo, people just started grabbing weapons. Some tried to cut out their implants. Some just killed themselves. Leo tried to stop us from hurting ourselves, but he didn't know how to control a human body, much less a whole squadron of them. It was chaos."
The door behind her opened. Arizona glanced over her shoulder. Aiden saw her tensing some of her muscles, ready to jump to action if necessary. Nothing rushed or anxious about the movements. Simply ingrained training. Interesting.
A man in off-white armor slid two mugs onto the table, gave Aiden a courteous nod, and left. Aiden caught him eyeing Arizona curiously, but said nothing.
Arizona raised an eyebrow. "Chamomile," Aiden responded to the unasked question.
Arizona laughed, and Aiden nearly fell out of his chair. He was beginning to come to the conclusion that she couldn't laugh. "You truly are a professional, counselor," she said lightly, her voice finally allowing some emotion to creep forward. Actually, her face wasn't stoic anymore either. She grabbed her mug and took a sip, grinning widely. She looked positively delighted. "Mmmmm, perfect!" she exclaimed. The ex-Spartan leaned her head back and closed her eyes, savoring the drink. "Oh, this is just lovely! You are a wonderful man, Counselor Price. A wonderful, wonderful man."
Aiden leaned back, uncertain what to make of this sudden change in demeanor.
"Anyway, you wanted to know more about me!" she exclaimed, leaning forward. She appeared almost…giddy. Aiden made a small note and nodded for her to continue. "Perfect. Where was I? Oh, yes, Leo. He was actually very caring. He really did try to help us. Poor Leo."
"Could you elaborate on that?"
"Of course!" Arizona opened her mouth, but winced suddenly. "My apologies for my outburst," she muttered, her expression stoic once more. "Which details would you like me to elaborate upon, sir?"
Aiden frowned slightly. The agent before him had returned to her previous, cool state. It was as though her bout of emotion had never occurred. "You said that once your squadron was activated, the scene was chaotic. Do you remember your actions during this time?" He knew she hadn't taken any. But he was curious if she remembered. How much control did the AI have when she escaped?
"I was not released from my pod, sir," Arizona replied. "I was able to view the events through Leo, but I was not activated until after the majority of the violence had ceased."
"So the AI was in your mind for the longest."
"Correct."
"And how did this affect you?"
Arizona frowned, thoughtful. "I'm sure UNSC has explained why I am considered unfit for duty, sir," she said flatly.
Aiden nodded. "I have access to your psychological analysis following the incident, yes. But I am interested in your perspective. What do you feel happened to you?"
Arizona scrutinized the counselor for a moment before answering. "The psychologist said the event triggered an 'underlying, previously undiagnosed multiple personality disorder, with unresolved indications of dangerously aggressive behavior.'" Arizona shook her head. "She was wrong. It's one personality. Leo just split it up. I think he was trying to compartmentalize. It's how the AI's save themselves under severe stress. I do not know if Leo was attempting to rescue my mind or his own, but he split me. My personality and behavior comes out in sections…fragments…compartmentalized pieces."
"What did you say?" Aiden asked sharply.
Arizona appeared mildly surprised. "Which part, sir?"
"You feel your mind is fragmented?"
The new agent was silent for a moment. "I cannot think of a better explanation, sir."
That explains why the Director was so interested in her. "And can you control these…fragments?"
"I'm not sure I understand the question."
"Can you decide which section of your personality dictates your actions?"
Arizona nodded. "For the most part. Sometimes a fragment will take over in reaction to a changing environment. Aggression usually appears in a battle situation. Happiness is triggered by unexpected kindness."
"You have names for them?"
"Yes, sir. Though they are simply my own shorthands. They do not necessarily encompass the full extent of the fragment."
Aiden leaned forward. "Have you identified all of these fragments?"
Arizona nodded. "Aggression, happiness, logic, passion, discontentment, and…" she looked down. "Fear," she said quietly.
"Fear is a natural part of being human," Aiden replied calmly. "And you are still human." He paused. "Which portion is in control at the moment?"
"Logic. I suppose you could say it is my default setting."
"And your actions previously were…"
"Happiness," Arizona replied. She gave a very small smile. "I do enjoy chamomile."
Aiden leaned back. "Very well. You have presented me with an interesting puzzle, Agent Arizona. I will have to consider your condition further before making my recommendation to the Director."
"I understand."
"For now, you may return to your quarters. Use the communal space as you will. We will call you when we are ready to speak further." Arizona nodded and stood, moving toward the door. "And Agent," Aiden said, smiling at her when she turned back, "welcome to Project Freelancer."