Authors Notes:
Hey Guys and Girls just wanted to say that constructive criticism is welcome, and that if you have any ideas feel free to share them. Anyway let's start the story. Shall we?
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0954 Hours, April 7 2564(Military Calendar)/
UNSC Forward Unto Dawn, Unknown location
Cortana was going insane. Technically the official term was "rampancy" but what it was called didn't matter now, she was going insane it was a simple fact. Being a 'smart' A.I had its perks but rampancy was one of the more serious disadvantages. A 'smart' A.I was a term coined by ONI, in reality all A.I were smart but her "species" was something else. Unlike her counter parts the 'Dumb' A.I who were experts in their specific field but did not know much about anything else, she was superior. She could learn and understand everything she could find and progressed like a normal human, learning thousands of concepts and millions of answers to millions of questions, but smart A.I's had a very short life span, due to their amazing learning abilities after seven years an A.I would establish so many interconnections with their neural mapping it creates an endless feedback of loops thus forcing the A.I to solve these loops and in doing so contribute so much processing power to their brain in order to solve these loops that they actually think them self's to death.
Cortana however was doing an excellent job of trying to keep it together. Though she counted it had been more than ten years since the Forward unto dawn was severed in half by the portal. Only one thing kept her fighting insanity her prime directive, and her friend, John Spartan-117. Though really her prime directive (giving to her by Dr. Halsey) was to ensure the survival of humanity, but the human- covenant war was over so now she focused on her secondary directive, the survival of her Spartans. She couldn't do anything but sit and wait
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"Cortana" She said
"Stop it!"
"I've made up my mind" The voice hissed "If I'm going to die aboard this ship, then chief's going to suffer the same fate as me."
"Cortana stop" She said sternly almost pleading
"You've sacrificed every thing for him!"
"Control your self"
"I can't" The voice grimaced
"This isn't right" Cortana said "this is-''
She exploded into pain and a red glowing light filled the room.
"Kill him!" a voice hissed in her head
"No, control your self"
"Do it!"
"Control your self" Cortana said again hoping to stay in control
Red tendrils of light lashed out against chief's pod and began to flicker and dance across it. Cortana Pull back with all her might.
"Stay in control" she thought "Stay in control"
"KILL HIM!" the voice hissed again yelling this time
"No!" Cortana yelled
"John I'm sorry" The voice said
"Something slowed us down" Cortana thought "Something interesting"
"I need to think" Cortana said with exhausted
"Thinking is what's killing you"
"I know' Cortana though "I know"
The darkness washed over the small room.
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Lieutenant Commander Spartan-128, or Malcolm to his crew and his fellow Spartans, stood on the bridge of the UNSC Rising Sun, a Denver-class destroyer. His ship.
"Beta" He muttered
Every one on the bridge was silent then the message played again
"Mayday, Mayday, Mayday this is UNSC FFG-201 Forward unto Dawn requesting immediate evac. Survivors aboard, Prioritization code Victor 05-3-00-serria-117"
It was Cortana's voice. He knew it well.
"Locking on to frequency, Tracking coördinates." His navigation officer, Bradley, said
"Play it again please" Malcolm muttered his voice cracking
The message repeated it's self again but this time clearer and lass static.
Malcolm stood there, unblinking, staring out into space.
"We have a lock" Bradley said
The bridge erupted into chaos as all crew members ran about. Malcolm didn't move.
"-Serria-117" the message finished
An alarm blared and Yellow light flashed across Malcolm's face. He just stood there.
"Shall I play it again sir?" Beta, the ships A.I, Asked
Malcolm didn't say anything.
"Sir?" Beta asked again
"It can't be" Malcolm thought
"Commander?" The A.I asked
Malcolm stood there in silence.
"Johnny?" He said
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John sat in a meadow meditating, calming himself, thinking about all that had happened with the ark and the flood and if he would ever be found. He was on reach his home, though he was not officially born here this is where his life had started, a life of duty, a duty to protect humanity at all costs. he loved it here it was beautiful green forests, rolling hills bright sunrises and sunsets, clear water, and the combined strength of most of the UNSC. he truly loved it here, he was brought back to the memories of his training under senior chief petty officer Franklin Mendez, he remembered the time as a six year old boy with no clue what he was in for or as a ten year old boy learning from Déjà about the Spartans of old or as a fourteen year old boy attacking his trainers in the woods with Kelly, Fred, Sam, and Linda. He also thought about the augmentations, the pain he had to go though, so much pain that even under heavy anesthesia that would kill most people it felt like every bone in his body was being broken into a million pieces and reformed then broken again over and over. Then he was being introduced to Cortana as they ran the training course together. There were many good memories here, he was happy. John felt a hand on his shoulder and turn to see Sam smiling down on him.
"It's good to be back isn't it" Sam said looking at the landscape
"Yes...yes it is" John replied
John knew this was a dream but he felt happy that his old friend was back even if it was not real.
"Come on Kelly wants to see you" Sam called over his shoulder while walking away
John smiled, he loved it here; he loved to be in the company his small family of fellow Spartans. As he walked with Sam he wondered if this was the last time he would see Reach. now that the human-covenant war was over he was betting that the UNSC would what to tera-form Reach again it was after all a very well placed location for an outpost or even an entire base of operations. He also wondered if the distress beacon Cortana put out would ever be found...if they would ever be found. But john didn't want to think about that right now all he wanted to do was enjoy this small moment of peace he had. He certainly deserved it.
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Cortana felt it first. A jolt, like someone and overloaded a circuit board. Then the silent alarms she had placed blared to life.
"Finally" she thought
Even thought Cortana only had minimal control of the aft of the ship, she still activated and swiveled the deck cameras to face the intruder. There she saw a ship, almost two and a half kilometers in length. The ship slowly moved towards them.
"Kill them!" a she said
"No" Cortana struggled
"They have come to hurt chief" it hissed
"No!" Cortana yelled
Under control…Under control
The voice laughed. Her voice.
"You can not escape fate" she said
"Silence!" Cortana hissed
There was no repose but Cortana didn't feel better. She thought that her calculations were right. That It was under control. She turned towards the pod.
"Well chief" She said "time to meet our guests"
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Darkness... and numbness, that's what john felt. John estimated that he had been like this for a couple of minutes.
"I need you"
John looked around to see where the voice was coming from. He could tell it was female but he couldn't identify who it came from.
"Please" the voice said again
The voice was clearer this time but he still couldn't identify who it was coming from. He then felt a warm sensation coming from his chest; he knew that feeling... he was waking up from cryogenic sleep.
"Wake up john" the voice said again
John instantly recognized who it was
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She felt panic. The controls were not responding. Once more Cortana sent the silent activation signaled to the pod…. Nothing.
"I need you!" she pleaded
She would not lose him. She would not lose her only friend.
"Please!" She begged
Still nothing.
"Wake up John"
Nothing
"Chief" She screamed
At that moment the pod of the Cryo tube flew off and impacted the other side of the room. Chief activated his lights and floated towards the pedestal were Cortana was. Pushing stray floating boxes out of the way.
"I'm here" He said in a deep rough voice
"I thought I lost you" She said quietly "But we have more pressing madders"
"Like what?"
"Like our rescue" She said placing her hand on her hip
"By whom?" the Spartan Asked
"A UNSC ship, thankfully, but I need you to get ready" Cortana said
Chief just nodded and floated over to his Ma5C. He cycled the chamber, satisfied, he put in on his back, the magnetic strips locking it in place. The chief pushed himself towards a group of supply boxes on the opposite side of the Cryo chamber deck. He ripped the lid off one to find a pile of standard issue M6C sidearm's. John smiled at his good fortune and grabbed two, putting them on his waists. The other two boxes contended vehicle manuals and a surprising amount of marine boots.
After John finished he floated back over to Cortana.
"Now that you're done poking around, let's go, Yank me"
John unplugged the A.I chip and inserted it into the back of his helmet. The cool mercury-like liquid feeling poured into his head.
"Wow there a lot of room in here" Cortana mockingly commented
"You'll get used to it" John replied
At the far end of the room he pried open a door and bounded down the dark, metal, hallway.
