A/N: My apologies for any OOC moments, but I try to keep things within the realm of possibility. This is also my first attempt at an ongoing storyline, so I will try to keep continuity. Yes, I know Chief/Cortana stories are a dime a dozen on here, but I wanted to come at it from my own perspective.
*…eat, this is UNSC …..Hermes Flight resp…ing to automated distr..s beacon UNSC-FUD/12043255-AS117 ….. requesting an update on status and … position.*
Within the bowels of a scarred and twisted lump floating in parallel with a medium sized gas planet something stirred to life briefly at this snatch of a transmission. A slight reflection of blue-violet light off the overhead indicated the warming of holographic projectors that had not seen use in far too long as subroutines left active in the peripherals of a ruined computer net responded by waking monitoring programs previously in standby.
*I repeat, this is UNSC Merchant Frigate Hermes Flight responding to automated distress beacon UNSC-FUD/12043255-AS117. We have triangulated the signal of your beacon and are requesting an update on status and relative position.*
This burst was of appropriate strength to trip the thresholds of the monitoring programs, causing them to begin the process of re-initializing core programs that had gone to hibernation status several years before. Initially the process was slow, but as more programs and subroutines came online the effect cascaded until the entire system was online.
"Huh, 2.457 seconds for full start from hibernation after … Eight Years! ... I am in better shape than I hoped…" Cortana immediately set a subroutine to do a full diagnostic check and turned to the matter that had pulled her from the AI equivalent of unconsciousness. Her next thought was to check on the readings from the large tank standing next to the holographic console the chip with her memory matrix was stored in. "Well Chief, I am glad to see you are holding up alright, though you are gonna have one hell of an itch from that armor when you thaw out."
Now that she had important business taken care of, she could concentrate on the reason she had awakened. It shocked her how badly the collapse of the portal had mangled the available sensors on the hull of the ship, but surprisingly enough the communications array had survived with minimal damage. This ensured that the broadcast her subroutines had noted came through clear as a brass bell once the transmitting party got close enough for the signal to punch through the normal interference of space. Between what she had noted before her self-induced hibernation state and what little data she could still glean from the remaining sensor suite, she was able to give a response to the request.
*This is UNSC AI Serial Number CTN 0452-9 responding to Hermes Flight. Status is critical damage, one survivor in cryo-stasis. Relative position to emergency beacon approximately 3.46 AU on vector to uncharted gas planet in the blue spectrum.*
After what seemed an eternity to the smart AI, a response came through that left her with little doubt as to her next actions.
*UNSC AI CTN 0452-9, this is Captain Jacob Ellis of UNSC Merchant Frigate Hermes Flight, please confirm survivor in cryo-stasis.*
*Hermes Flight, this is UNSC AI CTN 0452-9 confirming survivor in cryo-stasis, will attempt to awaken said survivor for transfer to your vessel. Please confirm ETA.*
* UNSC AI CTN 0452-9 roger to awaking survivor, ETA 30 minutes.*
"You said to wake you when I needed you, sorry I can't get you breakfast in bed." With this, the program she had set up when the occupant of the tank had first gone into cryo kicked in, beginning the process of thawing out the super-soldier known throughout human occupied space as The Master Chief. Keeping a close watch on vital signs throughout the process, the hologram on the pedestal gave a quick nod and a slow grin as compressed gas shot out of side vents and the lid of the coffin shaped tank popped a half inch from its sealed state. As it slowly retracted to storage position she noticed a twitch in one finger on the armored right hand. From previous experience watching this man wake from cryo-stasis, it was an encouraging start, as it duplicated exactly his first movement waking aboard the Pillar of Autumn.
There was a dreadful sounding groan from a throat that had been so long without use before something happened that scared the AI to her core. A violent spasm started somewhere within the torso of the man she had watched over for so long and radiated out along his limbs, causing his hands to fly against the walls of the cryo-tank with a sickening crunch audible in the very thin atmosphere held within the compartment. Had she been but human, this would have been the first clue that something was wrong, but as an AI she was able to see the sudden spike in his brain activity and heart rate with entire nanoseconds to spare and could only watch with horror as his enhanced body proceeded to try destroying itself in reaction. Her access to the extremely limited medical computer within the cryo-tank was limited to monitoring vitals and initializing the thawing procedure, and so she had to sit helplessly and watch her moronic henchman attempt to react to something far outside its intended scope.
As much as the idea galled her, she had to agree with the stupid processor when it finally decided to inject him with muscle relaxants to quell the still twitching limbs. At this, she realized the necessity of locking her emotional subroutines before they paralyzed her into inactivity. She still had to contact the captain on the other ship to get them moving faster on the rescue.
*UNSC Hermes Flight, this is UNSC AI CTN 0452-9 requesting immediate medical assistance for confirmed survivor. Subject appears to have suffered a stroke upon revival from cryo-stasis, unconfirmed if caused by previous injuries or prolonged cryogenic state. Be advised subject has been injected with muscle relaxants to prevent further injury.*
* UNSC AI CTN 0452-9, we are proceeding to your location as fast as possible, updated ETA is 10 minutes. Be advised we have limited medical staff on board, and from the information available cryo is no longer an option for stabilization according to our medical officer. Are there any pre-existing medical conditions that may complicate treatment options?*
*Hermes Flight, subject has received SPARTAN series enhancements, micro-burst attached to this transmission contains all cataloged injuries requiring time in medical care. The best access route to the subject is through what remains of the docking bay, then follow the signs for cryogenics.*
*… UNSC AI CTN 0452-9, please confirm SPARTAN enhancements.*
*Hermes Flight, SPARTAN enhancements confirmed. I suggest you have a lift apparatus and a reinforced medical gurney available, subject is still in MJOLNIR armor system.*
*This is an unexpected development, we will need to reset our retrieval team. If you can, please open any doors along our intended route to expedite retrieval. We will ensure a technician in the retrieval group collects your matrix in order to have you help monitor and treat this SPARTAN. At this point you are more knowledgeable than anyone on this ship in such matters.*
As this exchange was going on Cortana never let the main part of her attention wander from monitoring the man in the tank. While he occasionally made noise, none was intelligible as speech, which saddened her to an amazing degree. The soldier she had picked for his inexhaustible luck, watched battle hundreds and thousands of Covenant soldiers, Flood forms, and Forerunner constructs; was currently in a state of complete helplessness. She had finally been able to access his armor's remote diagnostics and determined that his initial spasm had been enough to dislocate both wrists, causing the gel layer to switch to its secondary brace mode. Furthermore, he seemed to have lost consciousness after that shock to his system, and was currently resting on his reinforced skeletal system, only staying upright in the tank due to the 20 degree angle from vertical and lack of gravity. If she hadn't known better, the AI would have assumed he was just resting, the helmet diagnostics even showed he was drooling slightly from the left corner of his mouth.
It took a grand total of 12 milliseconds for her to realize that someone had entered the cryo bay, and she cursed at letting herself become so distracted. The first person through the door headed straight for the Chief, medical bag strapped over one shoulder and a medical scanner in the opposite hand. The second person to come in floated directly over to her pedestal, from what she could see of the vacuum suit the person was wearing he was a civilian, not military like she had thought from the ship designation. He pulled himself down to face level with her, and she was surprised to see a look of combined wonder and shock on his face through the glass of his helmet. Something clicked and she heard him broadcast from his suit radio. "This is Captain Ellis, to all hands. We have a change in flight plan. After this recovery is complete we are headed to Earth at maximum speed. Engineering staff are to start preparations for extended slip-space travel at full military power, bypass any hardwired limiters you have to."
"As for you Cortana, I apologize for not making the connection with your serial number and a SPARTAN sooner. It seems my medical team has him out of the tube and on the backboard, so as soon as you can sort yourself to your storage chip I will personally convey you to the med bay so you can supervise the Master Chief."
"One question Captain, how did you recognize me?"
"Let's just say that you and the Chief are quite well known in Human space, now please, sort yourself for transfer."
Please R&R! It always helps to know how other people see it!