~~Chapter Two~~
John is sleeping on the mattress, which he moved to the floor so the bed frame wasn't crushed under his immense weight.
Deep in REM sleep, his breaths are long and slow and his eyes move about energetically beneath his eyelids as he dreams. He has been asleep for ten hours now, not wanting to waste the chance to get sleep; a luxury that comes very rarely for him.
Even if those hours are a vivid, living nightmare.
His nightmares are twisted perversions of his actual experiences. They are the realization of the fear that he hides from the world.
And from himself.
John sprints towards the Didact, only to be swatted away by some invisible force the ancient creature controls. He tumbles onto the light bridge before finally rolling to his feet in a wide, deep crouch, preparing to pounce in the very next heartbeat if need be. His shields are fully drained from the blow, and the warning alarm is wailing in his ears. The nuclear warhead has been dislodged from his back and lies only feet away from him. He looks quickly at the Didact, then the warhead, then back at the Didact, then he dives for the warhead as his shields start to recharge.
He is stopped midair, his shields completely knocked offline by the restraining force. He reaches desperately for the warhead as his chest is squeezed painfully tight by the Didact's Invisible Hand as it pulls him away. The Didact manipulates John in midair, straining the man's body just for the pleasure of hearing him moan in agony.
He holds the Master Chief aloft by the chest, immobilizing him. The Didact's eyes narrow in distaste as he draws John closer to him so that he now hovers, suspended by the Invisible Hand a few feet away from the Didact. The pressure on his chest increases and his armor presses tighter under the pressure around his torso.
John groans and gasps, his heart racing in desperation as the space in which it occupies slowly shrinks, his lungs are starting to bruise as they are crushed tighter and tighter by the Invisible Hand.
The Didact simply stares coldly as this weak, fragile human hangs suspended by his chest, arms stretching down and back and head thrown back. "How truly fragile, your species…" He rumbles, tilting his head and emphasizing the 'i' in fragile. "Even with your, sophisticated exo-suit, you are still nothing more than a little ragdoll with whom I can do whatever I please."
The Didact draws John's face close to his and narrows his eyes, "Your delicate internal structures struggle to continue functioning," He looks down at John's chest for a moment, and scans the orange beam across his torso; seeing through the heavy armor, bruised skin, tearing muscle and cracking bone, directly at his heart and lungs as they strain against his crushing telepathic grip, "with such a… gentle squeeze." John's gasps for air are choked, and then halted altogether as the Didact clenches his fist tighter for a moment, contracting the vice the Invisible Hand has around his torso to the point where John can't breathe at all. Time stretches on into an eternity for John as his vision narrows to nearly a pinpoint in the blackness. He is a moment away from losing consciousness. Then, the Didact's grip loosens and John takes a desperately deep breath and lets it out as stars explode in his vision. He pants for a moment and his head lolls forward, chin to chest.
"Pathetic." The Didact now reaches out with his right hand and touches John's chest armor and it disintegrates from around him. Then the Didact touches his forearm plating, followed shortly by his abdominal and shoulder plating. John is fully panicking when Didact touches the golden visor and the helmet disintegrates.
John is quickly stripped down to his black, skintight underarmor. The Didact reaches out and puts a single pointed digit on the center of John's heaving chest and drags it down to just above his navel, ripping through the material and into his skin. John cries out in pain, his breaths heavy and rapid and his face twisted in a grimace. Blood quickly runs down his torso and drips down his legs to the light bridge below. Tears of agony start to run down his face at the searing pain in his torso.
The Didact grimaces, "Such intense expression…" Didact caresses the pad of his thumb in the gash, covering the digit in crimson blood. "Show me more." He rubs the slick blood between thumb, index and forefinger, looking back up at John's face. "I've always wanted to perform a vivisection… upon a human." He shoves his index finger into the open gash above John's sternum and drags his claw through to the bone.
John's agonized scream not only wakes him, but Jo as well and the latter rushes to the room and knocks on the door.
"John?"
John's chest aches and his whole body is covered in sweat underneath his armor. His heart pounds in his ears and his body trembles uncontrollably with his ragged breathing. His mind replays flashes of the Didact's claws covered in blood, his chest gouged and bleeding, the dripping blood on the light bridge, his grimacing and alien face over and over as his hands grip the edges of the bed like vices.
"John!" Jo tries to open the door but he's locked it. Damn the military and their safety training…
It felt so real, he could feel the flesh tearing beneath the Didact's claw. John looks anxiously around the room, blinking rapidly.
"JOHN!" Jo cries out desperately, and John finally responds with a choked sound as he sits up.
Jo grabs the peg key from atop the doorframe and unlocks the door, opens it and rushes over. Without hesitation she kneels between his legs in front of him and immediately takes his face in her hands and looks into his glazed over eyes. His breathing is ragged and uneven. He reminds her of a child after a nightmare. Almost exactly the same, except he's over eight feet tall and probably in his mid forties.
"John, look at me… Look at me, it was just a dream, John. Do you understand?" She can see his pulse pounding franticly in his neck. "Please, say something…" She begs, smoothing a hand gently over his head and dropping the other to rest over the sternal plating on his chest armor.
Finally, his icy blue eyes focus on her and he swallows hard, brow furrowed intensely. His jaw clenches and unclenches and finally he speaks, "The Didact… was going to dissect me… while I was still alive." His eyes dart around the room anxiously, "I could feel my skin and muscles tearing…" His body shakes.
Jo is shocked at the vivid and gruesome nature of his dream and the only thing she can think to do is wrap her arms around his torso as tightly as she can and hold him, burying her face into his neck. "It's ok, John. It was only a dream." She whispers softly against the side of his neck and closes her eyes, willing him to respond in some way.
John is a bit taken aback by this strange gesture but there's an energy that comes off of her that works to somewhat smooth his frayed nerves and instinct kicks in. Lifting his right arm, he gently wraps it around her torso, pulling her closer.
"Why are you doing this for me, Jo?" John whispers after a long span of silence.
"Because, you are a broken man, John. Someone has to hold you together." Jo whispers, pulling back and looking into his face.
Jo's words ring true and a pang of emptiness twinges in his chest. He is broken. So very broken without Cortana. And oh how he wishes that he could just wake up and it all have been a dream and Cortana is there to chastise him for dozing off.
Jo lets him go and sits down cross-legged in front of him, between his feet, her hands in her lap. John's elbows rest on the insides of his thighs as he hunches over, holding his face in his hands.
"I'm sorry I woke you." John's gravelly voice makes her jump, as she was lost in thought.
"It's ok, John. Really." Jo looks at the clock, "There are still a few hours till sunrise. Try to get a little more sleep." She gets off the bed and goes to leave the room. John watches her walk away and Jo notices this out of the corner of her eye. "What's wrong?"
John is looking at her with a distant sort of expression. "You walk like she did." His eyes shift down but his head does not move.
Jo is not sure what to say. Finally something forms on her tongue, "We will find a way, John. You have my word." She walks over and puts her hand over one of his, squeezing it before departing with a reassuring smile.
When the door closes he lets himself collapse back onto the mattress with a grunt and he stares at the ceiling until his eyes become weary and heavy-lidded. He closes them and drifts back into unconsciousness.
"UNSC Infinity, this is Master Chief Petty Officer John, Spartan - One One Seven, how do you copy?"
A few moments of silence.
{"Good copy Sierra one one seven, this is Captain Lasky. Good to hear from you again, it's been a few days. Go ahead."}
"Likewise, Captain. Do you have an ETA for extraction yet?"
'He sure is not a man of many words, and certainly one of getting straight to the point with no bullshit.' Lasky thinks to himself. {"Sorry Chief, Infinity's slipspace drive is still hosed. Have to wait for a replacement drive. Gonna be a good month or so. We have a team preparing an extraction on another, smaller slipspace capable frigate, but they won't have any birds back from sorties till another three weeks out. Just hang in there Big Guy."} Lasky's voice is reassuring. Or at least that's what he hoped to convey to the Master Chief.
John sighs softly, "I understand. Thanks for the update, Captain. Chief out." John cuts the communications signal and heaves another sigh, putting his hands on his hips. He looks up at the bright sun and the visor immediately tints darker, polarizing precisely so that John can actually make out the roiling miasma that is the solar surface. A sudden chill shoots down his spine and static makes his hair stand up.
Then, a voice comes through his mind that stops his heart cold.
"John?"
John's head swims and he stumbles for a moment before catching himself. "Cortana?" His voice catches in his throat as he speaks her name aloud.
"No John," the voice corrects tenderly and John's heart clenches painfully as it sinks dejectedly.
"I am The Librarian, recall that we met on Requiem."
John only has to think for a moment before he remembers her, and what she did to him to initiate his transformation, as well as make him capable of defeating Ur-Didact. He swallows hard, then speaks aloud, "I do remember you. You were the one who changed my perspective on my entire existence. I still have many questions for you, Librarian. First being what the hell did you do to me?"
"I apologize for the brevity of my instruction to you during our previous encounter, but time was very short. I will entertain your questions when the time is right. Now, it is quite apparent to me you are still very much at odds with your new-found emotions. I also understand that it is still very difficult for you to cope with the loss of your ancilla because of this. I know you two were very close. I apologize also for the manner in which I contacted you. Telepathy is challenging at times because of our distance. But all you need to do is think what you want to say, I will hear you. Now, forgive me for abruptly changing the subject matter of this conversation, but I need to talk to you about something very important. Please listen carefully, as we have a very limited amount of time until this connection will be broken by the star around which Genesis orbits."
John does not even hesitate, 'Go.'
The Librarian speaks quickly but clearly into John's mind, "Reclaimer, you must acquire a large data storage device that is compatible with the data port on your helmet. I have a large package of critical information I need you to store and keep safe for me. Its contents are, at this time, unimportant to you. I simply need you to hold on to it for me, as it is not safe here. Do you understand what I ask of you?"
'I understand. How much time do I have?' John thinks quickly, his brow furrowed.
"Not much, I am afraid. Act swiftly, Spartan. You have an hour and a half, two at most."
'Right. I will do what I can for you.'
"I know you will, John. Now go!"
John needs no further prompting, he immediately calls out for Jo as he runs back into the house. "Jo?" He practically skids into the kitchen, gaze darting quickly around in search of her.
Empty.
"Jo!" he bellows desperately, looking through to the living room before running through to the hallway. "Jo, where are you?"
He nearly runs her over as she emerges from her bedroom. "JO!" John cries out and takes a quick breath, "I need the largest empty data storage chip you have, or can get. Now."
Jo blinks a few times, still in shock from being nearly run over by a nine foot tall, yelling Spartan. She regards the frantic man, fully armored and admittedly quite intimidating. His body trembles with a desperate kind of anxiety she hasn't seen in him in their short time together. "Steady, Master Chief. Take a deep breath and reign in."
John's fists clench so tightly in irritation that the fabric and metal creaks and groans. "Time is short." He rumbles in frustration with this civilian who clearly has no clue as to the importance of haste in this situation.
Jo notes his demeanor and puts a sterner expression on, "John, take a deep breath. Now."
It suddenly clicks for John that she can't help him if he behaves in this manner, letting his emotions run wild, and so he obliges, taking in a long breath and letting it out slowly, his fists unclench and his shoulders loosen. He quietly kicks himself, cursing these damned emotions and their cunning ability to get the better of him in critical situations.
"Ok, good, now how big does this drive need to be exactly? What kind of data are we storing?" Jo asks calmly.
"I don't know what kind, only that it's a large amount, probably a few tens of terabytes." John reaches up to the back of his head and absently thumbs the data chip slot there on the back of his helmet. Another important parameter pops into his head, "It also needs to be compatible with my helmet." He adds, taking off his helmet and showing Jo the slot he was referring to.
"Ok, I don't own one that big, but there's a tech depot twenty minutes from here that I know for sure has drives that big."
"Good, let's get moving." John replies, sliding his helmet back on.
Jo laughs at John's eagerness and gives him a smile. "Wait in the foyer, I have to put on my shoes and grab my wallet and keys."
John nods curtly and does a slick about face and walks into the foyer, standing at parade rest by the door.
Twenty two minutes later, Jo parks her jeep and cuts the engine, climbing out. Master Chief follows shortly, taking a moment to properly unfold himself from the diminutive vehicle, and they walk into the store. John makes a beeline to the front counter and greets the sales clerk in short military fashion before he asks, "What is the largest portable data storage device you have?" John reaches up and removes his helmet, "It must fit this data port." He turns the helmet and indicates the access terminal on the back of the helmet.
Jo just now makes it to the counter. John looks down at her and she just gives John a look of 'Calm down…' to which he replies with a stern glare, setting his helmet on the counter.
She then reaches into her purse and pulls out a little box. She lifts the lid and pulls out a chip that looks to be identical to the data chip Cortana was stored on, and shows it to the clerk. "It should look like this."
The clerk takes the chip, examines it for a moment and looks at Jo, then up at John. "I'll be right back." With a smile she turns and disappears into the back.
John crosses his arms and looks down at Jo with a furrowed brow, "I thought you said you didn't have any chips that big? That was clearly a large capacity solid crystal state storage chip." Tilting his head back a little, John reaches his left hand down the front of his collar to pull up his dog tags and, hanging from the chain is an identical, although more damaged looking drive. John takes it gently between his right thumb and forefinger and holds it out so Jo can see it. "This was hers."
Jo's chest tightens. The look in his eyes hits home. Her hand twitches up to reach for it but she stops herself as he carefully lowers the tags and chip back down beneath his chest armor. "I'm sorry, John it is an old chip that used to hold a smart AI, but the chip was deeply corrupted when the AI fell into rampancy. I just never got around to recycling the chip."
John's brows relax slightly and he looks away with a soft "mmh" to indicate he understands. Silence falls between them as they wait. John's leg bounces a little and he crosses his arms over his broad chest again. Jo looks over at him and chuckles quietly, shaking her head when suddenly John's whole demeanor changes and he leans forward to the counter, gripping it with his hands. His head hangs like he's been suddenly drained of his energy. She is at his side the next moment, hands on his arm and face peering up into his face. "John? Are you ok?"
"John, it is I, The Librarian. I detected large quantities of raw data storage near your location, Have you procured a drive yet?"
'I'm about to,' John looks at Jo, "Yes, I'm fine," he rumbles, looking up as the clerk returns with a box and hands the old chip to Jo and the new box to John.
"It's thirty five terabytes. Is that enough?"
John nods and starts to open the box.
"Good job, Spartan. Are you near a power source?"
'Do power outlets count?' John inquires mentally.
"If they are putting out an alternating current at his juncture, they do." The Librarian replies.
'Then, yes.' John states as he frees the data chip from its container and puts his helmet back on.
"Good. Insert the chip now, John. I am going to use your suit's energy to solidify the connection while I transfer this data. Prepare."
He obeys and as soon as the gold contact plates connect to their pairs in the port in his helmet, he immediately drops to his hands and knees with a heavy groan as his armor's shields and power core are drained. Jo yells in shock and drops down beside him reaching out to touch him.
"Stay back!" John yells, louder and much more forcefully than he originally intended, but better to terrify the woman and save her life than have her immediately electrocuted. There's an intense blue arc of electricity that leaps out from the nearest wall outlet and the lights in the store dim as that energy pours into John's armor.
Jo is shocked by the ferocity of John's warning, however understands plainly why he was so fierce after seeing that arc of electricity jump to the armor from the wall outlet a few feet away. "John, are you alright?"
John nods. "Sorry I yelled. You would have been electrocuted had you touched me."
"I see that now, thank you. What's happening?" Jo asks, keeping her distance from him.
John turns around and sits on the floor, leaning back against the counter, his head hitting the wood with a solid thud. "The Librarian is transferring a massive amount of some type of data to the storage drive. She tells me she is using the power from my suit, and the outlets nearby to create a secure and stable link between her plane and ours."
"Oh." She says, as if this was a normal occurrence. "I'm going to pay for that chip, then." Jo stands up and meets the cashier at the next register down since John's gigantic frame is very much in the way of the first one.
A few minutes pass and John finally stirs, having been totally silent and motionless up until now. 'Is that all of it?' he thinks, knowing that she can hear him.
"Yes John. It is protected by a biolock that only you can access, so when the time comes, you are the key. Protect this data; keep it safe for me. May fortune continue to smile upon you, Reclaimer."
'I will. Thank you, Librarian.' John stands carefully and looks down at the cashier, "Thank you very much for your rapid response."
Jo thanks the cashier as well and motions for John to follow and they exit the store and head back for Jo's house. About five minutes into the drive, Jo glances at John, who meets her gaze through his golden visor, "So, John, tell me what's just transpired. What kind of data do you have now?"
John takes a long breath and sighs audibly as he searches for a way to concisely explain this scenario to Jo. He can't. Another sigh before he starts speaking. "Okay, according to The Librarian, it is a package of data that she needs me to hold on to for her until further notice. She told me that its contents were unimportant to me at this time."
Jo blinks a few times, staring hard at the road ahead of her. "Okay," she says slowly. "So, now what?"
John crosses his arms, "I don't know. I'm not a scientist." He looks over at her and she glances at him as he says, "I'm a Spartan." He looks back at the road.
Jo sighs and looks forward again, "Right. That's my job to figure out. As the scientist."
The remainder of the ride home is silent.