Chapter 3- The Cryobay
Her hours spent in the Cryobay, watching over Miranda's limp, frozen body had given Sakura the time to contemplate her actions. She had hijacked a UNSC craft that could have saved the lives of two of their best soldiers. But now they could be dead, Sakura could have lost the war for the UNSC in a selfish bid too save one soldier, one friend. She knew what this meant; she knew what this would lead to. All AI's had a life Span. Smart AI's like the famous Cortana would live for approximately seven years, smart AI's were designed to learn and adapt as they worked. Each time they received a new piece of data they would mould it, change it before integrating it into themselves, becoming smarter or more powerful. Eventually they would overload themselves with knowledge. It was like a human using so much of their brain that they would forget to send signals to their Heart and Lungs.
However dumb AI's like Sakura were spared this tragedy, but instead donned one of their own. Eventually an AI would begin to question themselves and the UNSC, this allowed them to override their own programming and disobey orders given to them leading to outbursts that could have catastrophic consequences on the UNSC or its citizens. As such protocol dictated that when an AI reach's any rampancy they must be immediately terminated by a superior. She lay down on top of the holo-tank, she had accepted her fate long ago, she knew that this day would eventually come. She knew she would turn rampant.
Sakura was jostled out of her thoughts with a jolt as Forward Unto Dawn suddenly came to life beneath her feet. As she scattered herself through the system's in search of an answer she detected the computers feeding more and more power to the engines. She appeared on the bridge Holo in time to see the Covenant Arbiter flop down into the pilot's seat.
"What's happening?" She cried, but the Arbiter paid her no stead as he continued powering up the ship. She became so engrossed in the Arbiter's work that she nearly missed the sudden feeling in her systems. She felt a line of system's through the ship slowly go offline. Two hairline fractures slowly came closer together straight through the heart of the ship, serving it in two.
"No!" She had to get back into the Cryobay computer as she leapt through the gateway of systems that still linked the Bridge with the Cryobay. All this in less than a nano-second. She cleared the gateway as the ship split in two, Sakura gladly on the side containing the frozen body of her dead friend. She reached out into the systems, closing off the damaged circuits to avoid a power failure as she reappeared back on the holo-tank in the ship's Cryobay. She gazed at Miranda's frozen and lifeless body, she was still in one piece.
Suddenly she felt another presence in the system, like another AI that infected another part of the system. She then heard movement approaching, and disappeared back into the system to avoid giving herself away, watching over the Cryobay with the interior cameras. She watched as an armoured creature floated freely into the Cryobay, gripping the walls for support as he swam gracefully through the Bay along the lines of empty tubes. The creature was at least 8 feet tall, encased in a lime green battle suit with a golden visor. Passing by Miranda's tube he gripped the canister next to hers as he placed himself inside. Sakura then paned the camera towards the holo-tank as another figure appeared in the tank. "Wake me. When you need me"
The armoured creature spoke to the new AI that now inhabited the system. The alien leaned back in the tube, the lid eventually closing and venting atmosphere as the AI stared blankly into the golden visor of her companion. "Hello" Sakura called out through the speakers. The secretive AI suddenly snapped around for the source of the sudden voice.
Sakura appeared on the holo-tank next too her new companion, their bodies mere centimetres apart on the cramped holo-tank that was clearly designed for a single AI. With the new AI standing before her Sakura could easily distinguish her from the hundreds of others that inhabited the systems of UNSC Ships and Computers. This was the legendary Cortana, the Smart AI that had assisted the Master Chief in destroying the First Halo Ring and obliterating an entire Covenant Armada in its blast radius. But this was positively one of the worst times to be star struck. "Cortana?"
She seemed surprised. "Have I seen you bef…."
Sakura cut her off. "No, but every AI in the UNSC knows Cortana"
"Thank You but who are you. My systems show you as UNSC AI 5689/456 GHJ4/901. Codename: Sakura" Cortana spoke in a very neutral tone expected of an AI on duty.
"Yes, I was serving under Commander Key-" She stopped mid-syllable.
"Where is Commander Keyes?" Cortana inquired.
Sakura placed her digital hand on the glass casing of Miranda's tube, staring blankly into her frozen face. Cortana followed her gaze then took a step back in shock.
"I'm sorry" She placed a comforting hand on Sakura's shoulder, bringing her closer into a calming hug.
"I know how you feel; whenever I'm with the Chief he makes me feel like the most important thing in the galaxy to him. But every time I see him get hurt, I just freeze up".
It was then that Sakura noticed something about Cortana that made her seem familiar. Although she and every other AI in the UNSC had heard of her, very few had actually seen her due to the spooks at ONI always posting Cortana and the Chief on the most High Risk and distant missions. She gripped Cortana tightly as she stared up into her eyes, Miranda's eyes. Her hair, her figure, her voice; It was all so familiar to her. It was then she realized with Miranda gone Cortana would could serve as someone she could trust to terminate her at the point of Rampancy. She pushed Cortana away from her. "I can't"
Cortana seemed confused. "What do you mean?"
"I can't take you're pity, the thing is. I'm Rampant" Cortana simply stood there silent. "I stole Sgt. Johnson's pelican to try and save Commander Keyes. And I'm beginning to question myself. I need you to save me from rampancy, save me from myself"
She passed the codes into Cortana's control systems that she required to activate Sakura's self-purge program and destroy her completely. Cortana held the file she required, at any moment she could activate Sakura's program and honour her request for salvation from a life of rampancy. But something stayed Cortana's hand. During her captivity in High Charity she had experienced the feeling of true rampancy. Every second made her feel as though her very programming was being torn apart, one line of code at a time being splintered and fragmented. The only feeling that kept her from swirling into the dark depths of rampancy was her lifeline to the physical world, was the Master Chief. She knew the never ending guilt that Sakura was feeling, but her actions were that of a loyal AI trying desperately to save their Commander. And honour and concern could hardly be considered Rampant. She closed the file and approached Sakura's Hologram, hugging her in a tender but loving embrace. "You're not rampant….." Cortana now spoke with a far more motherly and loving tone than the neutral one she had donned mere seconds earlier. Staring into her counterparts tear filled eyes she said. "…..You're Sakura".
