IV. Takes place after "Full Circle"
1315 Hours, October 22, 2552 (Military Calendar)/
Pacific Ocean, UNSC Vessel Pillar of Autumn
John found Cortana asleep, slumped over her desk.
A tablet was hanging haphazardly over the edge of the table. The screens were still streaming data, oblivious to the fact that she had fallen asleep. Several empty paper cups littered the top of the desk.
John stood there with a steaming cup of coffee in his hand and considered his options. It would be best if he let Cortana sleep and catch up on the much needed rested. Since the discovery of the Forerunner database, John didn't think Cortana had gotten more than three or four hours of sleep. She was exhausted; the fact she hadn't stirred at John's arrival silently testified to that fact.
For the past six days, the Autumn had been moving from location to location in an attempt to avoid being detected by the Covenant. They were under strict orders by Lord Hood himself not to return to Cairo-or any other UNSC installation-until their next objective had been given. Cortana, and the information she possessed, was to be protected at any cost.
John took that order seriously. He was willing to make the ultimate sacrifice if it meant giving the UNSC a chance to gain ground in the war.
He stepped away from the desk. Cortana needed sleep more than coffee, he decided. Just as he was about the turn around, Cortana mumbled, "You don't have to leave because you caught me dozing off."
She sat up slowly, wincing. John wondered how long she had been sleeping in that position. She reached up and tucked a stray hair behind her ear. Her eyes were clear and alert, despite her weariness.
"How long did you know I was here?" he asked, approaching her desk.
She smirked. "Since you walked in. Convincing myself to wake up, however, was another story entirely. But since I haven't seen you in nearly two days, I dragged myself out of bed. Or off the desk, as it is." Cortana looked down at his bandaged hand. "How is it feeling?"
John lifted his hand as if he could see through the wrapping to the wound beneath. Cortana had done her best to minimize the damage, but the bones had been crashed so badly by the falling rubble that they would never heal correctly. Firing a pistol with his left hand was impossible. Until they were allowed to return to a base where a new hand could be cloned, John would be unable to use two firearms at once.
"It's fine."
Cortana raised her eyebrows but said nothing about his outright lie. Instead, she turned her attention to the item in his hand. "I see that you come baring a gift."
He passed the paper cup to her. "I thought you could use it. Captain Keyes said you haven't left the lab since I last saw you."
"Well, you can blame ONI for that. I've been working on reports for them nonstop." She took a long drink. "If we ever make it back on base, I'm putting in an acquisition request for a personal coffee dispensing machine. It's ridiculous that I have to go all the way to the hall to get my coffee."
One word caught his attention. "If?"
She put down the cup and tugged at her ponytail. Her hair fell forward. "They're wanting us to breach Australia, John," she said quietly. "The only thing they are debating is whether or not the UNSC is willing to send any more troops on this 'suicide mission'."
John grimaced. Going down there with only the crew of the Autumn would make an extremely tough mission nearly impossible. But he had faced such odds before. And defied them.
Cortana reached over and took another drink from the cup before pining him with a concerned look. "I'll be honest with you, whatever is waiting for us is huge, John. And I have a strong feeling that the Covenant know something is there, too. We're going to have a fight on our hands when we stop hiding."
"We'll be ready."
"I've missed hearing that stubborn optimism of yours, John." She reached out and took his uninjured hand, giving it a brief squeeze. Instinctively, he squeezed back.
Realizing what he had just done, John tried to pull away.
She released him with a wistful smile. "Don't worry, John. I remember what you said after Reach." A frown darkened her face briefly before she drew in a long breath. "Despite the other things you said that day-" Guilt crept into John's mind. "-that was one thing I agree with you on. Losing focus of our objective, especially now, is something we cannot do." She eyed him in a way that made him feel uncomfortably exposed. "But, I'd like to think after everything we've been through, that we can at least be friends."
She stood up and held her hand for him to take.
He regarded her briefly. She was right, all that he had experienced with her had made them more than just fellow soldiers fighting a dangerous war. Cortana was one of a select few that John would call a friend.
"I can do that," he agreed, clasping her hand briefly.
She smiled as she let go of his hand. "Good. Now, give a girl some alone time with her coffee."