To all those who have reviewed: thank you very much! Your responses are what inspires me to keep going!
To NeoAurora: I'm glad to see that you liked every chapter!
Major Mike Powell III: I believe that episode was called 'Odd One Out'. That guy, 1337 was such a doofus! And the prophet was funny too ("I need a vacation"). Ah comedy; it makes the world go round.
PS: HOO-RAH Marine!
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Happy Birthday
Cortana strode down the hall to her apartment. She had spent most of the morning at the UNSC base, helping them update their computer systems. Despite the fact that she was no longer an AI, Cortana still knew her way around computer systems better than most living people. Not just human systems, but various Covenant mainframes too. She supposed that all those times that she was inserted into an enemy system for infiltration purposes left her with a veritable knowledge of how they worked.
Strangely enough, John was not present at the base that day. Neither were any of the other Spartans, nor Dr Halsey. When she asked her superior about this, he cryptically responded that they were 'otherwise occupied', and did not elaborate. Cortana thought no more of it, and went back to work.
When midday had rolled around, the officer in charge had ordered Cortana to take the rest of the day off, and to go home immediately. Again, when she asked why, he gave a cryptic response. Utterly confused, Cortana nonetheless packed up her stuff and headed for home.
Now she was walking down the hall to the apartment that she and John shared. Keying open the door, Cortana stepped inside to find the room pitch black. She fumbled around for the light switch, but before she could find it, the lights flicked back on, and the word "Surprise!" boomed out to greet her.
The sight before Cortana included Dr Halsey and the Spartans standing under a banner that read 'Happy Birthday!', and a chocolate cake lay on the table. She felt an arm slip around her shoulders, and turned to see John standing next to her, holding her close.
"What's going on here?" Cortana gasped, with a surprised smile on her face.
"Why, Cortana, don't you know what the date is?" Dr Halsey spoke up. "And don't you remember what happened on this day nine years ago?"
Cortana wracked her memory, trying to find the significance of today's date. Though her memory was not quite as impressive as it was back when she was still an AI, she was able to quickly remember what had happened exactly nine years earlier to the day.
"Nine years ago today was the day that I was first activated," Cortana answered.
"The day you were born," Linda put in with a smile, as next to her Fred blew on a party blower.
"Happy birthday, Cortana," said John, pulling her closer and wrapping his other arm around her. Cortana looked up into his brown eyes, feeling a smile break out across her face. She placed her hands around his neck and drew him in for a loving kiss, earning an 'awww' from the other guests.
"Thank you," Cortana whispered to John after pulling away from him.
"Don't thank just me," he replied. "Thank all of us. It was a group effort to put this all together, small though it may be."
"It seems perfect to me," she replied with a smile, her bright blue eyes glowing.
After pulling away from each other, John and Cortana sat down, and everyone presented the birthday girl with their presents. Kelly and Linda had joined forces to buy some clothes, which they each gave separately. Kelly gave her a purple T-shirt, and Linda gave her a set of blue denim jeans. Fred had purchased an electronic organiser for Cortana, and Dr Halsey's present was a gift voucher for $2000 to be used at one of Earth's leading shopping complexes. All throughout the gift openings, Linda – acting as photographer – took numerous pictures.
Cortana loved all of her gifts. Afterwards, she turned to John. "So tell me," she said playfully, "what did my darling Master Chief get me?" She had an impish grin on her face, and her blue eyes seemed to glow with mischief.
John did not miss a beat. He smiled down at the woman that he loved with all his heart. "I will admit that my gift may not seem like much, but it's an object that means a great deal to me. It was given to me just before I joined the Spartans. In fact, it's probably the reason why I am a Spartan today." As he said this last bit, he raised his eyes a bit, sharing a very fleeting glimpse with a smiling Dr Halsey. Looking back into Cortana's eyes, he softly said, "Close your eyes and hold out your hand."
Cortana did as John asked. She felt something being placed in her hand. It felt cool and metallic, and seemed to have a chain on it.
"Open your eyes," John whispered.
Opening her eyes, Cortana saw the object she held. It appeared to be a necklace of sort. Actually, it was a coin attached to a chain. She found it to be a rather unusual gift for her. Then the words that John had said clicked together in her head. She looked up at him. "This is the coin, isn't it?" she said. "The coin that Dr Halsey tested you with."
"Yes, it is," John replied with a smile, as Cortana held up the end of the chain and admired the gift. "When I was looking for you on High Charity, I heard your voice saying that it was the coin's fault. You may have been going a bit rampant then, but you were also right. If it wasn't for this little coin here, I would not have become a Spartan, I would have been powerless to fight the Covenant and the Flood that way that I did…" he trailed off for a second, "and I never would have met you." John took another deep breath, then gazed deeply into Cortana's blue eyes. "This coin means a great deal to me, and since it lead me to you – the woman that I love with all my heart – I felt it appropriate that you should wear it."
Cortana smiled widely, then she threw her arms around John's neck, planting a deep kiss on his lips. Dr Halsey and the other Spartans cheered, and there were a couple of flashes as Linda snapped a few pictures. After disengaging, John helped Cortana put her new necklace on, the coin resting just below her neck.
"I love it," a beaming Cortana said to John, then leaned up to kiss him again.
"Well, enough about the presents. Let's have some cake!" Fred declared.
They lit the five candles on the cake, and sang 'Happy Birthday'. As Cortana blew out the candles, she considered making a wish, then realised it was not necessary.
After all, her dreams had already come true.
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It may be a tad sappy, but I like it. Cortana may not have had a birth in the traditional sense, but in the Halo Legend story 'Origins I', she mentioned "when I was born", and that validated this story to me. (I had already written it long before. It just took until now to publish it.)
Anyway, the coin necklace was inspired by something I saw on . It was a work called 'Fireworks' by Filly-of-the-Plains. (Filly, if you're reading this, I hope you don't mind me using your idea, but I really liked your picture) In it, John and a human Cortana are standing together watching the fireworks for some celebration, and Cortana has the coin around her neck. I just borrowed that idea for here, because I liked it very much.
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Anyway, until next time, my friends!