Halo: Rebirth

By: TRX108

Immediately after the events of Halo 4- Humanity is saved, the Didact defeated. The future looks bright, but at a terrible cost in John's eyes. While the Master Chief struggles with coming to terms with the loss of his closest companion, old enemies close in. But all is not as it seems, and all is not lost, the Rebirth is at hand.

Chapter 10: Revelations

Forerunner Shield World Requiem

John stood silently as the Forerunner drones the Librarian had called Preservers, medical robots it seemed, floated over and around his team. What was left of them.

Spartan Jones was dead, the grenade had detonated directly beneath him. With his shields down and helmet removed, it tore through him like paper.

Spartan Hartlett fared better. Shielded from the brunt of the blast by Jones' body, she was knocked unconscious, with only a mild concussion.

Major Trace took one round in his right shoulder, and another tore through his deltoid. He'd lost a lot of blood, but was alive, for the moment.

Lt. Blake, or the man they'd thought to be Blake, had had one round penetrate his chest armor. He was stable, and was being guarded by four Sentinels.

Then there was Adrienne. She had suffered severe head trauma from Blake. A single round from Blake's M6 had ricocheted off of Cortana's avatar and impacted her in the chest, mere millimeters above her heart. She was alive, but only just.

Finally there was Cortana. While not physically injured, John knew something was wrong. She had deactivated her avatar and hadn't reappeared for over an hour now. John left the Forerunner robots to their work and walked over to the wall terminal. Every time he'd gone near it, a message would pop up on the screen saying 'No'. This time there was no message. Instead, Cortana's body rose from the floor.

"Cortana..." John started, but she waved him off.

She turned her back to him and stared at the rest of the team laying on the hard-light tables. The patterns of code crawled sluggishly over her body.

"I should have d-done something, I sh-should have s-stopped him," she said softly. "A-And Adrienne..."

John stepped closer to her. "It wasn't your fault."

Cortana spun to face him. "OF COURSE IT WAS!" she screamed, the patterns on her body flowed at an accelerated rate. "I didn't react! I-I am so b-broken I l-let that that that..." Her body flickered from blue to red, the flowing patterns becoming chaotic in some places. "I KILLED THEM! It was m-my fault! H-He wanted M-ME! And then if I w-wasn't in the way, Adrienne w-wouldn't have b-been shot!"

"Cortana, calm down," John stepped closer again.

"WE ARE CALM!" she screamed at him. There was a slight echo to her voice. Her body was red, only flickering blue briefly here and there. The familiar patterns were now a chaotic mess. She screamed again, falling to her hands and knees. John rushed forward, placing his hands on her shoulders. She looked up into his faceplate. "I...I'm s-sorry John..."

He reached up and took off his helmet. It clattered to the floor next to them. "It's okay, Cortana."

Her head dropped, then looked back up at him. "No...it's n-not...I...hurt...so v-very bad...it's o-over...time to...to go..."

John pulled her closer to him. He looked in her eyes, and could see the pain on her face. "No, no that's not...I will not lose you again. I can't. I need you." There was the smallest break in his voice.

She smiled at him briefly, before she grimaced as pain overtook her. She looked at him again. "I know...y-you're my John...and I n-need you, t-too."

The feeling John had been experiencing was roaring inside him like a wildfire. It was stronger than anything he'd experienced, stronger than fear, stronger than hatred. It burned inside him with an intensity he never thought possible.

"Cortana...I...I don't know what...love...feels like, and I have a feeling I can't name."

She smiled at him. "I...I love you, too, John."

And then her body disintegrated in his arms.

Flood Zone Echo, South America, Earth

Sarah Palmer hung helpless in the air, the infection form upon her neck.

"Do it already you son of a bitch!" she yelled. There was a sharp pain as she felt something penetrate the skin of her neck, but it was gone as quickly as it had begun. She saw bits of discolored flesh fall past her faceplate. The tendril holding her head released. She quickly scanned the area. An elite in black armor stood beneath her, plasma pistol in one hand, and an entire bandolier of plasma grenades in the other. J'Leel? She thought she heard him speak, but couldn't make it out. She suddenly fell to the floor, crashing down unceremoniously. Sarah felt herself being pulled to her feet. She pushed through the pain in her back. She looked at the elite. "How the hell...? What is going on? How'd you...?"

"Even the mightiest of wills fold when confronted with destruction," J'Leel said, shaking the two dozen plasma grenades.

Shit, that's twice now he saved my ass. The pain in her neck returned unexpectedly and she nearly lost her footing. She reached up expecting to find an infection form, but there was nothing there. The pain intensified.

'Sarah Palmer! I have tasted your flesh, and part of me is with you now...rest assured you will become one with the Flood! You will lead us to feast upon your brethren!'

She heard the booming voice as if it came from within her skull. "Did you hear that?" she asked the elite.

"I have heard nothing but our enemy twitching in the shadows," he replied.

She shook her head. The voice had faded. Sarah checked her motion tracker. The red dots at the periphery were closing in from behind them and on both sides. "They're getting closer," she said through gritted teeth. J'Leel stopped.

"Can you support yourself?" he asked.

Sarah stood upright, glad he couldn't see the pain on her face. "I'm a Spartan."

The elite nodded and handed her his plasma pistol as he slung the grenades around his chest. "There is a door straight ahead that leads back to the upper levels and the tunnel through which we entered. Go, regroup with our forces and return to finish these soulless monsters. I will ensure you are not followed."

"I don't leave fellow soldiers behind," Palmer said.

"There is no time, you will not make it if I don't hold their attention. Go, Commander."

Sarah nodded, knowing he was right. She couldn't survive a large engagement in her current state against overwhelming numbers.

"GO!" shouted J'Leel. Palmer ran into the darkness towards the door. The elite turned to face the horde of enemies closing on him. "I shall have the glory this day."

J'Leel reached behind him, then whipped his arms down and out from his sides, drawing and activating an energy sword in each hand. He surged forward and spun, destroying the first combat forms to reach him, infection forms popping beneath his feet. He lashed out repeatedly, his attacks fluid, moving from target to target quickly, leaving a trail of dismembered corpses in his wake. A tendril slashed at him. He back flipped to avoid it, but the end raked across his chest, almost clipping the grenades and dropping his shields. He landed in a sprinter's stance and exploded forward. Two Evolution forms appeared from the darkness, lashing out with their tendrils in horizontal attacks. J'Leel raised his plasma swords vertically in front of him, blocking and severing the tendrils. He dashed between them, spinning and straightening his arms, his blades of energy slicing his victims in half. He was past the horde of enemies now. He looked back as they turned in his direction, pursuing him to feed their hunger. J'Leel sprinted back towards where he had saved Palmer, back toward the Gravemind.

For my brothers you took above Sanghelios, I shall take my vengeance upon you.

But his prize was gone. Somehow the massive creature had slipped away. J'Leel stopped, and deactivated his swords. He looked over his shoulder at the sea of approaching Flood. They would be on him in seconds. He primed the belt of grenades and turned tossing it in front of the parasites. He turned and began walking in the direction the Gravemind had to have gone. This isn't over.

As the grenades detonated, he engaged his active camouflage and melted into the darkness.

Forerunner Shield World Requiem

John was kneeling on the floor, staring at the space where Cortana had been. Snap out of it John! You're a Spartan! Act!

He was at the terminal in seconds. He pulled Cortana's chip. It glowed faintly, a deep maroon where there should be a vibrant blue. He grabbed his helmet and put it on. As soon as it clicked in place he inserted the chip. There was no feeling of ice water flowing over his brain, a luke-warm feeling replacing the sensation he had expected.

"Cortana?" he asked softly. His HUD flickered slightly. "Cortana?" His voice was louder. "Are you there? Can you hear me?" Anxiety seeped into his voice.

Static came through his speakers, followed by a soft voice. 'Hear you...hurts...help...please...'

John was out the door. He ran towards the Librarian's control room. "Stay with me, Cortana."

He burst into the room. The Librarian seemed to be waiting for him. Her hand reached out, palm up. "Her chip."

John pulled the chip, took one last look at it, and handed it to the Librarian. She quickly turned and walked to the center of the room. Hard-light displays formed all around her, and a pedestal-like object rose from the floor. She placed Cortana's chip on it. 281 Truthful Horizon flew over John's head and hovered over the chip. A beam shot from it to the chip.

"I am linked, Librarian. Connecting to the system. Done," it said.

The Librarian began moving from display to display, furiously tapping buttons. She closed some while new ones appeared. The speed at which she worked was incredible. John stood at the edge of the room, his eyes fixed on Cortana's chip.

Without stopping or turning to him the Librarian spoke. "Please leave, Reclaimer. If you want her to survive I must be left to concentrate on my work."

John hesitated. He desperately wanted to stay, even if he couldn't help, even if it meant standing there for hours. But he would not put her survival at risk. John slowly turned to the door. He glanced over his shoulder one more time at the fragile chip he would die for, and then left. As he walked down the hallway, anger began to boil up inside him.

I've lost everything that ever meant something to me. My family, my humanity, my Spartan brothers and sisters. I lost Cortana twice, and now I may lose her again for good. And for what?

He reached his destination, his teammates and an enemy waiting on the other side.

Why did Blake do this?

John entered the room, determined to find out the answer by any means necessary. Blake was laying on a hard-light bed, his chest plate had been removed. John walked over and grabbed the man by his shoulders, hoisting him up in front of him so their faces were level. Blake didn't seem surprised by his sudden physicality.

"Something I can help you with?" Blake said, a slightly amused look on his face. He talked as if nothing was wrong.

John fought to keep his new-found anger under control. His hands tightened against Blake's shoulder plates, denting the hardened metal.

"Why," was the only word John uttered. His tone caused Blake to lose the look of amusement. His demeanor became serious.

"I am under orders, Chief. You of all people should understand."

"What orders?"

"You know I can't say, Chief."

John's anger boiled over. He slammed Blake back onto the table. Blake gasped, trying to regain the wind that had been knocked out of him. John stepped back.

Keep control. You're a Spartan. Act like one. He quickly regained his composure and stepped back up to the table. Blake looked at him, his breathing still labored.

"We aren't enemies, Chief. We're still on the same side."

John glanced at the rest of the team. "You killed a Spartan, and severely wounded three UNSC personnel. You're a traitor."

Blake's eyes narrowed. "I did what I had to in order to complete my mission. Sometimes sacrifices must be made for the greater good of humanity. You are a living example of that. We did what we had to then and we will do what we have to now."

John's mind processed his words. "We?"

Blake realized his mistake. "I've got nothing more to say."

"What were your orders?" John didn't back down.

Blake sighed. "Isn't that obvious? Go with you, return with Cortana."

"Return to where? Who gave you these orders?" John barked.

"Earth of course. And I can't tell you the rest." Blake stared at the ceiling.

John was about to grab the man again when a voice stopped him.

"Chief."

John turned to the source. It was Adrienne. He walked over to her. "Adrienne, are you alright?"

She smiled, then winced as she tried to push herself up. She laid back down. "I've...felt better. Did you stop him?"

John nodded. He heard a laugh from behind him.

"Excellent! If there is anyone in this room you should be asking about it's her, Chief." Blake snickered before coughing.

"What are you talking about?" John asked.

Blake coughed again before answering. "You haven't wondered why she has done all this for you? Why she's been helping you? She's supposedly a civilian now! Yet she commandeered a civilian ship, appropriated UNSC weapons and equipment, aided and abetted an AWOL soldier. You think she did all that out of the kindness of her heart?" Blake laughed. "Why don't you spare yourself the embarrassment and tell him yourself Skorso?"

John looked at Adrienne. He could tell by the look on her face Blake wasn't lying. "Tell me, now Adrienne."

She shifted uncomfortably. "Look, I, I'm not a civilian. Yes I had an assignment but it would never have interfered with yours."

Blake laughed again. "She's dancing around it so I'll just tell you myself. She's Naval Intelligence. That's right, 117. She's with ONI."

John looked back at Adrienne. "Is this true?"

She nodded. "I'm sorry, John. After I was forced out of the Corps, ONI recruited me. I'm a deep cover operative. Very few people know I'm with ONI."

"What was your assignment," John said coldly.

Adrienne looked into his faceplate. "I was supposed to simply keep tabs on you while you were on Earth. That's all. I had a very wide area of interpretation of my orders. When you decided to leave early, I decided to help, not just because of the mission but I wanted to see you succeed as well. I could tell this was incredibly important to you. When we got to Infinity, I received new orders, to stay with you and ensure your mission succeeded. I've always been on your side. Just more officially than you knew. I'm sorry I deceived you, John."

John thought about her words. Something stood out. "It's alright, I understand your orders." He turned to Blake. "I don't understand yours." He stepped closer to him. "Adrienne said very few people know she's ONI. Yet you knew. You have advanced combat skills, and were able to deceive everyone here." John realized something. "Did Major Trace know about you?"

Blake laughed again. "God no! When I was assigned to his command 6 months ago he had no idea who I really was."

Adrienne spoke up from across the room. "I know who he is." John turned to her. "Or, I at least know who he's working for. He's with SPECWARCOM. Has to be. They report almost directly to High Command. Only way he could have been informed of who I was."

Blake glared at her. "Seems I've been outed. Yes, I'm with Special Warfare Command. You're not the only one who wanted Cortana back, Chief. She knows things, a lot of things. There are some in HIGHCOM who think she is too great a liability. I was activated to ensure she got back to Earth, to be decomissioned. I figured it would be simple enough, until the scope of what was going on became apparent. And then the whole Genesis and Matrix thing surfaced. No one would question the decomissioning of an AI. But if Cortana became a person...it would be hard to make the first AI turned human disappear without any questions being asked. And as this thing progressed I realized there was no way you'd give her up without a fight, and none of the 'team' was going to side with me over you. So I had to improvise. I didn't want to hurt UNSC personnel, but Cortana gave me little choice."

"Cortana? How?" John asked confused.

"She was lost in space for four years. I went undercover as Blake three years ago. That meant the UNSC files were modified while she was out of contact. She had the old files, which still said that Blake had died on Reach. She discovered that I was supposed to be dead. I had to improvise."

Adrienne tried to rise again, but failed. "You tried to murder four UNSC personnel!" She finally propped herself up. "And succeeded in one case! You'll hang for treason when we get back, I'll see to that personally you son of a bitch!"

Blake shrugged. "We'll see."

Adrienne seethed with rage. "You pompous shit head I'll kill you myself!" She tried to sit up. Blood started seeping through the bandage wrapping her chest. Her breathing became heavy and she collapsed on her back again. She struggled to sit up once more. John moved over to her.

"Keep calm, Adrienne. You're gonna go into shock." He gently forced her back down. She nodded.

John returned to Blake. "You killed a Spartan. You nearly killed four others."

Blake frowned. "You mean three."

John bent down and removed his helmet. Blake swallowed audibly. John locked eyes with him. He spoke in a low, cold, deadly threatening voice.

"If Cortana dies, I will kill you."

Blake's face was tight as John put his helmet on and walked out.

Blake stared at the door. Adrienne turned her head to look at him.

"Ironic. You're survival is now linked to the survival of the one you were sent to destroy." She righted her head and closed her eyes. "I hope she makes it, not just cause I like her, but so I can end you myself. But with the enemies you just made I might not get to. You pissed off a Spartan-IV, a Marine Major, an ONI agent, and a smart AI. Oh and the Master Chief, the guy who has single handedly killed enough shit to populate a planet. Good job asshole."