A/N: Chapter 12 introduces another character, which is pretty obvious due to the title. There's a lot of information in this chapter that has been collected off Halo Nation, mainly the information about the Spartan Neural Network and the advantages an AI gives a Spartan. There's also a little easter egg in this chapter to both Minnie and Season 4 Episode 3 of TWD, so props if you find it. Anyways, I believe that's everything, enjoy! - LegendsOfOnyx

Chapter 12: Minnie

Reach FLEETCOM Military Complex

Planet Reach

April 19, 2528

12:01 hrs

Landing pad A-2

Indigo's Pelican came in to land on exterior landing pad A-2. After a long trip back to base, everyone was eager to get out of their armour. The Pelican landed, rocking slightly as it did and everyone made their way to disembark.

"Ugh, I cannot wait to get out of this armour." Louis groaned as he walked down the exit ramp of the Pelican.

"Jesus Louis, we know!" Mitch exclaimed. "Feels like you've been saying it the whole trip back."

"Not the whole trip. Just the last hour." Louis corrected.

Mitch groaned in response.

"How's that shoulder Clem?" Marlon asked.

"Feels like shit." Clementine replied. She touched her shoulder and winced as more pain shot though. She moved her finger and noticed that the biofoam was beginning to break down. "Ruby," Clementine said, turning to her friend. "Biofoam's breaking down."

"Come on then, I need you out of that armour and soon." Said Ruby.

Louis tried to mask his snicker but failed horribly.

Ruby turned around to glare at him and he stopped dead in his tracks.

"You know I didn't mean it like that." She scolded.

"Sorry." Louis apologised.

Violet came up behind him, hit the back of his head and continued walking towards the entrance with Ruby and Clementine.

"Ow." Louis whispered.

As they entered the doors to the base, they all made their way to the armour assembly station to remove their armour. On their way down, Ruby turned to Clementine.

"I've got the necessary equipment to stitch your shoulder in my room."

"Your room?" Clementine asked.

Ruby nodded. "I keep enough there in case a fight ever breaks out and someone needs stitching. Not that I'm saying it will happen, but better safe than sorry right?"

"Yeah," Clementine agreed. "Better safe than sorry."

Fireteam Indigo's Living Quarters

12:16 hrs

Ruby's room

As Clementine entered Ruby's room, Ruby pointed to one of her towels.

"Put that over my bed, remove your shirt and lay down on the towel. It doesn't matter if you lay on your front or back first. Either way, I still have to stitch both sides up."

Clementine nodded and did as Ruby instructed, choosing to lay on her front first.

Ruby retrieved her non-absorbable suture kit, sat over Clementine, getting into a comfortable and practical position above her shoulder and placed her kit next to her. She set to work on carefully stitching the wound making sure to take her time as they weren't needed anywhere. Upon finishing, she moved so Clementine could lay on her back. Ruby chose to kneel down on the floor as she stitched the other side so not to make it awkward for either of them.

"Thanks for not... well, you know." Clementine thanked Ruby a little awkwardly.

"Don't mention it." Ruby said.

There was a knock on Ruby's door halfway through the second suture.

"It's open!" Ruby called to whoever was outside.

The door slid open and the attention of both girls was moved to the two people standing there.

"Doctor Halsey? Mendez, Sir?" Clementine asked, lifting her head to look at them both, only to lower it back onto the bed when Ruby moved her attention from stitching her wound to glaring at her. "Forgive us if we don't stand, but what's this about?" Clementine asked.

"I'll let the Doctor here, tell you." Mendez said, moving out of her way and turning to Halsey. "Go ahead Doctor."

"Thank you Franklin. Clementine?" Halsey said, addressing the currently bed-bound girl.

Clementine lifted her head up at her name being said, only to once again lower it when Ruby quietly growled at her.

"I've seen the reports on some of your infiltration missions," Halsey began. "And how you said your team was forced to leave some data behind due to the size or the risk of being detected?"

"All done." Ruby whispered to Clementine, who nodded her thanks and sat up to address Halsey properly.

"That's right." Clementine confirmed. "But with all due respect Ma'am, where's this going?" She asked.

Halsey smiled. "I'm glad you asked. Due to these incidents, I've arranged with Mendez to have an AI paired to your Fireteam." Halsey revealed the Data Crystal Chip which then came to life, revealing a blue female figure with black hair shaved on the left side of her head and medium length hair on the other. She wore a white T-shirt and black jeans and combat boots. "This," Halsey began. "Is Minnie. Service number: MNE 1519-1. She's been assigned to help your team during combat engagements and with the retrieval of any and all data you need to recover and/or extract. She's been keyed into your teams communication channel, which will activate once she's been paired. She's a 'smart' AI and has been specifically designed for combat analysis and data/information extraction, she'll even open any and all locked doors, terminals etcetera, that you may come across. She has access to the journal of all known planets, and will update her matrix with any new discoveries."

Clementine looked at Minnie, who looked at her with a smile. Minnie waved at Clementine before her avatar disappeared. Clementine smiled for a second and then looked back at Halsey, a silent request for her to continue.

"Although she has been assigned to your team, you must choose who she will be paired with. And yes, you may choose yourself." Halsey told her.

Clementine looked to Ruby. She shook her head, silently telling her she didn't want to be paired with Minnie and that this choice was one she would have to make alone. Clementine now had a huge decision to make. One she couldn't take lightly.

"One more thing," Halsey said, gaining the attention of Clementine again. "Whoever you choose will have to undergo surgery to equip them with a Spartan Neural Interface, which will give Minnie the ability to directly interface with their brain. She will also significantly improve the data transfer between the motor cortex of who you choose and the MJOLNIR's processing unit, further improving the already lightning-quick reaction time of the Spartan. I have also prepared new and upgraded suits for all of you. These suits will give Minnie access to most of the internal systems of whoever she is paired with, though the Spartan will have override control. You should also know that the Data Crystal Chip is removable, so neither Minnie or the Spartan you choose will have to be together twenty-four seven."

Clementine let the room hang in silence for a minute, mulling everything she had been told over. Which was a lot. Still, she couldn't help but feel like there was more to this. Deciding to find out, she asked, "Is there another reason you're doing this?"

Halsey was surprised and it showed on her face. Taking advantage of her reaction Clementine continued to push.

"What's the real reason you're doing this? It can't just be because of my reports, because it isn't. Is it?"

Mendez looked to Clementine and then Halsey. Clementine's accusations had piqued his interest.

Halsey was about to deny there being more to the story. But, reluctantly, conceded with a sigh. "Ok. You want to know?"

Clementine, Ruby and Mendez nodded.

"All I'm going to say is: Harvest has been attacked,"

"What!? When?" Clementine exclaimed. All the images she'd seen of Harvest showed a gorgeous green world with two oceans to the north and south of the planet. It even had its own icecaps too. It was a perfect agriculture world and the only habitable one in the Epsilon Indi System. She dread to think about how it may look now.

"Two years ago." Responded Halsey.

"No.." Ruby whispered, her gaze dropping to the floor.

"Why wasn't I told about this?" Mendez shouted, outraged at the sudden knowledge of an attack on a Human colony.

"Because you didn't need to know," Halsey said, turning her head to Mendez. "And you won't find any details about the attack as I have ensured that no one knows until the battle is over."

"You have no right!" Mendez growled.

"I have every right! Especially when my Spartans are there, fighting for the survival of an entire planet!" Halsey shouted back at Mendez.

Upon hearing this Mendez blinked. "What?" He whispered, thinking he'd heard wrong.

Calming from her outburst Halsey sighed. "It's a planet wide attack. Red Team were shipped off last year to assist with the fighting."

"Jerome's team?" Clementine asked.

Both Halsey and Mendez nodded.

"But, aren't Jerome, Douglas and Alice washouts?" Ruby inquired.

"They were," Halsey agreed. "But we had them retrained throughout 2526."

There was a tense silence before anyone spoke again.

"No one can know about the attack on Harvest. Do you understand?" Halsey ordered.

"What about the rest of my Fireteam? I can't just leave them in the dark about this!" Protested Clementine.

"I'm sorry, Spartan. But you have to."

Clementine looked away. She hated the idea of hiding something like this from her team.

"Now," Halsey said, gaining everyone's attention. "Back to the matter at hand. Who are you going to pair Minnie with?"