Hey, guys. I'm still sad from last week's chapter, but like I said countless times, there is a good ending to this story. Still more surprises down the road, our lovebirds will meet again :P I'm a one-hundred-percent Jortana worshipper. Let's begin our process of healing, shall we?
TAKE ME WHEN YOU NEED ME
PART XXV
She had gotten her research back, but she couldn't care any less about it.
The five drives were returned to Cortana before abandoning the Spirit of Fire from the very hands of the head of ONI operatives on board. The same people traveled along with her and her mother in the UNSC Antares, on route to Reach. Cortana didn't forget the fact that she hadn't been interrogated yet about the events of SHIELD Base, but for the duration of the trip, the spooks kept to themselves.
She figured her mother was keeping them at bay, for some reason.
Catherine Halsey and her assistants wasted no time: they were supposed to endure the whole trip in stasis. Cortana wasn't allowed to go into cryo because of her condition; so she spent twenty-three days wandering through a ship in slipspace running on a skeleton crew. Mostly, going from her quarters to the mess hall, the medbay, the shared bathrooms and back to her quarters. Sometimes she couldn't sleep at all, the shadows under her eyes only darkened with each passing day. She'd been suffering from chronic cramps, abdominal pain and headaches. This incessant state of discomfort began to mine her mental stability as well, but every medical test she requested came back normal.
Ultimately, lying in bed proved a decent way to diminish the symptoms. Being alone had its perks, too: nobody bothered her or questioned her, she could cry herself to sleep as much as she wanted. Fucking hormones.
It's reasonable to say that, the following three weeks after seeing John for the last time, Cortana was miserable. Whenever she wasn't in pain, her thoughts circled back to him and his whereabouts; a cycle of grief and guilt only interrupted by the comforting truth that the baby was something of him she still had. She certainly wasn't looking forward to spend six to seven more months on Reach, under the constant vigilance of her mother.
Reach. When the blue curve of the planet was in range to be appreciated, Cortana spent hours on end just looking at it.
She hadn't been back on Reach after the attack that ended up in the death of almost all of its population, so she had no idea what she would find. Turns out, from orbit the planet seemed devastated but here and there green patches of terraformed land blossomed amidst huge gaps of glassed brown and black. The scattered remains of charred cities dotted the atmospheric landscape as far as she could observe as well as the rebuilt urbanizations. The orbital space around it was crowded by a formidable battery of defense platforms and a stationary fleet, always on guard.
Cortana couldn't say that it was good to be back home.
But it was a new beginning, an opportunity for action. Her mind was already set in the proper place. As soon as she could get her shit together, she was decided to make changes that, hopefully, would make a lot of good things happen sooner rather than later.
x.x.x.x.x
PLANET REACH – Epsilon Eridani System
SIX WEEKS AFTER SHE LAST SAW HIM
Making breakfast sounded like a total nuisance. But eating was of the few remaining pleasures she could count on, thirteen weeks pregnant and with a tiny, lovely curve to show for it. Little Bean was a tough nut to crack and kept giving her crap. At least, Catherine had fulfilled part of her promise and gotten the best medical attention available on Reach.
So, now Cortana had drugs and a drive:
"You will eat well, exercise and sleep properly." she murmured the words at her pale face on the mirror, holding a capsule on her palm. "You will see the end of this shitshow, he will hold his child in his arms. You will work hard to make that happen."
She swallowed the pill and took a long drink from the cold glass, feeling motivated.
Cortana repeated that mantra every morning, before taking her medication. She hadn't thought how hard this whole situation would hit her, but it was finally now -after nearly a month and a half after their separation- that she was finally pulling herself out. She wasn't specifically on speaking terms with her mother, and yet the good Doctor kept sending her messages asking about her health, when would she return to work, if she needed supplies… and lately, veiled promises about the Master Chief's status. She didn't know if she should believe her, but it gave her a sense of security, even if flimsy. Cortana didn't answer to her mother, anyway.
She tied her hair in a ponytail and looked through the massive window of her loft. The sky was clear, temperatures would rise with the day. Cortana closed her eyes, taking a deep breath, feeling the warmth of the sun on her skin.
For a fleeting moment, she imagined John's arms closing around her from behind, the ghost of a kiss atop her head…
Her eyes snapped open, suddenly. 'Someday.' she thought.
After finishing with her morning exercises, Cortana showered, dressed in comfortable clothes and proceeded to make a good serving of blueberry pancakes and scrambled eggs, pour a big cup of fortified milk and set aside her vitamins. She ate in company of the news, constantly running in the background. The meal, although delicious, came and went quickly since work was another priority. Her secret project couldn't wait.
Her skill with computers and cybernetics was almost as legendary as her mother's, and by now Cortana had been working on that program for days. If she managed to get it right, this little piece of software would help her private quest volumes. It was extremely difficult to bypass AI security and for a big portion of her career, she had contributed to making it even more difficult... she never thought that one day she would be attempting to achieve the opposite. The challenge was very much welcome.
Cortana just wanted to send him a message, tell him she was okay, nothing more than a few words. John wouldn't be able to send a reply because it would be just a one-way comm -since it was the safest- and the microburst would require to know exactly where he was to actually work.
Such a breach of security was a major risk, but she was more than glad to take it.
x.x.x.x.x
She must've been very entertained with her work because Cortana didn't notice the pad of her front door bleeping, or when her mother entered the apartment. At least, not until she heard the voice of Catherine Halsey behind her back, near the kitchen:
"How long has it been since the last time you bathed?"
Somehow Cortana managed not to jump on her seat. She closed her eyes, irritated.
"It was this morning, mother. Whatever you're smelling, it's not me." Cortana replied, dryly, she didn't turn back to look at her. "What are you doing here?"
"I came to check on you, I haven't seen you in days."
"I'm fine. Busy." she answered, mechanically.
"What are you working on?" Halsey approached her quickly.
Cortana tapped the screen off, leaving just a black square hanging on the air before her eyes and whirled her chair around, legs crossed in the lotus position. The look of annoyance she gave to Catherine was glorious. Her mother wasn't welcome in her reign, but she didn't want to accept the rules because she was used to be above the rules. Well, the daughter had agreed to come to Reach, but she didn't want any kind of close relationship.
The betrayal hung between them. It still hurt like Hell.
Cortana rubbed her baby bump above her comfy t-shirt with a loving gesture.
"How do you feel?"
"I'm fine, I said." Cortana repeated, harshly.
The mother pursed her lips, she didn't like playing games. She had no time for games.
"You can't be angry at me forever, Lizzie."
"You have no idea the things I can do."
To the eye of an outsider, they looked like two coiled snakes waiting for the right time to bite one another. The stern look in Halsey's eyes said that she evidently hadn't considered the measure of Cortana's misery and the grudge she could hold. Maybe she didn't know her daughter at all.
"Well, I take it you're not interested in eating with me, then." Halsey said, casually.
The mention of food made Cortana tilt her head up. It was past noon, already.
"Oh, I am interested in eating. I guess could bear eating with you, too."
"Good. Go wash your hands, I'll get things ready."
Cortana just blinked and took a deep sigh, after seeing the two cases of Chinese takeout her mother had left on the kitchen counter. It was useless to make her notice that she just couldn't barge into someone else's house and practically force herself onto people. It would be more effective to try and dry the sea with paper towels.
After the proper hand-washing, Cortana returned to the livingroom to find her mother checking out the cork panel beside her workstation. More precisely, looking at the pictures she'd pinned there with clips. Cortana felt a little too self-aware, since everything in that panel said a lot about her: there were a few pictures of her childhood, happy memories she had with her mother. Because there had been some good times, even if few. There was one printed photo of Cortana and Miranda, taken on a beach day when she was nineteen years old, a year before her sister passed away in combat. Cortana had also pinned two captures of Little Bean's scans, nothing pretty just yet but she liked to keep them in sight.
The most revealing was, no doubt, the sketches of John. The few she'd kept.
The lone bottle of beer was on her desk, a constant reminder of why she was doing all of this. The books Captain Cutter had gifted them rested in her room, she kept them inside the ammo crate safe and sound. Cortana expected her mother to say something about the pitiful display, but incredibly she just pursed her lips with a rare contrite expression, sighed and pointed at the coffee table with food spread on it:
"Let's eat."
'Yeah, let's get this over with.' she thought, uncomfortable.
They sat on the big couch at arm's length from each other. Cortana didn't have much in matter of furniture because she was used to be stationed away from home, so her loft was pretty but lacking in a lot of comforts. That was something she would have to change, too.
The food was delicious, though. Cortana had no idea of how hungry she was until the scent made her insides growl. Little Bean was protesting.
"When are you going back to work? We could use your help at SWORD Base."
Fishing out a dumpling with her sticks, Cortana mused: "I'm not going back until my baby is born. And I'm thinking of going private, after that."
"Private? And what about your research, your work on the Mark Nine iteration is…"
"You can have it. All of it, I don't care."
Halsey tilted her head. "Lizzie…"
Cortana shoved some noodles into her mouth. For a long, tense moment, mother and daughter continued with their meals in silence.
"So, you're going to stay locked in here until you're due?" Halsey insisted.
Cortana could've joked about moving into a tent in her backyard, but she didn't feel like being funny at the time. Instead, she shrugged and carried on chewing and swallowing her food. She drank a bit from her bottled ginseng tea. It was as bitter as her thoughts.
'Any time, now…' she thought.
"Lizzie, exile and a baby aren't going to miraculously solve your problems."
'Ah, there it is.'
"Yes, you would be exhibit 'A' of that statement, mother."
If only she hadn't been so cold, so distant. Catherine Halsey thought that her daughters would be the greatest gift to Humanity she could create, but only second to her Spartans. Now, over thirty years later, the only man she had ever truly loved, Jacob Keyes, was dead as well as their daughter, Miranda; and Elizabeth was estranged from her.
She had ended up alone, just as she'd always feared.
'You are such a much better version of your mother, Elizabeth, you have a heart that actually works full time. It deserves better. You shouldn't mistreat it like that, throwing your feelings away so easily.'
Her father's words floated to the surface of Cortana's awareness. Maybe that's why she believed her situation would be different, that having a baby was going to make her happy. Cortana scoffed in her mind. Her mother's egotistic and narcissistic ways had ruined family for her. She touched the chain hanging from her neck with the tips of her fingers.
John's tags were always with her, safe under her clothes. Close to her heart.
He was the only thing separating her from her mother, in every sense.
"I still wonder what you were thinking when you chose him." Halsey mused.
Cortana frowned, irritated. Oh, they would not have that conversation again.
Her response was dry: "I wanted the best."
"John is the best because he is one of mine, perfectly built and trained to be sharp as a blade. Nothing is at random. He will always be one of mine."
Oh, well; they were going to have that conversation again, it seemed.
"You know? I find it sickening when you talk about him like that, honestly." Cortana grimaced, upset. No holding back, now. "But I guess that higher intelligence doesn't come without a touch of madness and depravity."
Halsey frowned deeply, rising her chin in a defiant gesture.
"What do you mean? Say at once and let's be done with your theatrics."
"Alright, cards on the table it is." Cortana put her food back on the coffee table and sat straight, imitating her mother's regal posture. "I find disturbing your obsession with him, mother. With him specifically. I know he's a great specimen because you downright made him so, almost from scratch, but the way you act when it comes to him, it makes me sick. He's almost twenty years younger than you."
"And he's also twenty years older than you, Lizzie, what's your point?"
"Are you in love with him?" Cortana was blunt, but her voice was calm.
Halsey gasped, horror and shock claimed her features turning her pale skin even paler. For a long time, she couldn't reply. The daughter saw it as the perfect opportunity to keep applying pressure:
"Did you ever think of fucking him, mother?"
The mother reacted out of instinct and quickly slapped her, hard. Cortana held back all pent-up emotions and took it with dignity, but her cheek was turning red with the mark of four small fingers. Surprisingly, the pain made her anger vanish and be replaced with regret and shame.
"How dare you!?" Halsey whispered. "How dare you, Elizabeth!?"
"You wanted my thoughts." Cortana replied, mechanically.
"HE IS LIKE A SON TO ME!" the mother shouted, angry, her eyes were full of tears that she never thought she'd be shedding. She'd never lost her temper in such a way, never before her daughter. "He was the closest thing I ever had to a child before your sister and you came along! But I was growing far too attached to that brat and had to distance myself, for the sake of the program. John was the first, and my biggest achievement, I know him inside out! I'd do anything to protect him, but how dare you imply I could be so depraved? Do you think I don't regret enough what I had to do to save Humanity?"
Cortana didn't reply, stunned, her cheek was sore. She just observed how her mother's hands were shaking, until Halsey hid her face on her palms, breathing heavily.
"Is this why you hate me, Lizzie? You think I'm trying to steal him from you?"
"I just..."
She couldn't continue. The silence was only broken by the good Doctor's faint gasps.
It was only after another long, tense moment that she spoke again:
"When I found out that you were pregnant and he was the father, I was scared." Halsey muttered, very low. "I knew that if they discovered it, they would come after your baby. ONI. SECTION-III. They wouldn't let the offspring of a Spartan go unchecked, it's politics and leverage for them, the opportunity to do more experiments. They would turn your child into a project, they would take it away from you. You should've known that too, Lizzie, why didn't you say anything? I would've helped you."
"Nobody was supposed to know." Cortana confessed. "It got out of hand by chance."
If the Flood outbreak hadn't happened, all would've... they would've… perhaps she wouldn't… and he wouldn't… they wouldn't be in such a mess. It hurt so bad, again. The mother released a long sigh, shaking her head. At last, she looked at Cortana; her eyes were red but the tears had vanished.
"I know you love him, Lizzie." Halsey started, it was very noticeable how hard was for her to pronounce the words. Cortana opened her mouth in shock, but her mother kept going and didn't let her interrupt: "But he's out of reach now, you have to think of your child."
Cortana bit her lower lip, worried.
Could she trust her? Wouldn't she make her baby into a project, too?
"I can take care of us just fine, mother. I have a plan."
"Of course, you have a plan." Halsey scowled. "I'm talking about being there for you, Lizzie. This is also my grandchild we're discussing."
Oh, it was her grandchild now, how touching of her. Cortana frowned hard.
"And what about John? Where is he now?"
"He is fine, I made sure." Halsey whispered, softly. "He's back on duty already."
She didn't miss the bit of intel, and yet the vague answer made Cortana furious again:
"He was fine with me too, mother! But you're just too jealous to understand."
"For the last time, Elizabeth, this has nothing to do with jealousy! You are the one who doesn't understand. He's a Spartan, his loyalty is to his unit and his vows. He's not built to be a father, all he feels for you is lust! You gave him the chance to release the instincts he's been keeping locked away for over twenty years, of course he would get attached! You had no idea, after all."
Simmering in her rage, Cortana was about to snap again and say horrible things.
But that whole situation was just sad. Sad and stupid.
"I thought you knew everything about him." Cortana shook her head, slowly. "You really don't. You have no idea who he is."
"Elizabeth…"
"At least tell me where he is." she insisted, her tone emotionless. "It's not like I can do something about it, now. I just want to feel better."
Halsey pressed her lips together in a thin, hard line.
She gave up after a short internal debate: "Sanghelios. He's stationed on Sanghelios."
Cortana felt her heart race, her face didn't betray how excited she suddenly was.
Good. She had a planet, now, and this couldn't come more in handy for her plans.
"What is he doing there?"
"I don't know, Lizzie. I only receive his health-status updates, the sender's encryption code hides a standard Sangheili timestamp. He's doing fine and will continue to be fine, I promise; he's been outfitted with a brand-new Mark Eight."
'Mark Eight, huh? Good. It will be easier to pinpoint him, then.' Cortana thought.
There were thirty… no, thirty-two comm relays between Reach and Sanghelios, she would have to piggyback her signal into each and every one of them. Now that she knew where to look, the next step was to secretly confiscate a satellite with a long-range scanner powerful enough to locate the transponder signal of a MJOLNIR Mark Eight, the only one in record. Then, she'd have to break the security protocols of his commlink. After that, she could build her own security protocol and send her messages discreetly, not too often so the communications and surveillance AIs wouldn't pick up her transmissions. Piece of cake.
"Will you consider moving in with me, at least?" Halsey broke her thoughts, softly.
Cortana frowned again, recoiling. Yes, this was as far as she was going that day.
"No, mother. I said I wasn't going to forgive you." she decided, and stood up.
"Lizzie, you know how it works: he's been given a post, I don't control…"
"Lunch is over. Pick up your stuff and leave my house, please."
x.x.x.x.x
PLANET SANGHELIOS – Urs System
FOUR DAYS AFTER CORTANA'S ILL-FATED LUNCH
The loud clunking noises of heavy titanium boots reverberated on the Pelican's ramp, a very tall figure clad in green was making his way out of the dropship. The man carried a duffel bag in one armored hand and a big weapon's case in the other, his iridescent gold-tinted faceplate scanned the surroundings, alert, taking in the desertic landscape.
Spartans in MJOLNIR-GEN2 armor were waiting for him at the end of the ramp.
All four members of Fireteam Majestic saluted at once, sharply:
"Master Chief, sir!" their team leader, Thorne, exclaimed. "Welcome to Nuusra!"
John answered in kind, he read quickly in his HUD their ID tags hovering above their helmets. Spartans Thorne, Grant, Madsen and Hoya. His backup, as it was stipulated on the mission brief. They were young, none above thirty, and called him 'sir' out of admiration more than because of military etiquette. He'd seen the type before.
More like backing him up, John felt like he was there to shape them up.
"Majestic." he said, using the external mic.
"It's so good to see a familiar face, Chief." Thorne sounded like he was smiling.
"Likewise. I must report with the Commander."
"Commander Palmer is in a meeting with the Arbiter, you have time to get settled until she's available to receive you."
John nodded once, in acceptance.
The team leader turned back: "Grant? Show the Master Chief his accommodations."
"Sure. Follow me, Chief." said a female Spartan, breaking their sturdy formation.
Accommodations meant that he was going to be parked on that planet for a long run. In most of his assignments, the only form of housing John ever knew was the inside of his own armor, but this time he was led towards the other end of the canyon where the camp lay. The common Spartan's spaces were collapsible hexagonal cabins only big enough to move around and hold a cot, a footlocker, a collapsible shelf-table and a chair. John entered his assigned cabin and took a moment to evaluate his options. He left the weapon's case on top of the footlocker and deposited his bag onto the cot, then rolled his shoulders until his back cracked under the weight of the armor.
It had been a long trip to Sanghelios, cryo didn't really help anyone rest, but he would nap when it was the proper time to do so. Now he had to wait for Palmer's call.
Which meant being idle, since he had no official post or appointment yet.
He didn't like being idle. Not after what happened.
The chair seemed flimsy for a Spartan to sit on it wearing nearly three-hundred pounds of armor on top of his own weight, so John unpacked one of the rifles from his weapon's case and exited the cabin. He had the excuse to get acquainted with the camp's grounds and evaluate the defenses, at least. It was something he could do.
The Master Chief silently made his way up through the sharp cliffs until he came on top of the landscape, overlooking the camp and the intricated canyons of the Nuusra desert with its temples carved on the red walls. It was an immense grid of mostly uncharted deep-running wild rivers and caves, a rather hostile environment only cut here and there by the distant shape of an abandoned artificial construct. Life wasn't very much welcome in those areas, so the Sangheili kept mostly to the coasts of the continent and the fertile lands they could grow crops on. Only bandits, traitors and rebels hid in these sands.
He muted for a moment all radio signals and just listened to the wind howling between the rocks, observing the vehicles that entered and left the camp, the Pelicans and Banshees that came and went.
Not once he questioned what the purpose of his post in this planet was.
John knew what they were doing. SECTION-III was punishing him.
The rehabilitation had been a fundamental part of it, sure. Four long weeks of intense physical training, drugs, continuous debriefings and attacks, just enough sleep to keep him going and quarantined to yet another sterile medical ward, some place somewhere isolated from the world. Another surgery, to correct the damage he had produced to his brand-new titanium femur with his unruly behavior. More drugs. Repetitive tasks. More interrogations. He found the whole procedure deeply offensive, as if he hadn't been trained by this very people to endure all kinds of torture. John did the smart thing, again. The faster he could leave that place, the faster he could try to conctact her again. Maybe the examiners knew he was trying to fool them, maybe they didn't; both parties still acted according to what was expected of them.
The official brief from SECTION-III was that they wanted him back in shape because Spartans were needed everywhere, and those of his generation were few.
But they wanted him to forget and continue to serve.
So they gave him drugs and they pushed him, mentally and physically.
He still remembered Halsey's words, and what Cortana had replied. They wanted to fix him, just like they would do with any other broken machine. After those four weeks in that secluded location, it was rulebook psychological assault: isolating him from his teammates, posting him to this planet out of UNSC-controlled space, giving him this lesser assignment. He'd witnessed a heated discussion between two Admirals over his next assignment, Hood and Parangosky were on opposite sides of an age-old quarrel and John stood in the middle of the room, quietly, looking up front. It wasn't the first time those two authorities argued in front of him, but Parangosky was another devil-like entity that wanted him to be aware of how much of a big deal John-117 was to the UNSC. The lengths they were willing to go to make him comply.
John still wondered what exactly he did wrong…
Cortana was right, he'd looked it up. There was no regulation whatsoever that said he couldn't get married or have a child. Maybe because nobody thought that a Spartan would ever want such things for himself and didn't bother writing down that part. This troubled him. A lot. Then the drugs acted and he felt calmer, but he didn't forget. Even being away from SECTION-III's direct grasp, John couldn't reject his medication; the MJOLNIR Mark Eight tested his blood and urine every twelve hours…
And yet, they continued to underestimate the strength of his will.
As long as he had the sketch of her portrait, tightly secured inside his thigh-pocket, he could fight the numbing effect of the drugs.
x.x.x.x.x
He had lost track of time just hearing the wind of the desert, when he got the ping from the Commander. After a greeting and a short brief with Palmer about his role in this foreign campaign, the Master Chief headed down to the massive structure of a stone temple, a place the Sangheili deemed sacred. Escorted inside the premises by two guards, John made it into a big chamber by the other edge of the cliff, that looked out through a carved balcony to a red canyon and a violent river below.
There was a huge holo-table in the center of the room, a lonely figure standing by it.
Thel 'Vadam, better known by the UNSC as the Arbiter.
"You're late. One more day and my detail wouldn't be here." the deep, rumbling voice of the tall alien resonated in the cavernous hall. Outfitted in an elaborate golden armor built on articulated plates, the Sangheili looked more like an ancient God than the leader of an extensive warrior community. "What took you so long?"
"We were sightseeing."
The Arbiter chuckled, amused. "I missed your sense of humor, Demon."
John extended his hand and the alien answered in kind, stretching their wrists together. It was a highly valued form of salutation amongst the Sangheili, if they deemed you worthy of such a greeting it meant you were someone they respected and considered honorable. The Master Chief and the Arbiter went a long way back…
"Commander Palmer says the situation is dire."
"Commander Palmer has a propensity to overreact, but I'm sure she means well." The alien clicked his mandibles, tilting his head to the side. "We might have located the hideout of Jul 'Mdama and his band of criminals. I have a spy within their ranks and at the moment I await the last piece of intel to triangulate their exact location."
"Ambush?"
"Of course."
"She wants me to be your bodyguard during the OP."
The Arbiter reared and extended his mandibles, hissing. John was familiar by now with alien displays of irritation and didn't back down when the massive creature stood over eight feet tall, clad in gold and threatening.
"Nonsense!" he roared, visibly angry. "I do not require a caretaker!"
"That's what I said to the Commander."
"She should not meddle with my operation." the Arbiter barked, moving his mandibles with frustration. After a growling sigh, he shook his head and turned back to the holo-table, requesting John to come over with a quick wave of his clawed hand, so he could show him something. "Let your Commander believe that I need someone like you watching over my scaled back, if that gives her peace of mind. You are a far more valuable ally than this, and I have an important task for you, Demon."
John stood even straighter, rising his chin.
Technically, he didn't answer to this alien and he should be doing exactly what Palmer had instructed. But if complying with his orders meant that he was going to have to play a bigger role in order to stay close to the Arbiter, then so be it.
At least, being stuck as a babysitter wouldn't be so boring in the end.
x.x.x.x.x
PLANET REACH – Epsilon Eridani System
NINE WEEKS AFTER SHE LAST SAW HIM
She had gotten into the habit of going out every morning, now.
To take a walk down through the beach, mostly, to ease the swelling of her ankles. The fresh oceanic air helped with the head and stomach aches; she was trying to leave the pills, since Little Bean was calming down. Her obstetrician had remarked that now, at seventeen weeks, she should begin to feel much better and enjoy her pregnancy.
And that morning she felt good. Her private project was almost finished.
Cortana walked slowly through the deserted beach, letting the salty sea wind tousle her hair and clothes. The winter season was approaching and the cold was already making itself comfortable, so she was the only person roaming around that day. Small fragments of black glass cracked under the soles of her boots, as she made her way towards the ruins of New Alexandria that could be seen in the distance; behind her, and also in the horizon, the dark shadow of SWORD Base loomed over the coast. The complex in which she lived was in between those landmarks.
She remembered walking that same beach when she was a kid, with Miranda.
Miranda was the closest thing to a friend that Cortana had growing up, the only one to cut her some slack and have fun with her. Although they didn't live on the same planet, the girls managed to get together least once a year until Miranda entered the Academy on Luna to pursue a military career. They didn't see each other much after that, but they messaged often. For a long time, knowing that Miranda thrived away from their mother's influence was a source of torture and envy for Cortana. Catherine Halsey didn't take well that her older daughter wanted to become an officer and go to war, so she focused all of her efforts on making Cortana stay with her and be a scientist.
And Cortana was weak enough to follow her instructions.
At least, until she went to study away from mother and finally opened her eyes.
Now, many years later, she didn't regret her career choices but found herself regretting the reasons behind those choices. Once, young Elizabeth had wanted her mother's approval and would've done anything to get it.
Her steps took her farther than the distance she had usually been walking the past days, near an abandoned resort complex. Another place she'd been to quite often, with Miranda. The hotels, spas, conference halls and other buildings had been leveled with a thick layer of black glass, there were only a few charred walls remaining. Cortana moved closer to one of the walls, stepping carefully over a thick pile of debris.
Something had called her attention. A not-so-distant but bittersweet memory…
She was nineteen, just acquired her second degree on Computer Sciences. Miranda wanted to celebrate her nerdy sister's accolade with a party weekend, just the two of them. Without telling mom, of course. So, they rented a luxury room and a full package to spend the weekend at that resort, relaxing and having fun.
Outside of Reach the Covenant War raged in far corners of the galaxy, in here most of the civilian population remained ignorant in their blissful lives. Most had heard about the fearsome Spartans, the most powerful warriors of the UNSC, but had no idea that they lived near their birthplace. 2551 was also the year that Propaganda decided to use them as a tool to influence the masses, the posters and heroic images began to flood the media.
Posters of him, mostly; Master Chief Petty Officer John-117.
'That guy is everywhere, lately.' Cortana said, mockingly, checking out a giant print recently plastered to the hotel's wall.
They both knew that he was one of her mother's Spartans. They observed the figure on the poster with appraising looks, after their second glass of vodka the pose of the warrior even looked a little funny. The two sisters had sneaked into the pool's grounds with a stolen bottle just to be a little naughty.
Miranda nodded. 'Yeah, John-one-one-seven. I worked with him once… cute under the helmet, a little stiff and dry. Totally not my type. You can't get anyone better to be poster boy, though. I'm sure mother can tell you plenty about him, he's her favorite.'
'I thought she didn't have favorites.' Cortana curled up her lip, but then gasped. 'Wait, you've seen his face?'
'I've seen him naked getting out of cryo.' Miranda's sly smile made Cortana raise her eyebrows, shocked and very interested. The older sister looked down at the bottom of her glass, feigning disinterest. 'Not much of a detailed view, don't get too excited. I was totally embarrassed, he knows me since I was a kid.'
They looked at the gallant figure drawn on the poster for a while, in silence.
Then, Cortana interrupted:
'You should totally draw horns on it.'
'Liz, what? It's official propaganda, you can't do that. It's the law.' Miranda frowned.
Cortana dismissed her with a flailing hand, rolling her eyes. Clearly it was the drink doing the talking, not her.
'The law doesn't say what's right or wrong, it says that there's a punishment agreed upon certain actions. If you're too much of a chicken to take the punishment, then I pity you. Let's draw some horns on it.'
'… or a stick up his ass. Would make it more realistic.'
They both had laughed together, giggling quietly under their breaths.
Yes, that had been a nice weekend for Cortana; first ever spent alone with her sister. First time trying real alcohol. First time arrested, for desecrating UNSC propaganda. Some Sergeant named Johnson had to bail them out of jail and her mother gave them both a lot of crap when she found out. Good times. Thank God her sister was a Lieutenant by then, she managed to make the arrest vanish before it was translated to Cortana's permanent judiciary file.
Now, seven years later -six after her sister's death-, she was standing before that same poster, or what was left of it. It has been covered with another poster, but the original was still plastered to the same wall, all ravaged by the passing of time and the glassing. It still had the drawings of the horns she'd made on both sides of the helmet. Up until that point in her life, studying non-stop to make a name for herself and get out of her mother's long shadow, Cortana had barely registered the importance of that particular Spartan. With the years to come, she would end up working with her mother in the MJOLNIR project and become very acquainted with him and all of his siblings.
He would become the center of her attention, even if she didn't plan on it.
Cortana found herself missing Miranda, even if they never were really close.
For a long while, she stood on that pile of debris looking at the charred wall, waiting for that little nagging voice on the back of her mind to say something. But she hadn't heard that voice for a long time now.
She returned home quietly, but this time she didn't enjoy the walk as much as before.
Upon entering the complex, Cortana was greeted by the guard.
"Miss Halsey, wait. There's a package for you, arrived a moment ago."
"Thank you." she received from the man's hands a slim plastic envelope.
Cortana proceeded to her floor, turning the envelope over carefully, almost expecting it to explode. There was no information about the sender, only her name and address stamped on the front, and the sanction date: almost six weeks back. So, it was coming from quite far away, as far as another planetary system.
Her heart raced. 'What if it's from John?' she thought, excited.
Something rattled inside. Cortana looked at the envelope against the window and could distinguish a small shape, then she opened the package by tearing off the lid with her teeth. With another little shake, a black rectangle with a hole in the center fell out into Cortana's palm, with a small paper. A note was scribbled on the paper in strong, sturdy handwriting:
'You can keep it. Or, you can destroy it.'
She looked at the object closely. It was a standard storage data-chip, more specifically the type that fit into the socket of a MJOLNIR power armor. Frowning, she moved to her desktop's holo-table and set the chip on the corner, on the sensor. The table connected with the chip and a screen opened before her eyes, loading a series of commands and codes that she recognized immediately. At last, a password was required.
Her heart raced when she read the ID tag. It was the chip from John's MJOLNIR.
From the armor that the medics aboard the Spirit of Fire had torn apart from his body to save his life. The chip that once had been functioning in the helmet she kept, and that had mysteriously vanished from her quarters.
Now, the chip had been returned to her. By whom? Why?
She knew exactly what password to use.
Frantically, Cortana tapped into the controls and accessed the memory banks easily, to dive into the huge pool of files lying inside the unit. There were months' worth of records, going back up to half a year before she met him in person. She navigated her way through the most recent files and double-tapped on one of them. The screen popped up with a clear view of a server room she identified immediately, the vision of her own self showing her back to him. She was typing incredibly fast on a keyboard, his line of sight kept moving in a predatory sweep of the environment.
She recognized that precise moment in time, and what came after.
Then, she heard his voice. John's voice:
"We need to move." he sounded flat, trapped inside a confined space. "Now."
"The drives are almost ready." that was her own voice.
"Cortana."
"Yes, John?" she sounded irritated.
A pause. John's armored hand moved in front of the camera, holding a plasma grenade. He hit the trigger for delayed detonation.
"You got thirty seconds to pick up your stuff." his words were tense, a cold growl.
The vibration of that sound made her shiver involuntarily. Her whole body reacted to it with sudden violence, her eyes filled with tears. Cortana tapped the screen out and pressed her hands to the edge of the holo-table, to steady herself. It took her a long while to make the tears go away so she could continue looking into the chip. Skimming through the files, she confirmed that John's helmet's camera had picked video and audio up until that near-fatal moment in which the Gravemind slammed him down against the hard concrete, almost killing him. After the impact, the video turned into white noise for a couple of seconds and the recording just cut off.
Reliving that precise moment through his eyes was conflictive, heartbreaking.
His vitals were logged along with the feed in a third channel, she couldn't stop looking at the heart monitor, the shifting brainwaves, the spiking blood pressure, the erratic stress levels. Adrenaline saturated his veins, his hormonal chart was a mess. He'd been terrified and still pushed forward, unrelenting, to get her out of that wretched place and take her to the Pelican safely.
That man truly was something else.
Cortana didn't cry this time, surprisingly. But she had another one of those moments in which her brain spaced out imagining that he was there, and almost felt the ghostly pressure of his fingers wrapped around her hand. Some relief invaded her.
At least with the chip in her possession she could hear his voice again. At that precise moment she became brutally aware of how much she missed him and rubbed the curve of her seventeen-week-old belly under the sweater. Ironically, and although it hadn't been the most frequent activity they performed together, what she missed the most was sleeping beside him. Every morning she rolled on the bed looking for his warmth, and finding the cold sheets only made her heart shrink a little more.
Cortana took a deep breath and picked up the chip. She would keep it, alright.
It was time to finish her software and do the proper tests.
x.x.x.x.x
PLANET SANGHELIOS – Urs System
THREE DAYS AFTER CORTANA RECEIVED THE CHIP
Jul 'Mdama had spies of his own.
He'd caught a wind of the operation that was meant to finally capture him and his sect. By the time the forces of the Arbiter showed up on the doorstep of his hideout, the cultist had been long gone from the premises and left the rotting corpse of the Arbiter's asset lying on the floor, gutted like a fish.
Thel 'Vadam was extremely angry all day and night after that.
John wasn't going to tap that beehive -not even with a ten-foot pole- so he stuck to his task in silence. He personally escorted the Arbiter and his cohort back to the camp from a prudent distance, with the support of Fireteam Majestic observing from atop the cliffs.
They spent two weeks crawling through muddy cavern systems to reach that bastard, all for nothing. Now the Blades of Sanghelios and the UNSC were in pretty tense relations, with the operation failed and a growing dispute about what the next step would be, since they had no more inside intel. Palmer was fuming too.
The following weeks would be stale and uncomfortable, for sure.
John gave Majestic permission to rest for a standard planetary day after they were back at the camp. He should've followed suit, but never filed his own name on the R&R report. Taking advantage of the cool night and the starred skies of Sanghelios, John climbed all the way atop the cliffs surrounding the camp with an SRS sniper rifle attached to his back -just in case-, to find a crevice on the red wall that had become his sleeping spot. He felt blind and limited inside his appointed cabin, so he almost never stayed in there.
Once he was properly seated, he broke the seals of his helmet and pulled it off.
The fresh night air of the desert filled his lungs.
The Master Chief relaxed a little and ripped off the lid of a nutritional pack. He drank the thick fluid, taking his time, thinking about nothing but keeping an eye on the movement below. The mix left a tangy taste on his tongue, special diet designed for Spartans under long assignments. Liquid with no solid waste, so he wouldn't have any need to detach from his armor to take care of any bodily functions, the suit itself recycled the rest. Keeping that in mind, it had been over three weeks now since the last time he had a shower.
His armor needed a good cleansing too, some plates and gaps were covered in mud. He could do all that first thing come the morning. Once he decided that it had been enough of clean air, John put his helmet back on; the HUD came back online showing the planet's standard time: midnight sharp. A small sign flickered on his display.
He sensed a slight pinch on the back of his head, the daily shot.
Like a Pavlovian reflex, his right hand went to the thigh-pocket, looking for a piece of yellow paper. John endured the first shock of the drug's effect with his eyes affixed to the sketch, repeating the same ritual every night. His armored thumb hovered above the plump lines that made up her lips, without touching the paper.
Cortana. His mate. So beautiful, even in that incomplete drawing.
Just as the effect of the drugs was starting to ease off, a soft ping rang inside his ear.
The sudden noise made him blink out of his stupor. John looked at the blinking icon on the upper left corner of his HUD, there was an unread message in his commlink. The inbox opened before his eyes, he tapped the new item with a nod. The message had no timestamp and no sender stamp, no reply option either, but the encryption was somehow correct.
The contents were just a few lines:
I'M OF THE SAME STEEL AND TEMPER OF MY ANCESTORS, AND I WON'T GIVE UP. BESIDES, I'VE ALWAYS THOUGHT THAT YOU WERE MORE OF AN OLGER THAN A TRISTAN.
For a long, long moment, John stood very still.
Was it a network error, or…?
No. His eyes drifted fast to the drawing he was holding between unsteady fingers, and somehow, John knew. Cortana. It was her. She had to be the sender, keeping it anonymous so it couldn't be tracked back to her, so it couldn't get them both in trouble again. Who else would use such a cryptic language, yet so clear to him?
The Master Chief didn't realize that his heart was racing until he heard the low beeping of his exo-suit and the flaring alarm across his HUD, denouncing his vitals off range. Fuck his vitals, Cortana was talking to him! A little too desperately, John tried to ping back the message a few times, hellbent on finding the reply option, but every time he tried to open it the system returned an error message. No way to respond. There was no more data attached to the encryption, anything. Frustrated like never before in his life, he took a long, deep breath and forced himself to calm down.
John re-read the message a few more times, to memorize it in case it disappeared.
He could almost hear the true meaning of the words in his head, with her voice:
'Hey, Chief. I'm fine. I'm still fighting.'
He looked at the drawing, again. His brow furrowed involuntarily.
A cold claw was straining around his heart, gripping tighter and tighter…
It was the drugs. He fought back the feeling. He would always fight. He was a Spartan, the most renowned of his division. Probably the most decorated and idolized man alive. He singlehandedly had saved Humanity in more ways than it could be accounted for, been in and out of Hell for decades. John-117 was a man of few words and even fewer fears...
And yet, he was powerless. Couldn't keep the woman he loved by his side.
He couldn't even tell her how he felt.
Love. Small word, big meaning. John knew what love meant. He acknowledged it. He loved his brother and sisters and for a long time, thought that this was all that there was to love itself. Until he understood that he loved Cortana, and that he loved their baby as well, even if it hadn't been born yet.
He knew duty, he knew family, and he knew love.
What he didn't understand is why SECTION-III decided that love was wrong.
TO BE CONTINUED
He can't reply but IT'S SOMETHING! She's not giving up, so John won't give up either (he never does, anyway). Cortana doesn't know who to blame for what's happened, Halsey certainly doesn't seem like the only culprit of their separation. The plot only thickens from now on and a lot of what we're going to see will be more tell than show, but remember: everything is part of the plot, so stay with me and endure the hardship. The reward will be glorious, I promise :D
NOTE: I know Nuusra is quite different from my depiction, I know. Just go with it.
Now, let's thank some non-logged users!
My dear LIZZY OF DUNWICH, you gave me a lot of things to think about. My partner and I have been considering the potential dangers of crossing the Office of Naval Intelligence. Indeed, it could be as easy as killing her and taking the child. It could be as easy as poisoning John. None would be the wiser. But we decided to say fuck it. Defeating ONI isn't the purpose of this fanfic, we don't want to turn this sexy love story into a spy drama, and Cortana is a little naïve, actually thinks she can fight ONI with lawyers. We decided to give it a decent solution, yet not a magistral one. Hopefully you will stick around to see the outcome, precious one. Many kisses!
To the GUEST who claims that this party wasn't lit until NOBLE Team showed up, yeah, good luck. There won't be any more NOBLE Team, I'm sorry! We're going back to boring.
My friend REXSOKA, I'm not taking commissions for the time being. Commission means, a writing request that is paid with real money, much like a fanart. I hope that's understandable. Thank you for your support and enthusiasm, though!
And AJ here, INDEED, SHIT JUST GOT REAL. Stay tuned to see how ugly it gets before it gets better. Thank you!
See you next week, my lovely Marines! Please don't go without leaving your impressions in the comment box below, it's the fuel that keeps this fire alive! Thank you for your visit and stay safe!