RECOMPOSE
by Ladywolvesbayne
AN: I intended this fanfic to be short, maybe 12 chapters tops, but I'm not so sure about it now. Anyway, let's see how this goes. I have a nice surprise prepared for you, but not today -evil grin-
Enjoy your reading as much as you can :)
2. MIRROR MASK
JUNE 7TH, 2558
LOCATION: UNSC INFINITY
8:47 PM standard time
He wasn't entirely innocent, she knew that. He was an adult male of a certain age, and despite everything he'd been through, the augmentations, the isolation, the iniquities and the success, John wasn't ignorant neither stupid. Soldiers often talk. She knew he was curious about certain subjects and never felt ashamed of asking questions, even if it was about something basic, something everybody else knew. It was natural for him. She used to answer those questions whenever he expressed his desire for information; he always paid attention to her words very carefully, with respect.
Her answers were precious to him.
That one particular question was like explaining the rainbow to a man born blind. It was difficult for her too, since she actually never experienced anything of the sort and her counsel was merely technical, mostly about mechanics, chemistry, morals and procedures. It was difficult now as well, because she had no explanation for her sudden existence in the world of the living beings made of flesh and bone. This was far more complicated than explaining the theory of human breeding.
Handling information used to be one of her strongest features, and yet...
Between the two of them there was always this intensity implied. Some sort of connection. It was still there, she felt a powerful rush of adrenaline when John grabbed her by the arm and escorted her to the officer's deck. It was an overwhelming feeling. Captain Lasky decided that she would remain imprisoned in closed quarters under heavy guard until something made sense. Cortana looked at him, while they walked -she found quite difficult to follow his long strides- and more than once John looked back at her, but didn't say anything. Nobody said anything. The silent brown dog followed them all the way as fireteam Majestic did too, weapons still drawn.
There was no violence whatsoever, just the serene strength of his powerful hand, fingers clasped around her slender arm. She became fully aware about her own fragility, of the real size of that hand. But he did not hurt her; John would never do such a thing.
At least something was still the same.
JUNE 7TH, 2558
LOCATION: UNSC INFINITY
9:23 PM standard time
John stood in front of the mirror, quietly. Anyone who entered the collective bathrooms of that deck would find a very tall man staring at his own reflection with an inexpressive face. Some others maybe would walk out faster and find another bathroom, leaving him alone. He tried to focus. He couldn't just loose it over something like this, possibly a well elaborated trap from the Covenant rebels. Or anyone else, if not the Covenant. She could be a spy. An undercover assassin. A biological bomb or another kind of twisted weapon. She could've been brainwashed, blackmailed, even hired for the job.
She was pretty as a picture, perfect. Too damn perfect.
Psychological warfare, now? Come on. The Covenant could do better.
"Your duty is to protect the people aboard this ship." John said to himself, out loud. "Until you can prove it otherwise, she's a threat."
He stared once more into his own eyes, just breathing slowly.
After leaving the bathroom, John found a small emergency terminal attached to a wall. He plugged the black chip in the proper port, just to make sure. The error message flashed in light blue across the screen, on and off, on and off, until he wasn't sure how to feel about it anymore.
JUNE 7TH, 2558
LOCATION: UNSC INFINITY
10:50 PM standard time
He was terribly hungry and worried, and it was late. 10 PM was usually the end of Captain Lasky's shift, alongside with the beginning of the regular third shift in the Infinity's standard Earth-time schedule. Fireteam Majestic was dismissed; Crimson took their place at guarding the sealed quarters now. The question was still hanging in the air, since no one had an answer or solution appropriate for the current matter. No military protocol had a contingency plan regarding the sudden appearance of an AI in a physical, human body out of the blue.
The Master Chief wasn't much cooperative either, he was standing still away from the holo-table, silent. His back was quite an impressive view. The dog, however, was sitting back-to-back with her master, monitoring the activity in the room as if she was jealously guarding John's life. Lasky's eyes wondered a moment or two over the tense posture of the animal, admiring her confidence.
"You should send a comm to Admiral Osman about this." said Palmer, serious.
"Yes, I should." Lasky pursed his lips, concerned. "But I very much fear we will no longer hold control of the situation if I report it. Cortana... I mean, she will be taken away and we may never see her again, much less get answers."
He side-glanced towards the Chief. Palmer understood.
"Let's face the facts." the Commander stood up and paced around the table, still in her armor. "She is human now. We do have standard procedures for prisoners. She must remain isolated and we have to interrogate her, every piece of information we can get would be immensely valuable. She might know where that hag Halsey is."
"She is amnesiac, Sarah." groaned Lasky, tired.
"How convenient. She remembers pretty much everything else, though."
"You imply she's lying."
Commander Palmer stood across the holo-table, she leaned into the bright light towards the Infinity's Captain, serious. "I imply she's hiding something, for if this isn't a mystery enough. I've heard of AIs implanted in cybernetic, functional bodies, but never about one that could actually become human."
"The Composer." John said, suddenly.
Palmer and Lasky looked back at him; the SPARTAN was facing them. Charley whined and tilted her head to look at her master with worried eyes. John's calloused hand grazed slightly the animal's ears.
"The Librarian said the Composer was meant to transcend the boundaries of the physical world into the digital sources, and eventually reverse the procedure; to transfer a digital conscience into a physical state." John continued. He took a few steps into the brighter side of the aisle. "She also said that the Forerunners' attempts of giving bodies to these digital entities failed, but the Didact found a way to use the Composer to create his Prometheans defenders. I saw a Forerunner glyph burnt in Cortana's skin, in her left wrist. I've seen that glyph before."
Commander Palmer thought she was hallucinating. She never heard the Master Chief speak for that long, ever. "But the Composer was destroyed."
"It also destroyed what was left of Cortana in the process. We don't know how the technology works, since Dr. Tillson's data was lost with Ivanoff Station, or how many Composers the Forerunners originally built."
Lasky took a breath, almost in horrified realization: "Dr. Halsey. The message she sent you. You think she might have found another Composer, Chief?"
"Maybe."
"If someone can pull off a trick like that, it's that old hag. It makes sense. It makes me shiver to think what she or the Covenant rebels can do if they get their hands on one of those things..." Palmer trailed off. "If Cortana fused herself with the Composer's matrix, maybe she found a way to escape."
"What if this is one of Cortana's rampant personalities?" inquired Lasky, worried. His eyes turned to the Chief. "Do you know what this glyph means?"
"No, sir. But I will find out."
The three of them looked at each other; John's gaze was the only one still serene. Even Charley was nervous, the dog could easily feel the electricity in the air. There was just one logical course of action after such statements:
"Captain, I'd like to perform the interrogations myself." said John, coolly as usual. "I have close knowledge of the subject."
"That means you are compromised." spat Palmer.
"Are you sure, Chief?" Lasky interrupted her, surprised. "Because Commander Palmer can..."
"I'm sure, sir."
It was the Captain's decision now. Like he had a choice, anyway.
JUNE 8TH, 2558
LOCATION: UNSC INFINITY
06:00 AM standard time
"Everything is so slow." she said, her distant blue gaze lost beyond the window. The interrogation room had an impressive view down a very active cargo bay, small figures dressed in armor or vests moved across the deck like raging ants. "I feel quite uneasy, you know? It's cold and I'm tired, and hungry. Desperate. Sad. Angry. Being human is such a nuisance; it feels like everything takes forever to happen. Even sleep. I haven't figured out yet how to properly sleep. Whatever happened to me went beyond just fixing my rampancy, this is…"
"I can get you something to eat."
She turned back and faced him, a bit more relieved.
"Would you, Chief? That'd be great."
John was on active duty, wearing his brand new armor. He left the helmet over the table, right in the corner as some sort of warning. He was armed. She was no longer wearing that lab coat, either, someone provided with an UNSC training uniform, dark blue pants and a loose dark blue hooded sweatshirt, black running shoes. The gloomy traces of fatigue below her eyes were quite a sight.
He requested Roland for some breakfast. Through the surveillance feed, Captain Lasky and Commander Palmer were monitoring the conversation from the bridge. A few minutes later, John received a tray with hot tea and some high-carb cereal bars, and placed it over the table.
She sat down before her food, he didn't sit. No giant brown dog this time.
"You look like crap, Chief. That tan doesn't suit you at all."
He cocked an eyebrow "Would you like a mirror with that?"
"I almost forgot how painfully lame you can be when you are trying to be funny." she smiled. Cortana attempted to grab the beverage but the plastic was hot. She hissed and gave the evil eye to the cup for a few seconds. Then she slid her hands inside the sleeves of the sweatshirt and grabbed the recipient again, tasting the tea in small sips.
Fast learner.
"So, who will be the 'bad cop'? Let me guess: Commander Palmer, right?"
"No bad cop, just me."
"That's bad enough. OK, shoot." Cortana looked right at his eyes, defiant.
She munched on a carb bar as he clasped his hands behind his back.
"What happened to you after I detonated the nuke inside the Mantle's Approach?"
"I don't know. My first memory is of this dirty grey ceiling, I was lying naked on an uncomfortable bed." she sipped more tea, bit another cereal bar. "A woman named Cecilia Preston, a medical doctor, was examining me, she asked me questions. I freaked out. When she managed to calm me down, Dr. Preston said that I probably was attacked and left for dead, that I had temporary amnesia. She and her team found me somewhere nearby New Phoenix, about two standard weeks ago. I was injured. They couldn't find me in the database but they hit a DNA match, of course, and then I did the craziest thing I've ever done: I tried to convince these people about my identity. All I knew is that I had to get back to you, Chief, I even mentioned Dr. Halsey and insisted in asking her to confirm my story. That desperate I was. Then I was told Halsey is a fugitive of the UNSC."
Small cold needles prickled in John's skin when she said she'd been injured.
"That is correct." he nodded.
"I think I saw her." her voice came out as a whisper. "Dr. Halsey, I mean. Or maybe it was a delusion. Dr. Preston said that I was feverish for a few days, like my body was fighting against some infection."
John clenched his fists. The mere thought of Palmer being right about the intel this Cortana could provide...
"How did you get here?"
"I escaped. Dr. Preston didn't buy my story and wanted to hand me into military custody because I had no ID. So I snatched a portable terminal and did some fireproof hacking, made up a fake identity to get on board of the Infinity. When I found you, I knew where to go." she shrugged slightly, shoved into her mouth the last of the carb bar. After a long pause of silent munching, she lowered her eyes to the bright white surface of the table. "I wanted to get back to you, you are the only one who can help me, now... but seems like it has been too long."
"We'll see about that. You are a prisoner of the UNSC."
"So, I'm not getting out of this cell anytime soon."
"That's right."
"Well, thanks, Chief; that was very comforting." she rolled her eyes, irritated.
"So far, this is only your word against anything else."
"Hey, I'm trying to make some sense out of this too. Fine, lock me up if you must, I don't mind. I know the protocol and the Law." she rose on her feet, her voice pitching a little in clear anger. John stood firm in a far more menacing pose than hers, looking at the woman right in the eyes. Then Cortana took a shaky breath and sat down again, her shoulders limp "I know you doubt me, you have all the right to do it. And if I was still on that chip, I'll advice you not to trust me either."
"And why is that?" he leaned in, curious.
"I know what you are thinking. And you also know the answer."
For a few seconds they were silent, just looking at each other.
"You are fine with imprisonment." John said, calmly.
"It's not like the UNSC will grant me a Royal pardon* and greet me with a full-paid vacation in a tropical island." she chuckled, it was a sad grin anyway. "I'm scared, Chief. Fear feels more real when you are human. I understand."
John wished to tell Cortana that she had nothing to be afraid while she was aboard the Infinity, but he knew damn well it wasn't his place to make such a promise. Much less when they still were on a 'possible threat' basis.
"And I understand you too." she kept talking, in a lower voice.
"What do you mean?"
Sadness took over her face, her deep blue eyes stained with a dark note of regret.
"I read your file. You worked so hard to let me go, that now you can't figure out what to do with me coming back."
Back in the bridge, Captain Lasky narrowed his eyes when he heard that, and then raised his eyebrows when he saw the Master Chief himself take a small step back inside the room. Standing beside him, Palmer breathed out an almost silent 'huh' and that was it. Lasky crossed his arms, determined:
"Roland, cut out the feed." he commanded.
The screen went blank, then a UNSC animated white logo flashed.
"What are you doing, Tom?" hissed Palmer.
"What is going on in there now it's none of our business."
"And what about the rest of the information, Captain?" she rested her powerful armored fists over the holo-table. She was angry. "I believe that is what interrogations are for, to gather intel."
"He'll report it. The Chief knows very well where his loyalties reside."
Commander Palmer thought of asking him how sure he was about that statement, but she tried to calm down. Roland may have interrupted the screen feed although the cameras were still recording, she'd take a look at the footage later, alone. She wasn't as soft-hearted as Lasky.
"I think I have a plan, Sarah." he continued. "Would you back me up a little?"
She shook her head in disbelief, but still…
Tom was a good man. And as a Captain he wasn't that bad, either.
"Fine. I'll bring this Dr. Cecilia Preston and her team in for interrogation."
JUNE 10TH, 2558
LOCATION: UNSC INFINITY
5:54 AM standard time (48 hours after the interrogation)
"The medical report notices a slight hormonal unbalance, of the likes of a teenage girl... which would explain her sudden mood swings. You all have seen the footage." Lasky recited, watching at the screen. He pointed out towards a fluorescent graphic with vibrant colors. "The brain activity is also a bit erratic here, it indicates she might be left-handed. The biological profile is perfectly green, nothing seems wrong with her body or cognitive functions, scored 192 at the IQ tests. She is our not-so-average healthy woman on her late twenties. Then again, Cortana was never human to start with, so I think we can expect her to be somewhat special."
Madsen snorted under his breath. "Maybe she is in her special days of the month."
DeMarco smiled lightly and Tedra rolled her eyes. Thorne cleared his throat.
"Maybe her body is still adapting, working out the adjustments on its own. Like it happened to us, during the early stages of the SPARTAN program." commented Tedra. "Like you said, this whole situation is unique. We understand."
"Good to see someone taking this seriously, Grant. Thank you." said the Captain. "Majestic, your assignment is simple: keep your eyes wide open and your mouths shut. Cortana won't be cleared to walk free, but after forty-eight hours our Law states that we can't keep her under custody without filing a report. An official report might bring us unwanted attention. Few people know about the recent events and I will keep it that way for a while, until I prove my point or this blows up. Your Commander doesn't agree with me, but she just gave me her permission to pin this on you, and I'm absolutely responsible for whatever happens."
"What if someone recognizes her, sir?" asked Hoya, concerned.
"Then you report it. This mission is of the highest importance."
"You want to see how it develops." acknowledged Thorne, serious. "What is your official position regarding the matter, Captain?"
"I don't trust this embodied Cortana and neither does the Master Chief. You'd be following his lead; I expect daily reports from each of you. Do I make myself clear?"
"Crystal-clear, sir!" a choir of strong voices echoed.
"Excellent. Now get the hell out of my quarters, Majestic. Dismissed."
JUNE 11TH, 2558
LOCATION: UNSC INFINITY
08:15 PM standard time (next day)
After three days at Red Tusk station in the middle of that dusty desert, John was a bit grumpy. Sand was an annoyance mostly because it was known to jam all mechanical parts it could fit into and screw up instruments, engines and weapons. That desert's sand was infuriating, almost like it was intelligent. In the other hand, civilians could be quite disorganized when they weren't used to military presence or maybe it was the growing danger of gigantic unknown insectoid creatures with acid saliva. The UNSC provided support and of course, the Master Chief's mission was to lead fireteam Crimson to find the creatures' nest, wipe it clean.
It wasn't difficult neither took long. No casualties, except for maybe fifty bugs and a several square meters of sticky eggs. John spent two days tracking down the location, since the instruments went crazy and the only working sensors were the dogs' enhanced noses. Not even Sigrid, the dumb AI that he shared with fireteam Majestic, was fully functional.
Well, some nice old school raid for a change. Charley and seven other K-9 agents enjoyed themselves.
Time to loosen up a bit. John headed for the SPARTAN bay of the Infinity.
He saw her from approximately twenty yards away. Even without the bluish hue around her silhouette, he would've recognized Cortana anywhere; his heart raced a bit when he realized she wasn't imprisoned. Sigrid silently pointed out his accelerated pulse with a flash of white words in his HUD, which he dismissed with a low growl. Cortana and SPARTAN Gabriel Thorne were having a talk, he pointed several directions across the corridor and the intersections as he spoke. They were right in his way, a rendezvous was imminent.
And not unwanted either. Curiosity unfolded within John.
Cortana didn't look so fragile now, but the hooded sweatshirt was still at least one size bigger than the appropriate for her measures. She was wearing boots, like any other soldier. She looked quite harmless. His gut insisted in not taking her lightly.
At the mere sight of the superior officer, Thorne stood still and saluted:
"Master Chief, sir. Good evening."
John responded the salute and nodded. "At ease, SPARTAN. Good evening."
Cortana smiled, her hands carefully clasped at her belly.
"Hey there, Chief."
"Why are you not under surveillance?" he barked, couldn't help himself.
"Wow, shots fired." she said, uncomfortable. "I told you I know the Law. Captain Lasky couldn't hold me in for more than forty-eight hours. He said I am free to visit a few decks if I am escorted by someone from fireteam Majestic or... well, you. My clearance is very limited."
"Sigrid, open a comm channel. Connect with Captain Lasky."
Cortana bit her lower lip, preventing herself from saying something that both of them could regret, but she stood patiently. Thorne suddenly found something interesting under his fingernails. It was unpleasant to see the Chief so distant, almost angry at her mere sight, although she understood his position and tried to cooperate. She was still under probation, after all.
The AI imprinted RECIPIENT NOT AVAILABLE across the HUD.
John growled again.
"Uh, I should be going, I'm already late for dinner." Thorne cleared his throat and took a few steps back. He saluted again, just in case.
John saluted back once more and dismissed him.
"Do SPARTANS have nightmares?" Cortana said. "Because I think you scared the shit out of him."
"Follow me."
She rolled her eyes. "What happened with 'please' and 'thank you'? I'm hungry and I heard tonight they are serving real spaghetti. I want to try it."
"We'll eat together. You are not leaving my side."
Her eyebrows rose. Her heart-rate also increased a bit; a small smile traced across her face, her deep blue eyes lit up. John was already on his way to the elevator and she followed right away, trying to keep up with his gigantic strides. A few minutes later, Cortana stood calmly by the platform while the technicians and the automated systems disengaged pieces of armor from John's body one after another. She observed the whole process with much interest, although she'd monitored it before in her AI form... this was like something new. Piece by piece the MJOLLNIR came out and finally there was just the man, tall and broad, and she smiled again. He probably wanted to respond that smile somehow. She concentrated at the moving rails and robotic arms, the system could use a few tweaks.
It was good to know that whatever made her solid, it didn't take away her most precious skills.
When she finally sat down before the polished steel table with her tray, Cortana took a few minutes to observe the attractive mess of yellow strings and red sauce. So, spaghetti. It looked tasty. She even got a sloppy meatball with the ration. The scent was quite seductive, that was for sure. Plastic fork in hand, she dug in for the first time, took a small bite.
The taste -and the heat- exploded inside her mouth. She moaned in pleasure.
"This is SO good!" Cortana mumbled, amazed. "The taste, the texture, this is..."
Across the narrow table, John was already taking in the food without much regard for it. He wasn't even tasting it. Well, he was paying more attention to her than to his own tray; it was difficult not to look at Cortana when she was making those strange, funny faces over something so simple.
He felt the urgency to smirk, or something.
He almost did it.
"So delicious." she kept mumbling, bite after bite.
"What am I going to do with you?" said John, most of his designated ration already eaten. She raised her head at him, the plastic fork carelessly stuck inside her mouth. Something warm slid beneath his skin. Something nice. She looked...
Safe. Relaxed. Comfortable with his presence. And happy.
Why couldn't he feel that happy, too?
Cortana put the fork down and slid her hand across the table, showing him her left wrist. The Forerunner glyph drew John's attention immediately, again. He also frowned, his face now grim.
"Well, you could start with this." she suggested.
"I've seen it before, but I don't know what it means."
"Of course you've seen it. We both have. It was embedded in the mainframe of the Composer's core. It's a number, Chief. The number three."
TO BE CONTINUED
*She means Royal pardons as the ones granted by the British Empire to criminals accused of piracy in the eighteenth century.
Yeah, I know. I just pulled a classic move here, the Composer. Ha-ha.
At this point, you might think you have everything figured out, but let's not forget that Lasky, Palmer and the Chief are merely theorizing about what possibly happened. Somebody else holds the truth, and we'll get there in due time. No more spoiling, I'm an evil person. I want to specially thank you all for your encouraging support, writing in English is not that difficult for me but still, it has its tricks. I'm doing it for practice. I want to keep this as serious and realistic as possible within the Halo universe –give or take the creative licenses I might engage from time to time, in behalf of the plot– and I'm taking all of your suggestions about reading material :)
DoUEvenWriteBro, correct me if I'm wrong, but after a little research, most of my sources agree that the chip John clutches in his hand in the H5 trailer could be Cortana's storage device. And if it's not, then… this is wishful thinking. I need to believe he keeps the freaking chip or I'll be very sad xD
YordleBro, I already wrote to you, but thanks again for such enthusiasm!
Checkmate10, I made proper adjustments at the previous chapter about the matter you exposed.
John117, patience, my SPARTAN. This is barely lift off ;)
Most sincerely, thank you and I'll try to update every five days or so if I can make it! ^^ don't forget to share your thoughts!