Ch 7
Dare, her team, John, and Osiris were in the Chief's quarters.
"We've received word that there is some forerunner tech beneath the planet. We need to make sure it doesn't fall into enemy hands." Dare said.
"Several problems with that. The planet is an innie controlled world. Doubt they'll want us to take it. And we also have to prevent the brutes and jackals from taking it. And while you ONI spooks are examining it, we'll be spilling our blood fighting against both human and covenant enemies. Besides, this forerunner artifact may already be hostile to us." Cortana said.
"That's one hell of an assumption." Dare said.
"Cortana, show them the footage of Ivanoff Station, when the composer was used." John said.
'The Didact has taken the composer.'
'Get these people to the evac station! Cortana, search the hangers. Find something that can carry a payload.' Chief said, inserting Cortana in a consol.
'Cortana, can you access the station's defense systems?' Chief asked, seeing MAC guns near the forerunner weapon.
'They're not responding.' Cortana said.
'Wait. Something's happening.' Tillson said.
'Cortana.' Chief urged.
The composer surged in power, about to strike.
'Chief it's…' Cortana started.
The weapon fired, and the scientists were the first to be composed, broken down to digitalized form. Chief watched Tillson be composed, right in front of his eyes.
John fell unconscious and woke up later. He saw piles of ashes where humans once stood.
"That's what we might be up against." John said.
Dare and her fellow agents didn't speak. All the information was highly classified.
"Cortana… you know this information is classified. Right?" Dare asked, trying to get her bravado back.
"I know it's classified." Cortana said.
"Cortana, when this is all over, we'd like to examine you." Dare said.
"Why?" John asked, yet knowing the answer.
"In case you haven't noticed Chief, she's metastable. Whatever cured her, can fix the problems of rampancy." Dare said.
"I have noticed. And that's up to her." John said.
"She's property of the UNSC. The leader of ONI, Osman will be interested in her." Dare said.
"I'm not giving her up. They'll dissect and kill her." John said.
"I understand if you're close to her…" Dare started.
"Dare, here's something you should know. Me and Chief are lovers, and he went thru hell and back to find me. The Spartan 4s are calling him 'Baba Yaga.'" Cortana said, appearing in view.
"The boogey man?" Buck asked.
"I'm what you'd send to kill the boogey man. You saw that movie John Wick? What he did when the mob killed his dog?" John asked.
"Yes. Great movie." Locke said.
"Just something to think about." Chief calmly said.
"You're scary, Chief." Buck said.
"I suggest we all get some rest. And if you agents try and do something, such as sabotage the ship… I'll kill you. Slowly and painfully." John said.
Cortana watched as John slept, something she found herself doing more and more often. She knew she could easily figure out what he was dreaming thanks to the neural interface, but decided not to. Better to let her imagination do the work.
'I used to love watching you sleep. Waiting for you to wake up made me feel like anything could happen next.'
If she were fully human, Cortana knew she'd have some tears right now. The two were together, and for the moment it was enough.
"My sword and shield." She said, leaning forward and kissing John while he was in a deep sleep.
Cortana could only laugh at the irony. When she was first introduced to Chief, she learned all she could about him, and vowed to protect him from harm. She helped him survive the Colonel's rigged test and guided him thru the chaos of the first two Halo rings.
And yet the Spartan was ordered to make sure she didn't fall into enemy hands, which he did. He even went thru what many would consider a true hell, rescuing her. He defied orders from Del Rio and tore across Requiem to find her. And now it seemed he would turn against ONI to protect her.
"Who's the sword, and who's the shield? Me, you? Or both?"
Meanwhile, Dare was wondering about her secret orders from Osman.
"He went thru a flood-infested hellhole to rescue Cortana. God knows what he's capable of. And since he survived the composer, who knows what he can do." She said to herself.
"And the two are lovers. How is that possible?" she wondered aloud.