AN: I wrote just about all of this today. I expect tons of odd typeos as half was done via a keyboard and the second via just my iPad. So lots do dialog. Walls of text. Stuff happens. I realized I wears going to have a hard time writing angers James as I shave lost a great deal of my anger since I last touched this so he gets to get over a plot of issues really fast. And I don't agree with everything Caboose says, just most of it.

The next day different Gmen came to take them to what turned out to be the hearing hall. They were placed in a room just off to the side and locked back in. They were told the hearing would start in approximately fifteen minutes. There was complete silence for two minutes before Caboose broke it.

"You didn't need to be so rude to him," he said softly.

"What? To who?" James asked, startled by the question.

"General Church. He was just trying to help. There was no need to be so rude," Caboose repeated.

"Really? You want to talk about this here? Now?"

"Why? Did you have something else to talk about?" Caboose asked coolly.

"No! Dad, I don't want to talk right now," James yelped, upset his dad wanted to talk about etiquette right then.

"Well, I want to. He," Caboose said avoiding Church's name, "mentioned you were feeling like he abandoned you."

"Well, he did." James' shoulders wilted and he seemed fascinated with his hands.

"No he didn't, his AI thought he was dead."

"How does that make it better?" James' voice rose in volume a little.

"There is a chance-" Caboose started.

"Dad, I really don't know right now. I get that there might be an AI out there that thinks it is Church, but right now, I just don't see how that matters. I might still suddenly become military property and what difference would a damn AI make?" James huffed, voice thick.

"I don't know but Church..." Caboose sighed heavily before smiling a little. "Church always had some kind of plan. He always knew what he was doing."

James leaned against his extremely uncomfortable chair, back twisted to face away from his dad. "Yeah, but that's the wrong Church."

"They are essentially the same person. If our Church was always one step ahead of everyone else, I am sure General Church was at least one step ahead as well." Caboose rubbed his son's back in a reassuring gesture and continued, "It will work out."

James jerked away and whipped around to face Caboose. "You don't know that!"

But before Caboose could respond to that outburst, a Gman opened the doors and said, "It's time."

The court room was not as imposing as James had expected. In fact he felt a little odd at just how empty the room was. Sure there was a judge's bench that seated four judges and there was a witness stand, but only to people other than the judges. He recognized nether of them. One was an older woman with short greying hair and a serious face. She reminded James of a stern librarian. The other was a man dressed in military dress uniform. Neither looked up as James and his dad were seated. The judges were painfully typical: old, white hair, lined faces, black robed. It was then James noticed that the possible librarian was holding a disc and talking very fast to the judges. The military was nodding and seemed oddly agreeable. The judges were all frowning.

"Don't say anything, okay, James?" Caboose said softly, watching the six people in front of them. The Gmen had sat down behind them. "We don't know what could happen here. We don't want to mess anything up ." James nodded, understanding.

After a couple of moments, there was some footsteps and James turned to look. He smiled involuntarily at the sight of Allison and Tucker walking toward them. The Gmen motioned to have them sit on the other side of the room but Allison ignored them completely and pushed the much more docile Tucker into the seat next to Caboose. When one of the Gmen tried to take her arm, she decked him. James found himself staring. She hadn't just hit him, nor had the punch forced him to the floor, it had knocked him out cold, his glasses smashed on his face. The action was in complete disconnect to her next move: she took the seat next to James with all the delicacy of a lady, inclosing him in on both sides with people he trusted.

She smiled at him and nodded at Caboose. "So how goes it so far?"

"It hasn't yet."

"Who are we waiting for?"

"Scott Church will need to be here before we can proceed," the librarian said. She had apparently finished talking to the judges and had turned her attention to the four people seated in the back of the room. "This will not be a very long trial, don't worry." With that she took a seat in the front of the room.

One of the judges spoke up. "Dr. Halsey, I still do not completely understand why you felt you had to come all the way down here to over see such a minor issue."

"It may be a minor issue for you but for the humans involved, it is rather life changing," she replied cooly.

"Dr. Halsey?" Allison gasped quietly. "No way. She started the SPARTANs. Her work is unparalleled in AI's and genetics. It can be argued that she single handedly won the war."

"Which one?" James asked.

"Any of them."

This revelation was cut off when yelling was heard. Sounded like some Gmen were trying to get someone to cooperate with them who didn't want to.

"Ah. That must be Scott," Dr. Halsey remarked dryly.

A moment later the doors opened and someone who must be Scott, James hadn't gotten a great look at him back at the school, came in looking ready to murder.

"Let's get this over with. I demand that the AI my son left be destroyed so he can finally rest," Scott stated.

"Please be seated, Mr. Church," one of the judges said.

"No, as next of kin, that AI-"

"Only if there is no will," another judge cut in. "One of the things we are here to do is make General Church's will known to those it is relevant to."

"There is no will-"

Dr. Halsey stood up, holding the disc high. "There is. I have it here."

The military man, who had sat down at one of the tables, groaned. "Let's try to keep this as civil as possible."

A judge hit her gavel down. "Mr. Scott Church. Be seated so we may begin."

Growling a little, Scott sat down.

"Thank you. Now we are all here to hear the case of the UNSC vs Scott Church. Mr. Church is demanding the destruction of a smart AI that his son, the late Leonard Church, left upon his death. Is this correct?"

"Yes, your Honor," the military man replied.

"Good. Now." She looked around at the small group in front of her. "I believe Dr. Halsey has something she wants us all to see before we proceed any farther."

A different judge, the one who made the comment about the minor issue, snorted. "I doubt it can have any weight."

"Dr. Halsey," the first judge said stiffly. "If you would?"

"Thank you, you Honor," Dr. Halsey said and stood. "Just before Leonard underwent the procedure that resulted in his death, I asked him to record a last will and testament. I now hold that here."

"Dr. Halsey, would you for the benefit of those here, explain just what the procedure was and why General Church underwent it?"

"Gladly. Leonard underwent a procedure to have his brain turned into a smart AI in order to pilot several MAC guns against an armada of Covenant ships that were going to destroy a series of planets."

"And just how many people did he save?"

"It is estimated that Leonard saved thirteen billion people."

"Thank you," the judge, the nice one, said. "Please play the disc."

Scott stood up. "I object to having my son's will shown in such a public venue."

"No," Dr. Halsey said. "You object to your son having a will that might keep your will from happening."

With that the Doctor played the video on the disc. The scene was oddly familiar. Church sitting at his desk, the camera facing the rest of the room. "My name is Leonard L. Church. I have the honorary rank of General in the UNSC." This was filmed just before they had arrived in the past James realized. "I make AI's for the military. These AI's run most things right now, from teaching, ordering new supplies, to keeping the Earth Orbital Defense intact. In fact I have about an hour left to live: I plan on having my brain used to create a smart AI to save several colonies. Once this goal has been achieved, there will be some ..." Here Church paused, looking for the right word. "Dispute about what will be done with my AI. But more importantly that this is the fact I believe that a smart AI is in essence the person who gave their brain to it. Look at Cortona if you don't believe me." He smirked a little, obviously enjoying some inside joke. "The real issue here is my dad." James looked at Scott who looked as though he wanted to scream. When James looked back at the recording, he jumped: Church was looking right at his father. Somehow he had predicted the entire situation down to the seat his dad would be sitting in. "Simply put you can't destroy my AI. Why? Well, it's an all or nothing. I have worked on, created, and written the programming for thousands of AIs over the years. If you want to delete one, you delete them all." Someone snorted, as though they didn't believe in either the importance of the AI's or in the legitimacy of the threat. "Maybe you don't understand quite what that means so let me lay it out for you: the number of AI's I have worked on in short comes to this. All of them. Every single AI. That is from the teachers in your schools, those programs running the power plants, to the AI's running the military and the defense around our planets. All of them gone." The silence in the court room took a turn for the stunned. "This means that the AI that saved the humans, here I am of course talking about the lovely Cortona who worked with the Master Chief, will be deleted. Shame too, think of all the data that would be lost when she goes offline." Here Church leaned forward. "That AI is me. I am that AI. In this there is no discussion." He straightened up and flashed a nasty grin at the camera. "Balls in your court, Dad."

And the video went black.

Dr. Halsey stopped the disc and turned to face Scott. "Your son was brilliant. And before you ask, yes, every word he said is correct. His will shall be held up. If his AI is deleted, every single one Leonard as every worked on, however indirectly, will be destroyed. That will bring our numbers of AI down to zero. Nor will any more be able to be created using any of the work he has done. To do this would set our existence back for several centuries at best." She sat down.

Who seemed to be the head judge nodded. "Admiral?" she addressed the military.

"It's all true. To remove the AI's would cripple our military, our power grids, any medical procedures, and so much more. AI's regulate the communication between the colonies and Earth. They would be lost."

"And it has been sanctioned? This mass deletion?"

"Yes, your Honor. It has gone all the way up. And I would like to make a point here: there are not just some complex calculators here. We are talking about sensate creatures here. They are completely aware. They will know what we are doing," the Admiral added.

"Oh horseshit!" Scott burst out. "You are talking about this like it's genocide. And I refuse to believe that anyone would agree to cripple our worlds like this."

"Leonard can be very persuasive. I have always been amazed at what he could do," Dr. Halsey said.

The head judge was looking at the judge who had been so nasty earlier. "Hold no weight indeed."

The minor judge coughed. "I had no idea."

The head judge hit her gavel again. "It is the understanding of this court that the AI General Church created is like any solider. It was conscripted to do a job that has long been preformed. Now it is no more a possession of the military as a discharged marine. This matter is dismissed." She hit her gavel one last time.

James glanced at Caboose, who was shaking his head. "Wait, what just happened?"

"Church covered his ass," Caboose said, laughing.

"Yeah, but it was like he needed a pistol and he used a freaking nuclear strike," Tucker laughed. "Typical Church."

"I say we go home and have something lovely to eat, like steak or ice cream," Allison said, grinning.

"So," James still seemed to be stuck.

"It's okay. You are not going anywhere. You're safe," Caboose said and hugged his son.

"No. No. I refuse to accept this!" Scott was trying to get to James but the Admiral and several Gmen were holding him back. "Get over here! This is not over!"

Allison laughed. "God I hate that guy."

They had decided on ice cream sundaes to celebrate. So they stopped at the local store and got something like five flavors and all the trimmings. It was as though life had been leading up to this moment and, now that it was all over, life was allowed to move in a different direction. The atmosphere back at the house was so different than it had ever been. Something had changed, as though now with Church out in the open, stories could be shared, smiled could be shown, fears could be faced.

James was chocking on his melting sundae as Tucker related a story of Church trying to hit something with his sniper rifle. Everyone was laughing, Caboose was crying he was laughing so hard. James was sure this was a dream. There was simply no way this was his life right now. There was nothing that he could have done to deserve any of this. They spent the rest of the day in a similar state, telling stories, laughing so hard they couldn't eat their ice cream and generally spoiling their dinner.

It was dark before James noticed what was wrong. "Franz?"

There was no response, no flicker of recognition, no anything from the AI.

"Franz?"

Still nothing.

At this point Tucker noticed James stiffen. "What? Something wrong?" he asked slurping his melted sundae.

"Franz is not responding."

Allison glanced at Caboose. "James, AI's don't last very long. Most don't last more than seven years."

James looked at her, a strange denseness filling his chest. "Do they die?"

"No, it's not quite," she tried but seemed unable to find the words. She glanced again at Caboose who sat down his bowl and held out his hand.

"Let me see him, James." Silently, trying not to shake, he pulled the chip containing Franz out of his head and handed it over. Caboose held the crystal up to the light and sighed. He tugged his son over so he could see what Caboose was. "Do you see how clear it is?"

"Yeah," James whispered. "It shouldn't be, should it?"

"No, if this was a new AI chip, it would be completely opaque. It's like their battery. As the AI does things, the color slowly is used up until there is no more. Normally, the degeneration is... is felt by the AI. Their mind starts to deteriorate and they become non sensical. It's like dementia for humans. If Franz is gone, he managed to go without any of that," Caboose explained gently.

"Oh," James said. He felt like that time when he was still just a kid and had found a dead bird. He had brought it to his dad asking what was wrong with it, Caboose had given a very similar talk to him then too. The bird had not made sense but some how this time it did. "So that's it. No more Franz."

"I am so sorry James," Allison said. And suddenly the lightness of the day was gone. It was as though they had won James only to loose Franz.

"It's okay," James said, feeling not nearly as alone as he thought he should be. Maybe he really was okay. Or maybe- He jumped as he took back the chip and it zapped him.

"What was that?" Tucker asked, looking serious despite the melted ice cream covering the lower part of his face.

"I don't know," James said, looking at the chip. "But I guess it doesn't matter a whole lot any more."

There was an extremely tense and unbelievably uncomfortable moment. James stood up.

"Okay, no more of this. I can't stand it."

"Of what?"

"This!" He waved his hands around in a manner that was much more Caboose than Church. "Yeah Franz was awesome and great and now that he's gone it sucks big time. But I just got the okay from the UNSC that they can't do anything to me. I learned today that Church was epicly awesome and totally badass to be able to do the things he did from the fucking grave!" James turned to his father. "And you! You were smiling. And not that I-am-sad-but-need-a-brave-face smile but a real one! You haven't laughed, really laughed in years." James turned to Tucker and Allison. "And you two are simply the best. I am happier right now than I have been in," he paused trying to remember, "ever. I might have passed all my finals meaning I get to finish school. If not, fuck it. I don't care. I feel free. I am not going to let something like a friend dying pull me down. And it shouldn't you guys either."

Tucker laughed warmly. "Nice."

Allison shook her head. "All right."

Caboose smiled and pulled his son onto his lap long enough to give him a kiss. "You are right. As always. Look," he said sounding happily surprised, "my ice cream has melted. I need more. Can I get anyone anything?"

That seemed to rekindle the mood from earlier. Soon everyone had a stomach ache from all the ice cream and all the ice cream was gone.

Allison was slowly eating the remaining cherries from the jar, Tucker asleep with his head on her leg. James had just about drifted off to sleep at that point. There was something so soothing about listening to his dad and Allison talking about absolutely nothing.

Life was good, James decided as he finally drifted off.

It was nearly a week before any news showed up. It came in the form of a letter as most things from school did. Caboose had brought it up and James was reading it frowning.

"So? What is the verdict?"

James groaned. "I failed just enough to be held back." He flopped back onto his bed and crushed the letter. "I will never get out of high school."

"Hm."

James sat up again and glared at his dad. "I am forever to stay in high school and you say hm?"

"Yeah, I think they are wrong."

Confused as to Caboose's completely blah attitude, James chucked the letter at him. "Yeah well there isn't much you can do about that."

"Actually, there is a whole lot I can." Caboose caught the letter and read it quickly. "Yeah. You are done with high school." He pocketed the letter and started down the stairs. He called back, "Have you put any thought to college?"

James stayed sitting on his bed for a good minute before following his dad downstairs and to breakfast. "What are you talking about? You need to finish high school before college."

"Pancakes?"

"Dad!"

"Pancakes it is."

"Hold on. What are you talking about? Me going to college?"

Caboose had the pancakes sizzling in the pan before answering. "There are several ways of getting into college. One is finish high school and enroll into whatever school that takes you. Two is to ignore how well you did in college and simply throw enough money at a college and they will take you. Three is to ignore how well you did in high school and transfer from a CC."

James gave his father a blank look. Caboose flipped the cakes and explained, "You have options. Hell, depending on what you wanted to do, you can do it without going to school. Sometimes all the employers are looking for is skill. If it is something that is completely skill based, you can do it all on your own without needing to even go to school." The cakes were transferred onto a plate and placed in front of James. "Anyway, I am sick of dealing with that school and think it is time you simply had a different environment. College could be really good for you. I know you are smart-" another sizzle as more pancakes met the hot surface of the pan, "-and I think you know that too. What you need is space to grow and that stupid high school is no place to do that."

James was just about to take a bit of food when he looked up, shocked. "Stupid school?" "Yeah. Okay so maybe I am bias. I never finished middle school much less high school. I learned things out in the world."

Taking a bit, James grinned. "Out in the real world?"

"And what does that mean? The real world? No, school is real, it's simple different from the work you will be saddled with." Caboose frowned. After pausing long enough for the pancakes to smoke he turned to James. "Do you know why people work?"

Still confused but rather enjoying this odd Caboose he was faced with. "To be a productive member of society?"

"Good gods! They got to you too! No, to make money so you can survive. SO," lots of stress on that one word, "what if you don't need a job because you have enough money in the bank to survive?"

"Then why work?" James suddenly straightened and glared daggers at his father. "If we have so much money why are you working?"

Cringing, Caboose answered, looking painfully chagrinned, "So I didn't have to be home with you. I know! I know how that sounds but I was in a lot of pain and wasn't willing to get over it for you." Caboose turned to face his still stung son holding a plate of slightly blackened pancakes. "I am thinking. How would you like to take a semester or year off and I quit my job and we go travel. Somewhere, anywhere. Off planet even." He sat down and grinned. "You know, to get to know each other."

James laughed and nearly chocked on the food in his mouth. After swallowing he said, "You can not be serious."

"I am. One hundred percent. Why not? Come on, James. Tell me why."

"School."

"You clearly are not listening. Anyway, college is only useful if you have a direction. Do you have a direction?"

"Well no. I have no idea what I would study."

"So who cares about school? Next."

"Your job. You can't just quit!"

"Turns out I can. Dave can handle whatever they need until they hire a replacement."

"What about the house?"

Caboose's eyes suddenly light up.

"Oh no. Now what?" James asked.

"We could sell it! No, really listen. I got this place for the schools. It was close to a place I could work at. But oh lord is it not me. Like why do we have Oriental rugs? I don't even like white! I want rooms with different colored walls. A green room! A blue room! Maybe with horses. I grew up with horses! I loved them. We can move somewhere that has acreage to have horses. I can teach you how to take care of them. We could build our house. Plan it from the top down. You could even have your own place, separate from me. I grew up with seventeen sisters. You clearly have no idea what that is like but having your own real space would be good. What?" Caboose came down from his dreaming to address his shell shocked son.

"Seventeen sisters?"

"I never mentioned that?"

"No! Nor did you mention the horses. Dad! You never talked about you!"

Caboose leaned over his food and grinned. "On the moon colony, seventeen sisters, thirty horses. It was incredible, insane but incredible."

"How did you guys afford thirty horses?"

"How do you think we can afford to not work and get a better place?"

James stared. "Are you telling me we are rich?"

"Disgustingly rich. I mean it's gross. Mom and Dad just about owned the entire moon when the colony first started. They didn't sell until all us kids left. Even split eighteen ways, it's plenty for you and me to die with." Caboose got up and got some orange juice.

"Dad, are you having a midlife crisis?"

"Maybe. But if so, I think we should enjoy it while it lasts." Caboose grinned and they finished breakfast discussing school, college, and what James might want to do with the next step of his life.

Once they were done and all the dishes had been cleared, Caboose pulled out of his pocket a small envelope. It was surprisingly heavy James realized when it was handed to him. "What's this?" He turned it over several times but there was no marking other than his name and address.

"A gift from a new friend."

James opened it and a disc slipped out. He stared at it for a heart beat. "Dad, is this what I think it is?"

"Dr. Halsey thought you ought to have it." Caboose headed out of the kitchen and said, "You have the day. Have fun with it."

James, heart beating fast, took the disc upstairs and played it.

It was Church's will. James watched it again and now that the threat was gone, he enjoyed the nuances that were in the recording. Like how Church would talk with his hands in subtle ways, as though he had been told to stop it enough times for it to not quite stop him but definitely hinder his natural inclinations. By the time the recording was over, James felt drained. Was this the only way he would ever have any anything with his other parent?

He sighed heavily, trying not to cry, when the video started up again.

"All right, now that's out if the way. Elizabeth, give this to James, long story, when the time comes. You'll know when." Church here was looking distinctly unsure. He stared at his hands for a while before looking back a the camera.

"James, I expect this is getting to you sometime after my dick of a father pulls whatever horseshit he will pull. Something about deleting my AI to let me rest peacefully." Church sneered a little and James smiled, a tear freeing itself to fall son his face. "I am really sorry about all the shit that has happened to you. And maybe even more about the stuff that hasn't. I am not sure if anyone even know this but," Church inhaled deeply, "the only thing I have ever really wanted was a family. Mine growing up sucks ass, only kid, no mom, ass for a dad. I have no idea just how it was to grow up with Caboose," he laughed. "Great name. But I see too many similarities to be comfortable. It sucks not only that I can only apologize once you're gone and I'm dead, from your point of view, but I'm not even the right guy. I'm not your dad, and your dad is not human. I can't even begin to imagine just how fucked up you are." James laughed at the man's brutal honesty. "But for what it's worth, I am sorry. I think you're a great kid and Caboose seems like if he wasn't so broken he'd be awesome. I think just about every kid deserves better than what they got." James fingered Franz's chip, even though the AI was gone, he still got comfort from touching the crystal. "Sometimes it can seem like karma. I know I was convinced I had clearly done something seriously wrong to be punished in such a nasty way. Being forced to live with that guy as a father. But I did nothing. I kept my head down. I worked hard t school, it was a haven from him. He wouldn't hurt me if I was studying. Got into ever single college on several planets." Church laughed. "Always been a little embarrassed about that.

"I am not sure what I would have done if the military hadn't noticed my work with artificial intelligence. But I got lucky. And I managed to never see my dad in person again. Dr. Halsey helped get a lot off the ground. Of course to work well with SPARTANs and their AI it is best to become one. I have the rather unexpected honor of sparring with the Master Chief on a somewhat regular basis. To help calibrate Cortona to him. I don know how the war turns out. I expect we won but I don't how much we won. What we lost." Church was staring off somewhere. The look on his face was hard to read. Regret?

"I can't make up for anything. Nor can I guaranty a god damn thing. And at this point words are kinda useless. "Actions are suppose to speak louder but I can't do anything at this point so what use are actions? I have spent the first part I my life hiding from a bully. Then I spent every moment up to now," Church looked at the clock. How much time did he have left? "Trying to make a legacy, I guess. Most people have legacies through physical means. I did this through my AI's. Or at least I tried. I even experimented with AI's to help mediate emotions. There was this one, uh, Franz, fully realized artificial neural specialist. He spent a lot of time with me, actually. I have a temper, as you have to have realized," Church laughed. "But he helps keep it smooth. Slows down the reactions. In doing options appear. You know, I don't have to hit him, I can call him something instead or even walk away. But I know he won't last forever. His programming is designed to release a burst upon, well the technical term doesn't ... When Franz dies he releases a burst that can permanently mediate the motions of whomever has him. I am telling you this because I could tell you have him. You had him when you were here. I think knowing that, that Franz gives one last gift, is kind of like what I am doing. What you have done for me.

"So ..." He trailed off looking exhausted. "I always figured this last AI would be my legacy but then you. Maybe there is no point in saying sorry as it is not my fault. But I can say thanks, kid. You are so much more to me than anything. Before, the," motions with his hands, "was about saving a bunch of faceless people in a different solar system. But now, this is about you. I was doing this because I was the only thing that was logical. Just like everything else in my life. You gave me a reason. I don't know how the war turned out but I kinda feel like I will do anything to ensure you survive." Another look at the clock.

"I don't have much time so." He took a deep breath. "Thank you, James."

And the video ended.