"Huh. Talk about screwby..." Cortana murmured. The Doctor and her AI 'daughter' had sat themselves down to have a talk about what had occurred that led to the current situation, in which the younger Doctor Halsey had been thrown into the middle of Atlas. Forerunner technology mixed with ONI's penchant for insane decisions led to Halsey's deployment to the world of Remnant.
Halsey, meanwhile, gave Cortana a once-over, examining every little detail about her body as she searched for an explanation regarding how the AI may've acquired it. So far, her mind was coming up with only one logical explanation out of a dozen, that someone had, in fact, constructed Cortana an android body. The motions were too perfect, too uncanny. The porcelain face, unblemished skin and even the strangely 'empty' eyes that Cortana's presence filled with some sense of life all told Halsey that it was, in fact, a mechanoid body fitted specifically for the AI.
Sighing, Halsey removed her glasses from her face and rubbed her eyes, stating, "I don't even want to consider how you may have gotten here... There are so many variables to this that I need to understand in order for the bigger picture to form, I dread I'll be here the rest of my admittedly lengthened biological life..." and looking to the AI with the tired face, "Unless you can... Inform me."
"I have a lot of things to talk to you about, doc," Cortana replied, surprising the woman. She added, "Though I'd suggest we find a way out of Atlas before we do anything like that. Gonna need you at one hundred percent to help me hatch a proper escape plan," and she looked past her, at the 'Happy Huntresses' that had decided to host her after her timely escape from the clutches of both Atlas military and the White Fang.
Halsey sighed, then nodded, "Understood..." before pausing and realizing, "Wait... Were you not with John when-"
"Yes," Cortana smiled, "John's here, too."
Halsey stood there, stunned for a moment. Her face remained perfectly stuck in a mask of surprise, though Cortana could tell the doctor had begun processing the matter. She blinked, casting her gaze away from Cortana and to the floor. She bit her lower lip as Cortana read her pulse. It was elevated and the AI knew why. She had known Halsey's hand in the creation of the SPARTAN-II Program as she was, herself, a version of Halsey. One without the memories, but that the doctor had trusted enough to reveal her secrets to. 'Great minds do think alike, after all', she had said.
From shock and slight fear, came the first smile Cortana had seen Halsey show that was not filled with some degree of hidden self-praise or doubt. Rather, she seemed truly happy to know that John, one of the best soldiers she had managed to create and the very boy she had helped raise and build into the killing machine he was today, was here. Cortana's smile grew as well.
She was about to speak again, but Robyn interrupted them, clearing her throat as she stepped up. The two women looked to her, with Robyn stating, "Listen, doctor, I'm... Not going to ask why your... Daughter...?" And that seemed to hit a slight chord in Halsey, causing her yet again to show a little sorrow, though it as hidden behind the doctor's familiar poker face this time. Robyn, however, chose to forego asking, simply adding, "Whatever... But if you want to leave Atlas, you'll need an airship. A Manta or a Bullhead, something that could make it to... Where do you wanna go?"
"Vale," Cortana said, "We have a few friends there."
Robyn hummed, then nodded, "That is a long flight away..." before scratching her chin, "Though a Bullhead could take you over there. Full tank of Dust and you'll make it there with fuel for a round trip."
"Dust?" Halsey quirked a brow at the mention of the mineral, "I heard of and read that name across the city..."
"It's a long story, doc," Cortana nodded, "Part of the intel I'm gonna tell you about as soon as we're out and airborne."
"I see..." Halsey sighed deeply. She arranged her labcoat and murmured, "I hate not knowing..."
To Halsey, 'not knowing' was tantamount to being blind to the world itself. She understood Cortana's desire to keep things secret with the Ladies around them still being present, but she could, at least, have given her a hint about the matter at hand. Especially since John was around too and, by Halsey's calculations, he had somehow managed to fix up Cortana after eight years of being truly Missing In Action. She still hated that directive, though.
The Office of Naval Intelligence would not even let the heroes of mankind rest properly for fear of demoralizing the population during mankind's Greatest War. Even now, SPARTANs were still kept as Missing In Action. All of them, all of those children that she herself had stolen, as well as Ackerson's own personal suicide units. Entire companies had long ago joined the UNSC's finest.
She sighed, then said, "Any way you can help us recover a Bullhead, then, miss Hill?"
"I can try," Robyn shrugged, "Though, there's a lot of guards between us and the local airport."
"We'd owe you one," Cortana smirked, "Aren't you Robyn Hill, though? Some bigshot local from Mantle?" And, of course, she had just accessed files on Robyn. The woman was, by definition, name and form, a gender-bend of the folk hero of old, Robin Hood himself, as it seemed. The 'steal from the rich, give to the poor' archetype. Same for her 'Happy Huntresses'.
"I am," Robyn flashed the AI a grin, "Take it you have my file?"
"Skimmed it," Cortana chuckled, doing a quick diagnostic on her body, "But yeah. You're known as a pretty big agitator for equal rights toward the people of Mantle. Enough so that General Ironwood himself started looking you up... You could run for the Mantle seat of the Council," and that seemed to stun Robyn for a moment. As the woman processed the compliment, Cortana looked to Halsey and said, "Short explanation, most countries here, named Kingdoms, run on the basis of a democratically-elected Council. They kept the names of 'Kingdoms' due to tradition, really, instead of going for Countries."
"I see," Halsey nodded understandingly.
"Hm," Robyn sighed, then cleared her thoughts and asked, "How can you help me there, Cortana?"
"I can clear out your record so you can run for a seat," She smirked, "Seeing as the next election's in... What, a year or two?"
Robyn and her Happy Huntresses exchanged quick glances, before all of them flashed the woman grins. She slowly turned to Cortana and Halsey, her arms crossed and a raised brow, despite her own mischievous smile. Cortana motioned toward her Scroll, which the woman handed over calmly, before watching the AI interface with the device. As Cortana's eyes flashed azure with the code running through them, Robyn doubled over, stunned and Halsey hummed, nodding. Halsey's theory had been correct.
"Woah," Robyn paused, "What is...?"
"My semblance," Cortana lied, smirking as she remained focused on the device, causing Halsey to frown. Cortana then continued her lie explanation, "Technomancy. I can operate anything technological and internet-related as long as I have a link to it. And I learned to hack into things while using it... Aaand..." She smirked, then blinked and her eyes returned to normal, "Done. Your file's clean, miss Hill."
She handed the Scroll back over to Robyn, who looked over her criminal record. Her eyes widened and her smile returned. Tilting her head to the right, she said, "Alright, you convinced me. We'll see what we can do about helping you get a Bullhead, but you'll have to lay low for a few hours while we do it. Half of Atlas is out searching for you... Other half is in Vale."
"Best if you do the same, too, boss," The tallest of the Happy Huntresses said, "They just cleared your record after all..."
"Right," Robyn sighed annoyedly, "Fair. Fiona, May, scout out the Airport and find these two a secure path through and to the nearest Bullhead. Joanna, I'm going to need you to rig up a distraction, something non-lethal that can lure the guards from the airships. Meanwhile, I'll," She rolled her eyes, "Stay back here with our two guests, I guess. Have fun...?"
The three Huntresses all gave nods, with the sheep-trait gal leading her other friend out while Joanna moved to another section of the hideout to rig something up. Robyn, Halsey and Cortana, meanwhile, sat and waited for the signal, with Robyn busying herself with checking and re-checking her file. Cortana leaned back into her seat, then said to Halsey, "It's gonna be a while, huh?"
"It is," The woman replied, then turned to Cortana, "And you...?"
"Me?" Cortana quirked a brow up.
"'Semblance'. 'Technomancy'... I didn't know you could lie, Cortana, not to mention with terms I have never heard before," The doctor whispered to the AI, who chuckled, amused. Halsey, however, continued, unfettered, "This world is strange, different. There are humans and gene-engineered humanoids with animal traits. There are militaries with technology advanced enough to allow anti-gravity engines to be prevalent and mechanoid units like yourself. Speaking of, how did you acquire a body like this? What is going on?"
"It's a really long story, doc..." Sighed the AI, "I'll run you through the basics on Remnant from what I have in my database," and she began explaining everything, from Dust, to Auras, to Semblances, to the Kingdoms themselves and to their histories, including the Great War. Halsey listened intently, her face impassive, though, again, Cortana could tell that the woman was understanding the context of every item of interest in her explanation.
Indeed, it was a strange thing for the woman who had lived many decades, including quite a few in helping fight the enemy that had threatened Humanity's survival. Alas, she figured it best not to indulge too much in new information, stating simply, "I'll expect a full file on Remnant and the information you have on it compiled into a readable report that I can search if need be. For now, let us focus on retrieving transportation out of Mantle."
"Agreed," Cortana replied, then watched as Joanna headed out. The woman gave a nod to the two and smirked, hefting a bag of something or other onto her shoulder as she marched out of the hiding place. If Cortana was right, that was a bunch of fireworks, a quite brilliant and simple plan to distract the Atlas military without injuring them. Then again, "Hey, Robyn? Is the airport military?"
"It's military-owned, yes," Robyn nodded as she nonchalantly poured herself a cup of water.
"Huh," Cortana hummed, "So, we're downright stealing a military vehicle, then," and she smirked. Halsey rolled her eyes, aware of Cortana's and the Chief's escapades. Now, they simply awaited for the signal to come, presumably through the distraction. The signal itself came, however, in the form of a ping to Robyn's Scroll. The woman turned toward them.
"Well, we'll see each-other again," The woman spoke, extending her hand, "And thanks, Cortana."
"Ain't no biggie. Thanks for the ride," Cortana smirked as she and Halsey shook hands with their host. Afterward, the two were led to the rear exit of the place, where May was waiting for them. The blue-haired woman gave a motion of the hand to them, urging them toward her. The trio then started sprinting toward the supposed airport as fireworks blared and exploded in the distance and Atlas security drones and soldiery got busy.
Indeed, as the three ran forward, the clap of boots against concrete echoed just before the first droplets of rain began to fall and soak the womens' clothes and Cortana's artificial hair. Halsey commented, "An eerily successful distraction," as they saw a series of fences appearing ahead within moments of their short run. May looked back and smirked at Halsey, then gazed forward again.
She kicked open a hole in the fence as they reached it, followed by advancing deeper and deeper past guardhouses whose occupants were either looking in a different direction or outright checking the disturbance. The wide, dark tarmac of the small airfield was surprisingly full with aircraft. Some were rusty due to being exposed to the elements, while others were hidden in tin hangars, away from the biting cold of the Northern Continent they seemed to have found themselves on.
The girls stopped in front of a Hangar, to which May tilted her head toward the Bullhead inside, a craft that looked a bit shoddy, with some lines of rust here and there. But, from the looks of its otherwise strange structure and the fading white paint, she was airworthy. May spoke, "This is as far as I am gonna get you two before Atlas realizes we messed with them... Take care of yourselves."
Cortana nodded, "We will. By the way, May, I cleaned out your records as well."
"Thanks. We noticed," The girl smiled, this time a genuine smile, "Now, go. Before Atlas kicks the door down."
Cortana and Halsey both nodded to the woman, then marched up to the aircraft and boarded it, taking the pilot and co-pilot seats. May waved to them and said, "Fly low! Atlas Radar can't pinpoint you that way! And come visit again some time!" then she somehow up and disappeared. Halsey and Cortana took a moment to register it, with Cortana's optical sensors detecting the woman's bio-signature. Must've been the girl's abilities, then. Her 'semblance'.
Cortana sighed, then started up the machine and linked her system to it. She said to the doctor, "Chief's gonna be glad to see you, doc..."
"I hope so," Halsey murmured, leaning back into her seat as the aircraft slowly started taxiing forward from the Hangar. Cortana powered the engines to the maximum, the wail filling the compartment as the rear doors closed. The aircraft's VTOL engines vectored and powered on, kicking up dust as the aircraft gently lifted up under Cortana's careful guidance.
Then, it began to accelerate forward, the engines vectoring for forward flying instead of hovering. Cortana pushed the craft's throttle to max and set up a GPS system from scratch via the connections with the CCTS. The aircraft boosted forth, through and into the cloud layer. Cortana made sure to keep their IFF ready, in case Atlas tried to shoot'em down. She also replicated some of the code words she saw in communiqués, cracking the encryption of the higher-value ones rather easily. Some of them spoke of the missing 'Project' that she was, as well as other issues plaguing Atlas, like the General being in Vale.
She hummed, then set up another self-updating algorithm for Atlas, just in case. Their communication systems were far too easy to hack into and linked into the Atlesian Knights and Paladins, their autonomous and semi-autonomous combat mechanoids. The algorithm would at least partially shield the mechanical units from any potential intrusion and IFF-rewriting. For now, anyhow. It would also be hidden, merging with the code of the Atlas military's computers, rather than affecting it directly.
It was a complicated procedure that, in tandem with her flying the aircraft toward the intended destination of Vale, would lead to Cortana being unable to hear Halsey calling to her until just now, after finishing up the algorithm and sending it via the CCTS to all Atlas units. Cortana blinked as Halsey spoke, "You were busy. It took you a good minute to blink."
The AI turned to her and smiled, "Sorry, doctor."
"It's fine. I hope it was important," Halsey sighed, then looked at herself. She undid the belt that held her pistol close to her and set it to the side, before tugging at the collar of her turtleneck and murmuring, "It gave me some time to be introspective..." and she yet again faced the AI, relaxed, "You said John is here, as well. Is he... In the same predicament as I am? And as you are, I would assume?"
"You mean having a few years given back by some sort of technological mishap?" Cortana inquired, partly focused on flying the aircraft. Halsey nodded, unfazed at Cortana's knowledge. The AI chuckled, looking outward, then said, "Yep. And it seems it isn't just us who got revived. The whole first class of SPARTAN-IIs are here, as are Sergeant-Major Johnson and his platoon from the Pillar of Aut-..." pausing as she saw Halsey, now completely stunned. The AI hummed, then offered the woman a genuine smile, stating, "Before you ask, yes, doctor. All SPARTAN-IIs are present here, alongside NOBLE Team."
Halsey bit her lower lip, her gaze falling onto the floor. She slumped into the chair, gaze now locked onto the cloudy sky outside the main window. She took a canteen she had from one of her pockets, uncapped it, chugged down half its content, then exhaled as color returned to her face. Yet again, she went through several emotional states, mostly distress, but finally settled into a melancholic joy. The faintest of smiles played on the woman's rejuvenated lips and she blinked, taking her glasses off.
"All of them...?" She asked, seemingly making sure in her heart.
Cortana nodded, then replied, "Yes. Well, mostly. The chunk of RED Team assigned to the Spirit of Fire is still missing, but I have a nagging feeling they aren't that far behind either. Same for GRAY Team."
Halsey nodded slowly, "Good..."
This was another chance. Someone or something out there had decided to give her another chance. To give them all another chance at, perhaps, a semi-normal life. Halsey had felt like she would never get to atone, no matter how hard she fought. She would not get to atone for what she did to her SPARTANs. To a group of children that had no place in a nightmarish place like the wars they fought and died in.
She found not the tears to weep, even in joy. Certainly, even here, life would not be normal. Cortana had gotten as far as explaining the 'Grimm', the creatures the local soldiery and the famed Hunters of the world fought. Yet, at least, the threat of extinction was not as prevalent here. And with her SPARTANs, this planet might've even stood a chance to be free of that threat.
She paused her train of thought, turning to see Cortana humming and reading something. The AI extended the tablet to her, then said, "Read this, doc. We'll be in Vale within about five hours, so you have plenty of time to learn your place in this whole thing," and focused yet again on flying, "Good news is Atlas doesn't seem to give a damn about one of their birds being missing. I'm detecting no interceptors, nor any Airships moving to stop us... Wait. Huh. Okay, seems like General Ironwood sent a ping from Vale's CCTS that any escaping ships are not to be pursued, because they may, and I quote, 'contain allied units to a new group belonging to Headmaster Ozpin'."
"Curious," Halsey murmured, scratching her chin as she read through the file Cortana handed her. She hummed, gave a nod of approval and said, clearly impressed, but also somewhat annoyed, "You came up with this on the fly, Cortana? For me. This false story about belonging to another kingdom?" and, upon receiving Cortana's confused nod, she said, "Scrap it all."
Cortana turned toward the doctor suddenly, her facial features morphed into the shock Halsey would've expected out of a normal human. She thumbed the datapad, turning it off, then handed the AI the electronic, before straightening up in her seat and saying, "I am tired of playing cloak and dagger games, Cortana. While I respect your creative abilities and am sure John, or 'Dylan' as you've referred to him over the course of this little false backstory, approved the idea of lying to the higher-ups of this world, I do not. The secret will be out eventually, anyway. I would rather we told it ourselves than let it jeopardize our lives here further on."
"Doctor-" Cortana started. Halsey waved her hand to quiet the girl down.
"No. The Office of Naval Intelligence's job is to lie. Mine is to find and tell truths. I have grown tired of continuously having to listen to superiors that would put me into a position of lying to anyone. On this world, I feel, it is more likely for the truth to be found out. And if it is found out before we come out and say it, we may risk greater repercussions than you may have accounted for," Halsey told her, stern and serious. She was done lying. "We will reveal everything."
"Everything?" Cortana was stunned.
"Everything..." Halsey sighed, knowing very well that there were, in fact, great risks in even this course of action. Still, if she were to die here, by the hands of the locals, she'd die with a clean conscience. She spoke again, determined, "Even the SPARTAN Programs. Compile a report on Humanity's history, the UNSC, ONI, the UEG and everything else that may be required by the headmaster of Vale's Huntsman Academy and prep it for copying, should he wish to share it with his other peers. "
"... Understood," Cortana replied, stunned, "And what'll you do if..."
"If I am branded a criminal again?" Halsey snorted dismissively, "I care little... I have nowhere else to return to. The UEG has already left me to ONI's grips, damned be Parangosky and her corrupting influence," she then shot back, putting her glasses back on, "At least, this way, if I am to be tried again, you, John and the rest of the SPARTANs may have a chance at a semi-normal life on this world. Especially if they have been as drastically de-aged as you wrote in your report."
Cortana paused, then smiled at Halsey. She looked forth once more, at the rising sun. Then, she spoke, "I'm glad to see you still care about them, Catherine."
Halsey sighed, then gave Cortana a small smile, too, "I do. And even if they will not forgive me, I will be at peace with knowing I did my best for them."
"Duly noted, doctor. Writing up the report as we speak," Cortana replied with a calm that Halsey was not used to. The AI then told the doctor, "I'll leave the ship on autopilot and prep a response for Vale's Air Traffic Control, as well as for the Atlas forces stationed in Vale, while I'm focused on the report. Take a nap, doc. We're still five or so hours away from Vale."
"That brain of yours must be quite powerful, to be able to run your full processing power," Halsey quipped.
"It's an artificial matrix based on something akin to a human brain," Cortana smirked.
"I'd love to meet the man who even designed your body," Chuckled the doctor, "But yes, I shall take your offer and sleep these five hours off... Wake me when we're close."
"Will do," Cortana replied.
This was gonna be one hell of a weird day, especially with all the explanations they'd have to give. And poor John. He must've been worried sick over Cortana's well-being...
Oh, well, they'd meet at home, soon.