Beacon
The UNSC personnel located within the confines of Beacon had swept the place sixty separate times, both together and just in teams of two, seeking out Cortana. Chief and his team had combed every inch of Vale and had come back empty-handed. Not even Kat, one of their tech whiz-kids had any leads, even after thoroughly searching the Chief's armor systems and the Scroll, as well as the CCTS systems themselves via a backdoor Cortana seemed to have left for herself. Again.
He sighed, then sat himself down on the ground just outside the house, staring up at the CCTS Tower from afar. For the first time in a long time, John felt a pit form in his stomach. They had searched many hours on-end without any hint of Cortana still being present. All Chief had to do now was... Basically, prepare to accuse Penny of whatever may have happened, and with her, the rest of Atlas.
He didn't want to pin all of this on Penny, but she had been the last one in the house just prior to their departure to the Paintball game. And it only made sense that she might've actually seen Cortana, which already constituted a severe security breach. If she had taken her, there would be hell to pay. And Atlas wouldn't be standing anymore by the time the SPARTANs were done tearing it apart to find what they needed.
He sighed, then stood to his feet and walked inside, where the off-duty portion of their unit was doing their thing. Alice was seemingly trying to conceive a way to reload her spent casings with actual, proper gunpowder. Jorge, meanwhile, was sliding fresh rounds into the belts of his heavy machine gun, a weapon he'd carried since John had first worked with him.
He sought Penny out among the crowd, but found her nowhere near by the house, even. He settled with the thought that he'd have to search for her. Calmly, he grabbed his rifle from under his bed and the rest of his equipment, then strolled outside the house, helmet on his head. He wasn't intending to fight Penny, but he knew better than to not be prepared, considering the strength the young girl had showed.
Exiting out onto the wider Beacon sidewalks, Chief had also thought it good to combine this with his daily patrol. Outside, Johnson and his Marines were seemingly helping entertain a bunch of kids. At least Dubbo was, anyway. Johnson himself was talking to Professor Goodwitch. From afar, John could faintly hear them speaking about a harsher training regimen. And the good old Sergeant-Major boasting about his own skills at training and shaping soldiers up to be proper working and fighting individuals.
Miss Goodwitch seemed enthralled by him. John smiled. If that wasn't the most Johnson of things...
The Sergeant-Major had taken everything regarding their deaths and revivals here with the usual jaunt that he was known for. That he was able to talk to miss Goodwitch so calmly was a sign that the man was, perhaps, doing better than he had originally anticipated. The Chief refocused, however, continuing his efforts in finding Penny to confront her about this situation.
The General's airship had also been docked nearby, with the man probably visiting Headmaster Ozpin to discuss the security of the Vytal Festival. John continued, past the landing pads and toward the library. Pushing inside, the man found Blake at her usual spot. At least her usual, according to Fred. Fred himself was there, helping her search through information that they'd collected.
The SPARTAN noticed John and nodded to him, with the Chief simply nodding back and letting them do their thing as he went to browse the place for his quarry. He wondered just how far Penny was from home, not recalling if they'd spoken about her leaving. Still, he passed by another pair of Marines that were seemingly browsing the school's library, then by another set of shelves where Weiss was.
He hummed, stopping, then turned to face Weiss and walked up to her, "Miss Schnee?"
Weiss yelped, slightly jumping and nearly dropping the books in her hand. She turned toward the man, the anger which she would probably have used to berate someone else simply replaced with surprise. She said, "Ah, Master Chief... I didn't see you there, sir. How can I be of assistance?" and she stacked the four books she was bringing to a table, each of them specifically about Dust.
"I was wondering if you saw Penny anywhere," He requested. Weiss hummed, then took a moment to think about it.
She shrugged, "She may be with Ruby near the Gardens, for all I know. The two have started hanging out together more often in these past couple of days."
"Thank you," He said to her. With that, he departed, much to Weiss's surprise. She hummed, then shrugged and walked off toward a table while the SPARTAN marched out toward the gardens themselves. Finding said Gardens just North-West of the library, the man saw Ruby and Penny, indeed, next to an artificial stream that flowed through a 'field' of warm-red-colored poppies.
He approached, clearing his throat. Both girls turned toward him, surprised, with Ruby smiling and greeting, "Hey, Dylan! Come check this out! There's fish in the stream!"
"Not right now, Ruby," He said, somewhat serious. Turning to a Penny whose face seemed to instantly flip from happy and innocent to worried and guilty, a burning, painful frown that actually did physically seem to hurt the Chief for but the faintest moment, but he recovered quickly. He said simply, "Penny, I wanna talk to you about an issue. A personal... Item," He had hesitated in calling Cortana a simple 'item' for a reason, "Is missing."
Ruby gasped, then stood up and said with complete disbelief behind every word, "Hey, hey, Chief, c'mon! You two have been working together for months, now! You can't just accuse Penny of-" But her friend showed her to settle down, which somewhat stunned Ruby. The girl had the grim look of someone who was, in fact, guilty of the what she was being accused.
"... I knew you'd notice..." Penny bowed her head, apologetic, "I can explain..."
John... He sighed. It was better to be lenient. Ruby was right, too, "Please, do."
"I..." Penny started, then paused, her eyes glimmering emerald for a moment. She smiled, "Even better! Oh, this is sen~sational!" She raised her hands into the sky, "I can have her explain it herself! Come with me!" and she started dragging Chief with her. While Ruby had been taken aback by the whiplash of the little meeting, she chose to smile. Lifting her Scroll, she texted teams JNPR and RWBY(minus her) to rally up, while she assumed Dylan had done the same for his teams.
The group rushed toward the landing pad, growing in number as SPARTANs and the Huntsmen and Huntresses joined them. Ironwood and Ozpin had come to see what the commotion was, with Ironwood presumably aware of the fact that the incoming was exactly what he'd ordered to not be shot down. Ahead of them, a Bullhead bearing Atlas markings, those of the cog-shield and the spear, approached the landing pad they had all gathered on, with Penny smiling brightly.
Team JNPR approached the front of the crowd with RWBY close behind, Weiss stating, "What is this about...?"
"No idea," Ruby said, grinning, "But Penny was excited about it."
Johnson hummed as he approached the front, where the Chief and Penny were, before sliding a cigarette between his lips and flashing a grin at the Spartan. The man hummed as BLUE Team also joined them, while Ironwood, Oz, Glynda and anyone else who'd crowded up looked around them, in awe at the number of soldiers and equipment on display.
Ironwood hummed, noticing Penny at the front. He wanted to go speak to her, but was stopped by Ozpin, who simply shook his head, smiling. The group watched the Bullhead finally touch down, its doors sliding open. Inside, two women resided, both looking fairly alike. The SPARTANs all seemed stunned for a moment, just like the good Headmaster, seemingly.
They watched the two women descend from the aircraft, with the taller one of the two putting a hand on her hip and smiling, "Hell of a welcoming party, folks..." as she scanned the group. She stopped at Penny and the Chief and her smile grew, before she turned to her ward, a woman in a labcoat, while she stepped forward with eyes as wide as saucers. She narrowed her lips, then looked to Cortana, who said, "I told you, doctor."
Halsey hummed, then nodded, still awed. Her voice was familiar to the Spartans, fairly alike to the other woman's, as she spoke, "You certainly did..." awe behind every word. Chief approached, stunned. He stood face-to-face with the younger of the two women, staring down at her as she was still shorter than him by a head. She stared up at him, right at his visor, then she approached him, too, taking a single step forward. She spoke, "Hey, Chief..." Melancholically.
"I..." He found no words, simply staring at her, her blue eyes staring right back at him. Beside her, doctor Catherine Elizabeth Halsey simply smiled, gripping her tablet tightly as she watched the moment unfold, the air bearing the weight of their encounter. He asked, almost too dumbfound to believe what he was seeing before his very eyes, "Cortana... Is... That you?"
"It's me, John," Cortana beamed, "In the flesh and circuits... Courtesy of," And she pointed at Penny.
John looked back to the girl, who seemed stunned for a moment, before she, too, smiled as bright as a sunbeam. She waited for him to speak again, for a good five seconds. A hearty, melodious giggle escaped her lips as she said, "Would you look at that... I made you speechless for a change..." and she lifted her right hand gently. Her eyes fell upon his breastplate, where the faded number One-One-Seven lay, scratched, ash-ridden and damaged. She gently put her hand on it, feeling the pressure and the cold of the armor through the circuits, aware that the feelings may well have been fake, or not properly reproduced. She didn't care...
Her voice quivered as she whispered, "I've been waiting to do that for... So, long..."
Chief hesitated, then gently removed his helmet. So she could properly look him in the eye, of course. Her smile grew yet again as she looked right into his eyes. She saw the confusion on his face. For the first time in ages, John seemingly allowed himself to show any kind of emotion. His mind, his human mind, enhanced as it may have been, had taken the necessary time to process things, however. And with that in mind, he simply offered her a smile.
Halsey, meanwhile, sighed deeply, then looked around as all Spartans removed their helmets, all of them smiling. She noticed some oddities, such as Kelly having actual, genuine rabbit ears, Cal having wolf ones and several others bearing animal traits like the Faunus, but those would be inquired about and dealt with at a later date. She simply let the moment ahead play out for a bit more.
She cleared her throat, "I apologize, Cortana, John, but," She tilted her head toward the stunned Ironwood, smiling Ozpin, curious Goodwitch and even more curious teams RWBY and JNPR, with Pyrrha asking Linda about what they were seeing. She spoke, "Ladies and gentlemen, greetings. To my Spartans... It is a pleasure to see you all alive. All of you. After so, so long..."
She hummed, then paused as she saw Sam in the crowd, her jaw nearly dropping and her grip on her tablet almost weakening. She paused, recomposed herself, then said, "And to the Marines, as well, a pleasure. Sergeant-Major Johnson. I see you have yet to kick your habit... Even in what I assume to be a case of technological revival," She nodded to him. The Sergeant-Major snorted at the comment, plumes of smoke popping out of his nostrils.
"Ma'am," Johnson grinned, taking a deep puff of his Sweet Williams.
She nodded, then focused on Goodwitch, Ironwood and teams RWBY and JNPR, saying, "There is a matter I wish to attend. Headmaster Ozpin, General Ironwood. My name is Doctor Catherine Elizabeth Halsey, a scientist of the United Earth Government," and that seemed to get a rise out of the group, with a stunned Ironwood staring right at her and Glynda seemingly shocked. The Marines and Spartans all tensed, too, as the Doctor was seemingly about to spill the metaphorical beans. She was doing it for their own good.
"Doctor-" John started, turning around and ready to reply.
She raised her hand and that shut him up, surprisingly, "Not now, John. Enough is enough and the cat needs to be out of the bag. The truth needs to be revealed before fate reveals it for us and causes far more problems than a simple..." She eyed team RWBY and team JNPR, all of them seemingly stunned. She sighed, then said, "Than a simple disappointment like this."
"'John'?" Ruby inquired, surprised, as she looked at the Chief. The man frowned as he saw both teams RWBY and JNPR, as well as Penny, seemingly staring, feeling clearly somewhat betrayed. He simply nodded, then looked to Doctor Halsey, who seemed to be considering the best way to speak the truth right now. There was still a matter of keeping things secret from those like teams RWBY and JNPR.
She sighed, then chose a direct approach, "Indeed. I am afraid mister..." She snorted, then said, "Mister Braun... Is not quite who he says he is. If you would forgive John, however, please. It was merely a matter of protecting you all from a more horrifying truth than you could stomach. Or so he and Cortana thought as they fabricated the tall tale of the Kingdom of Wyvern and its enterprising defenders having survived calamity..."
Ironwood stepped up, asking what everyone Remnant-born seemed to be thinking, "So, they lied to us?"
"For your own sake, yes," Halsey spoke, "And for theirs. They were afraid that locals would not believe the truth, even if it stared them in the face. The truth, however, is what I seek to tell to all of you..." And she lifted the tablet in her hand, "It is all in here, stocked and written into a coherent report about us, who we and our faction are and why we are the way we are."
"Why now?" Ozpin inquired, seemingly unfazed.
"Because Cortana has told me about their little cover story... I shun and disregard that kind of item due to my former employers pulling the Cloak and Daggers approach too many times and throwing me and too many good people under the proverbial bus to cover themselves," She replied, "Cortana was born out of the Office of Naval Intelligence's little scheming, though... With my own twist."
"And you're coming clean because you think that, if the truth got out before you told it, it'd be a worse fallout than if you do it now," Ironwood supposed. Halsey nodded.
"Astute observation, General. Yes. The soldiers around you, the boys and girls wearing the MJOLNIR armored suit... They are my creation. They are my SPARTANs. And I will protect them, even from themselves and the lies they tell. All I ask in exchange for the full, uncensored truth about us, is that you allow them to continue their lives here unabated, if not as they were before," Halsey spoke with a focus and ability that drove home her point, then looked back to the stunned John and the other SPARTANs. She whispered to herself, "They deserve at least this much rest..."
Ozpin walked up to Doctor Halsey, stating, "I speak for all of us when I say that that will be no problem, Doctor. Greetings."
"To you as well, Headmaster," She spoke, "Cortana briefed me about you, as well. Same for teams RWBY and JNPR, miss Goodwitch and General Ironwood."
Ozpin eyed Cortana and said, "An advanced Artificial Construct?"
"Yes, based upon my brain matrices," She replied.
Ironwood was stunned, "A true AI...?" and he murmured as he eyed Penny, "So, that's the complication you encountered, Penny..." as he approached Halsey as well. He looked to the woman and extended his gloved hand, stating simply, "Thank you for... Deciding to reveal things to us, Doctor."
She gripped and shook, stating, "Of course. The Truth is the only thing that can save mankind, no matter where we are..." while staring Ironwood in his deep teal eyes, unflinching. The woman quipped, "Quite an interesting prosthetic you're wearing under that glove, General," words to which Ironwood seemed surprised. She spoke on, wearing her poker face, "I almost fell for it being a normal human arm."
Ironwood paused, then smiled, "Well, she's smart."
"I wouldn't be in my profession if I wasn't, sir," She nodded, then said, "Now..." and gazed upon Ozpin once more, somewhat taken aback by the man's unblemished face and handsome features. She cleared her thoughts, inquiring, "Shall we? I think we need to leave the children to figure their things out. I will give you a basic rundown of what you should expect, then I'd like to rejoin them."
"Of course," Ozpin nodded and showed her to follow, all while team JNPR seemed to be chatting up the rest of the SPARTANs and team RWBY approached John, Penny and Cortana. Ruby looked up at the Chief for a moment, seemingly taking in the new information. Weiss seemed to be stunned, but not as stunned as anyone else, taking it in at face value.
Blake was calm and collected, not judging John, for some reason.
Yang, meanwhile, smirked. She was first to break the ice, quipping, "Y'know, I did find it kinda weird that you were the only one with a color-coded name."
That seemed to stun the entire gang, Cortana included. The AI spoke to Yang, "Wait, what!?"
"Where'd you pull that one out of?" Weiss inquired, looking at her teammate with disbelief.
"Uh... Fred, Kelly, Linda, Sam, Cal... Jorge," She counted the names on her fingers, "Lots of old vernacular names in there, girl. And then you went and up-and-named the Chief here something like Dylan frickin' Braun. A color-coded name," And she chuckled, "But, I guess it makes sense. You guys and gals are some kinda Special Forces gang, ain't ya?"
"We are," John nodded.
"Used to be top secret, as well," Cortana joined in. She then added, "Before UNSC High Command decided they needed a nice little propaganda boost during our war. Just as an FYI, girls, not everything we told you was a lie. We did face a cataclysmic event similar to the one described in the little fairy tale we told you, but it was much worse..." and she watched the group of girls wince. She added, "If Halsey's fine with it, we'll show some snippets of the war."
Penny walked up to them as well, "I take it this... Was the secret we spoke of?"
"Yes," John nodded.
Penny smiled simply, stating, "A pleasure to make your acquaintance properly, then... Mister John."
Ruby looked to Penny, slightly stunned, then back to the Chief and said, "Yeah. Yeah, it is. Heya, John. I'm Ruby!"
"Weiss," Weiss nodded, smiling, too.
"Blake," The bookworm quipped.
"Yang!" The blonde saluted.
"NORA!" The redhead of team JNPR appeared between the gang, hands splayed out and a big, dumb grin on her face as everyone else staggered back, stunned by the redhead. She giggled happily, then said, "So! Glad to know you guys finally decided to let the cat outta the bag, so to speak. See, I kinda figured you weren't really who you said you were."
"Calling bull, Nora," Yang quipped.
"Nuh-huh!" Nora shot back, smirking, "Lil' Ol' me knew there was something weird!"
The group of kids began to laugh and joke, while John and Cortana looked on with stunned expressions. Cortana walked up to his right, then stared at him for a moment. He looked right back at her, thinking. It was her, alright. The face, the eyes, the demeanor and the posture were all clearly Cortana, from head to toe. And the beauty. John had to pause and wonder how that last thought snuck in, then said, "I'm glad to see you're okay..."
"Sorry if I worried you," She chuckled, rubbing the back of her neck awkwardly, "I forgot to leave a note."
It felt nice to know she had worried him for a change, too...
"Next time, don't forget..." He asked, though he wasn't mad. He sighed, then looked to Penny as Cortana chuckled. The young ginger smiled, too, though the look in her eyes told John she sought some forgiveness. He simply said to her, "And you should let me know about this kind of thing next time, too, Penny... That is, if you still want me as your friend."
Penny chuckled, "Of course, Chief. I am just glad I could learn your secret..." And she looked to Cortana, who smiled and nodded her approval. She then looked up at the Chief and added, "I will also tell you mine..." before standing up on her tippy toes, leaning in and whispering, "I am a machine, like Cortana. I am not a real girl..." and she waited to see his reaction.
He nodded, "Understood. Thanks."
She simply beamed at that simple reaction and immediately pounced on him, wrapping her arms around his waist despite not knowing why. Cortana giggled, looking down at the girl, then affirmed, "Well, looks like we have a lot of work ahead of us, do we not, Master Chief?" as she looked her partner-in-crime in the eye again, "Just like the good old times?"
"Like the good old times," He nodded, then watched as team RWBY and team JNPR all turned toward him. Calmly, he said the first thing that came to mind, "I'm sorry for lying to you all, but believe me, it was for your own sakes..."
"We understand, Chief," Jaune said.
"Indeed," Pyrrha nodded, "Your teammates told us of the issues you folks faced in broad strokes... The United Nations Space Command. Incredible," She beamed, "Humanity from beyond the stars!"
"Wait... What!?" Ruby gasped, then she looked to John and Cortana, demanding, "YOU'RE FROM FRICKIN' SPACE!?" while the rest of the team turned to face him, too. John hummed, then nodded, which garnered a sharp scream of joy from Ruby. She pounced on the Chief and yelled right into his face, "YOUGOTTATELLUSMORE!" while Cortana was laughing behind him.
The hyperactive Rose bounced up and down, grinning ear to ear with stars sparkling in her silver eyes. It was almost incredible how much energy this girl had behind her. Penny giggled next to Cortana as well. The man sighed deeply, then nodded and said, "Like I said, if doctor Halsey's fine with it, we will tell you all the full thing as well," as Yang peeled Ruby off of his armor gently.
"Deal," Yang said, smirking. He'd gotten tired of the whole lie thing anyway. Still, he was glad doctor Halsey was here, too. She could potentially help with the Thyroid implant failures... Maybe even fix them prim and proper before the lot of them descended into some form of anarchy that would scare the living hell out of anyone within viewing distance of the event.
He sighed deeply.