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Halo 2: The Fallen by Mike Foreman
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Halo 2: The Fallen
Date: 3 July 2002, 5:23 am
Section 1: Are We There Yet?
"Halo. It's finished," emanated from Cortana's mouth.
"No, I think we're just getting started..." Master Chief's words resounded hollowly throughout the Longsword's cockpit, piercing the stillness as the ship's namesake. He lay his now removed helmet aside on the console, and silently reveled in the new-found comfort - speculating that the only way he could feel better would be if his whole suit was shed.
"How so...?" Cortana's voice sounded detached as she spoke, now absent from its prior place behind his ears, "Halo... It's gone..." As she quietly reminisced, Master Chief followed her train-of-thought (albeit on his own track), as he looked languidly out of the side window. Open space now lay before his eyes, previously consumed with the shimmering aura of Halo; the organic ring-world, and all sentient life unfortunate to be on it, now blown into sheer oblivion. "...The Flood, not to mention the Covenant; the entire UNSC squad of Marines... Captain Keyes...", she trailed off. Master Chief had assumed all A.I. Constructs were the same, none had any hint or capability of sentiment; Cortana had proven him wrong.
"I'm sorry...", Master Chief was the voice of reassurance; a skill he had learned as leader of the Spartan Soldiers.
"No need, Chief; my laments have no grounding in emotion, such is far beyond my programming. I thank you for your concern, though..."
Master Chief nodded to demonstrate his approval, "Always willing to preserve a companion - human or not. I am correct in referring to you as such...?"
Cortana ended his inquiry mid-sentence, "Ahh... a cyborg with a sense of humor; yes, companions we are indeed. Companions without a purpose; the Cole Protocol forbids our return to Earth. I suppose fate would implore us to drift aimlessly in space..."
Master Chief hesitantly interjected, "I'm not so sure... A former acquaintance had told me that Halo is one of many - at least four."
"Just who is this 'former acquaintance' whom happened to allude to other Halo 'Fortress Worlds'?" Cortana inquired as she pondered such an assertion's validity.
"The Monitor; he continually mentioned Halo as if it were part of a set on our trek for the Index - he repeatedly called it 'Installation 04', I believe."
"So kind of you to learn such pertinent information in my absence... Hmm," she paused for a time, obviously piecing together the missing parts of a mental puzzle, "Now it makes sense... Give me a moment to access my databank... There! Oh... sorry, Chief - it seems I'm not able to upload such a complex algorithm to the viewing panel... You'll have to reconnect me."
"Alright"; he extended his arm for his helmet and reluctantly disturbed its solitary resting place, proceeding to gently encase his head with its form. Sealing it to his suit by way of clasps, Cortana's voice once again encompassed his aural senses with a familiarity that had been known only hours before.
"By using your code 'Installation 04', I was able to tap into the Monitor's memory cache - he's right. I can't override the access code to find exactly how many there are, but the count has increased to no less than ten - including an 'Installation 07', located a few light vectors away."
With no lack of authority in his voice, Master Chief gave an order, "Cortana, bring those thrusters back online. We're heading to 'Installation 07' - or as Keyes would have put it, We're going in."
As Cortana augmented her own data-link with that of the fighter, she affirmed Master Chief's order, "Consider it done, Chief."
Section 2: My, This Looks Familiar
"Brace yourself... Deploying landers now..." The Longsword slowly shot through the veil of drifting snowflakes, its image becoming increasingly visible, as it touched down on an ice-encrusted plateau. "Shall we exit?", Cortana mused, as she deactivated the ship's main system.
"We shall." The airlock immediately retracted to reveal a backdrop of pristine snowdrifts lying against a set of low hills. Master Chief slowly set his foot in the snow, not knowing its depth; after discovering that it was shallow enough to move in, he shifted his body out of the narrow door.
"Glorious, isn't it...", Cortana surveyed the area, enjoying the serenity of the scene. Master Chief also glanced around, although sharing a different viewpoint, "True, but let's stay on topic. The Control Room - where is it?"
"Scanning... These Forerunner beings seem to have constructed all of their 'Halo Installations' with identical geography; that would place the Control Center at a location just over that rise...", Cortana bestowed Master Chief's visor with a diagram of the surrounding valley as she spoke. Master Chief wasted no time in moving; shortly, they were once again standing at the foot of the towering structure dubbed the "Control Room". He proceeded to ascend the twisting path to the summit and place his hand on the holo-panel to open the large metallic door. As it opened, it endowed him with a wide hallway to traverse, thus jutting into another door - which in turn lead to a second hallway, again blockaded by a metal giant.
"The Forerunner must have built each Control Center with the exact same blueprint - brings back memories doesn't it, Chief?"
"We'll see," Master Chief muttered as he opened the third and final door; the expansive dome lying before him confirmed the duo's suspicions of déjà vu.
Continuing down the suspended walkway, "There - plug me in...", were Cortana's words as he stopped at the large terminal in the center. Master Chief did as instructed, thus bringing forth her visual likeness and, therefore, offsetting the graphic of Halo that had resided there previously.
"Find anything new?" was his simple inquiry.
"Let me access... Ahhh... Consider me enlightened," Cortana seemed pleased.
"Are there any inhabitants around?" he asked, curious if their visit here would necessitate him enlisting the aid of his MA5B Assault Rifle.
"That's unclear... But allow me to explain what I do know...", Cortana was anxious to inform the Master Chief of her newfound wealth of information.
"Begin... I'm listening."
"As you wish Chief... How should I explain this... I still know nothing about these so-called Forerunner; I do know, however, their connection to the Covenant and the reason they saw fit to obtain possession of the Flood. I guess I'll start with the Covenant... What looks to be thousands of years ago, the Forerunner came upon a planet called Threshold. (You remember Threshold, no?) Upon their exploration of the planet, they chanced to find two stunted civilizations; both were overcome with ignorance and fear. Taking pity on them, the Forerunner aided them in vastly improving their quality of life - economically, culturally, and morally. As you can probably guess,
one of these two were the collective races of creatures referred to as the Covenant; the second was a single race known as the Nephilim. Problems arose when the Forerunner demanded that they be worshiped as deities, for as they saw it, they were the sole reason that Threshold still had life inhabiting it. The Covenant immediately bowed to their wishes and declared them their sole gods, where as the Nephilim were not so susceptible to such outrageous notions, and refused their idolization. This obviously angered the Forerunner, who now desired vengeance. This motivated them to create a weapon - an instrument of destruction capable of completely obliterating the Nephilim. They then created the Flood, biologically engineered to systematically kill the Nephilim, or fallen ones. It worked all too well; the Flood began killing the Covenant, forcing the Forerunner to again rescue their exalters. Their solution was to bring the entire Covenant civilization to a new planet, where they've remained since. The Forerunner continued their efforts by building a network of Flood containment cells, if you will - Halos. Ensuring that the Covenant were removed from the blast radius, the Forerunner externally detonated this entire grid - thus wiping out the Flood. However, due to the rings' design, the structure of the worlds and the life that they contained were spared. This retained the Flood, leaving them for another 'usage' in any event that the Forerunner should find genocide necessary again. Oh, one last bit of history - the Nephilim were, in essence, human. They likely were created in the same form as we (you) were; this is why the Covenant so avidly wish to exterminate us. They firmly believe that their gods missed our race - so they took matters into their own hands (claws...); their warped religious doctrine states that all human beings are infidels, and must die. If we could find some way to prove that we and these Nephilim creatures are not one and the same, it is possible that we could somehow dissuade the Covenant from continuing their 'Holy War' against humanity!" Cortana's memory log was spent - she knew no more on the subject at hand.
"So if we could decipher some way to prove that we are not of Nephilim origin, we could literally save the world?" Master Chief was clearly amused at the prospect.
"Quite literally... But what would we look for that could possibly validate this for the Covenant? Some type of ancient Nephilim artifact, perhaps?" after eliminating the data refuse spent during her lecture, Cortana pondered exactly what kind of proof they would need to acquire, in order to succeed at such an attempt.
Master Chief thought also, then proceeded to lift his head, saying only, "We already know what our proof is... I held it once, and I'll hold it again..."
Cortana immediately followed, "I know exactly what you're thinking of; I agree. Yank me."
Section 3: Never Make the Same Mistake Twice
"Do you think that this Halo has an Index, also?", the Master Chief was somewhat critical of his own suggestion.
"I would presume that it does, since every installation appears to follow the same arrangement," Cortana answered, after taking a few seconds to think about it.
"Let's keep moving; standing still only wastes time."
"I'm well aware of that fact; give me a moment to locate the ring's library sector... Found it!"
"Alright... what's the best route there?", the Master Chief needed only a map to get them where they needed to be.
"Halo's teleport grid; the access code to use this system is exactly the same as the original ring's grid. I'm going to have to drain your shields, but that shouldn't cause too much of a problem, since no one else is around."
"Sounds good," shortly after giving his affirmation, Master Chief was instantaneously enveloped in a vertically fluctuating system of blue waves; seconds later he had completely
vanished from sight. In the same instant, that same blue enigma appeared again at his destination, only to deposit its cargo shortly afterward.
"That was fast," Master Chief basked in the glory of not having to physically exert himself.
"It's also quite efficient," Cortana added, "There - the Index!". Master Chief deactivated the security network guarding it, then proceeded to take it in his hand; as soon as he had done so, they were again teleported through the very fabric of time. Coming full-circle, they materialized where they had originated - Halo's Control Center.
"Reconnect me, then insert the Index," as Cortana instructed him, Master Chief did as he was told. "Now, let's see what this holds, since we have no distractions this time... Ahh, praise the Lord! This Index holds an exact genetic reprint of the Nephilim; they are designed nothing like humans in any way barring a single exception. The only trait that we bear in common is visual resemblance... Wait! There's a disruption in my comm-channel..." Cortana was cut off; she and Master Chief watched and listened as a familiar figure was both seen and heard, neither of which were at all welcome.
"I see you have discovered a new installation and corresponding index, Reclaimer. What exactly are your plans to utilize such an important device?", this new arrival was none other than 343 Guilty Spark, the Monitor of Halo "Installation 04". The relatively small glowing orb drifted towards the control terminal, and proceeded to zap the Index directly out of its socket, making use of a small bolt of electricity - seemingly an extension of its floating blue aura.
"How in the world did you survive such a blast; the Pillar of Autumn's engines detonated at a temperature of one hundred-million degrees!", Cortana now resided back in the Master Chief's helmet, for he had reconnected her upon the Monitor's reintroduction.
"Superior craftsmanship, I suppose. You really should ask that question pertaining to yourselves, however," halfway through the hovering robot's sinister proposition, a formidable compliment of Sentinels had taken position behind his metallic glow.
"Chief, look out!" As the flying machines unleashed their powerful light rays, Master Chief whipped out his M6D pistol; the handgun combined with his combat expertise made quick work of the flying nuisances.
"I cannot comprehend why you are suddenly so adverse to do something you have already done," the Monitor spoke in the same annoying, cybernetic voice. As he drawled on, Cortana began to whisper within Master Chief's helmet.
"That's his weakness - my analysis shows it's the only way," as she finished speaking, Master Chief reached for his holster.
"If you're certain that this will work," upon receiving verification, he quickly revealed a small, glass-spine topped weapon; his objective: lodge one solitary projectile from the Covenant Needler in the Monitor's access port. As swiftly as he drew the firearm, he pulled the trigger. Two shots streaked through the lifeless air, both leaving pink trails as they hit their target dead-on. The Monitor, only knowing that his Achilles' Heel had been taken advantage of after the fact, simply wailed something incoherent and dropped from the void above - falling as an angel ridden of its wings. Beside him lay the Index; quickly Master Chief stooped to grasp it and ran. Pushing his suit to utilize its full abilities, he ran as fast as he could conceivably go; his speed now the only asset he possessed that could save him from the angry platoon of Sentinels now pursuing him. Slowing only as he entered the Longsword, he squeezed through the slender opening; the airlock door latching shut behind him went a long way toward guaranteeing their survival. As he linked Cortana to the ship's main system, he activated the main engines.
Only when their lives had again been pulled from inherent danger and they were silently drifting through a remote sector of space as an encore, did Cortana, once again, quietly utter the words, "Halo... It's finished."
Master Chief thought about that comment, then about the response he gave earlier after hearing that same phrase; formulating his words with extreme care, he answered simply, "Indeed, it is... For now."
~ This story is based on "Halo": a surprisingly intelligent, well-written piece of software created and developed for the Xbox video game console by Bungie Studios and published by Microsoft Corporation. "Halo" © 2001 Microsoft Corporation. ~
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