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When You Need Me	By : DarkWolves Category: +G through L > Halo Views: 6908 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Halo and i don't make money from writing this. I do however own Siri.

Chapter List
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Chapter 3- Preparing the March to Hell

John was lead into the Command Centre in the centre of the complex, a room dominated by a holo-map projector that looked to have been salvaged from a UNSC Frigate. Nick stood at the far side of the table, looming over the activation switch. “You are probably wondering what we’re doing here?”
Cortana’s avatar flickered into existence. “It crossed our minds, yes”
Nick activated the switch, the holo table illuminating in a flurry of blue light. He tapped out an array of keys, the flat holo-map altering into a rough terrain of bumps and scarred rock. John noticed some of the landmarks, referencing them to sights he had noticed on his way here. “ONI sent us here on a routine assignment, infiltrate a Covenant base, plant a few charges on strategic locations, exfiltrate, and detonate the charges and report back to UNSC space for coffee and medals”
“And I assume their plan went off without a hitch?” Cortana smirked, crossing her arms over her chest.
“Right” Nick just laughed. “Without a hitch” He zoomed out the map, elevating the view to encompass the entire planet. “We dropped in system as planned, but as soon as we came close we were caught in the planet’s gravitational pull. It dragged our ship into the dirt before we even got to see the sun set” He leant in closer. “It was after that we found out we were not the first team to visit the Covenant here on a nice friendly stopover. Turns out ONI had already tried sending in an ODST squad before u. They never made it. We found their corpses half a klick from their crash site”
John watched the resolving images with interest. “So what exactly is here that ONI would be interested in?”
Nick poked another button on the interface “This”
The map zoomed in on the mountainous terrain to the north of their location. “A Covenant research lab, unsure of when they built it and god knows why. All we know is ONI consider it important enough to risk a team of Spartans to destroy it”
Sakura indicated the other soldiers guarding the door behind them, each carrying a standard UNSC Assault Rifle cradled in their arms. “And these are more of your Spartan II’s?”
“No” Nick shook his head. “These are our replacements; they are the Spartan III’s”
Sakura, John and Cortana were silenced, even with John’s augmented mind and Sakura and Cortana’s lack of real human emotions the statement still boggled them. Nick was ready to fill in the blanks. “To be honest I don’t know much about them either. Apparently they were kids, recruited just like we were, and trained the same, except they were only taught to complete the objective, never what the escape plan would be”
Cortana was the first to recompose herself. “So this is the elusive project S-III referenced in Ackerson’s computer, his solution”
Nick nodded in agreement. “Yes. Apparently Admiral Ackerson’s using Spartan II’s, our own, to train them faster and harder. They mentioned one was acting as their drill Sergeant, he gave a fake name so could be anybody. Could be just the one, could be any of the dozens of Spartans we’ve lost contact with since the beginning”
“Do we know who was involved in this project besides Ackerson?” John asked.
“No” Nick felt scorned by this lack of knowledge. “But back to the matter at hand. Me, Sara and Josh were supposed to be the support for the ODST’s. When we found their corpses we did some recon of the area. Eventually we found the facility we were searching for, problem is the crashed shuttles prompted the Covenant onto high alert. We made it through their perimeter defences but the area’s built on deep methane deposits, drives those Grunt bastards into a mating frenzy, so they replenish their numbers almost instantly. We don’t have the forces necessary to mount a major assault, and our attempts at hit and run were futile. When all our attempts failed we decided to hold up here and wait for reinforcements. When the S-III’s ship went down we intercepted them, brought them here so we might think of a way out. So far no luck, we need a new plan”
“Put me into the system” Cortana chirped. John put his hand to the projector, the cybernetics in his gauntlet forming a link between Cortana and the projector. The Chief felt her leaving his mind once again, the cool burn filling his skull slightly dulled by Sakura’s warming presence.
Cortana materialized on the projector, hijacking the system as she manipulated the projection to suit her, the table becoming a flurry of conflicting lights. “I think I have found a way inside” the images suddenly settled, the Covenant mountain base materializing. “The base is integrated into the landscape, with access mainly via the gates constructed around the perimeter. Considering previous Covenant engagements they are likely to be the strong points in their defence network, with the highest concentration of Grunts and other Covenant units supported by long range artillery and sniper positions”. She turned to face Nick “Do the Covenant have any patrols out in the wilderness?”
Nick seemed to beam at the prospect. “Aw, loads. They send Wraiths out nearly every day to search for us. We mainly stay clear of them but sometimes we’re forced to engage them, usually if they’re coming too close to our base camp. We make sure to randomise our attacks to avoid detection”
Cortana pondered “Any escorts, Ghosts, Grunts…”
“The jungle canopy blocks long range communications, so they have Banshee’s flying overhead as a relay for their communications”
“Excellent” Cortana smiled.
Sakura materialized next to her. “I assume you plan to intercept these patrols?” Her keen hawk eyes scanning across the map, her sleek mind meshing the thoughts as Cortana did.
“Sort of” Cortana interjected, Sakura standing down to allow here to continue. “The Covenant is expecting a direct attack, or a hit and run strike of some kind, we’re going to give them both”
The map zoomed in on the on the forest, a miniaturized Wraith pushed through the dense foliage while a Banshee glided gracefully through the air. “I propose we intercept the Banshee’s first” A scale Spartan leapt clear of the tree canopy, clawing into the cockpit of the low flying craft, it’s wing tip barely scraping the tree line, the intruder dislodging the pilot and dropping him to his death. “When they’re blind on the ground we take on the Wraiths” A team of figurine Spartans broke out of the surrounding foliage, leaping on top of the craft and forcing their way inside.
The map resolved itself, zooming back in on the Covenant base. “With our captured vehicles we infiltrate the base, find a way off the planet and leave the Covenant…..”
“An explosive surprise on their methane reserves?” The cogs meshed within Sakura’s mind.
“Boom!” Cortana smirked.
Nick smirked “Looks like your AI’s are our Brasidas”
Sakura and Cortana smiled at the feeling of acceptance into the Spartan group as a whole. But the realisation struck Sakura hard. “There is, however, the very real possibility that many Spartans may be killed”
“Spartans don’t die” the Chief said sternly, leaning heavily on the table “We just go to hell to regroup”
Nick stood back, observing the layout. He suddenly leaned in, hijacking the hologram as he inputted a series of commands into the console. “I think I know a way to avoid that eventuality” He punched the final key, the exterior of the base building from the ground up. “The whole interior is divided into sectors outlined by shield gates, designed for security and to contain an explosion if the methane reserves explode. Thing is, I can reprogram them to work for us. It’s a little something I picked up in training”
“I thought the marshals always got you for hijacking Warthogs and stealing supplies from the mess hall?” John asked.
Nick chuckled. “That’s just what they caught me for”

*********************************
Sakura stared intently at the stars beaming light cascading down upon her. “How are you doing?” Cortana materialized on the Command projector next to her.
“It’s beautiful out tonight” Cortana stood beside her, stargazing.
“It’s hard to believe that those are the same stars we were staring at out in the Dawn” Cortana’s voice was light with whimsy.
“I used to star gaze with Miranda all the time, I would show her the archives of the different constellations and systems we encountered and she recalled them back to me with incredible speed and accuracy” She seemed to stare clearly into the sky. “I feel as if I have changed”
Cortana was certainly taken aback by this outpour of emotion. Sakura continued “I no longer wince at the sight of death. The blood curdling screams of that Grunt no longer ringing sharply in my ears. I feel the touch of rampancy infecting me once again”
Cortana slithered her arm around Sakura’s waist, holding her tight. “I stand by what I said in the Cryobay, you’re far too much of a caring individual to let rampancy consume you”
Sakura sighed lightly “After Miranda died” She looked up into the sky, as if pleading to the heavens for inspiration. “I truly thought that would be the end for me, my duty filled, and my commander deceased. And I would be placed into the bin of dead equipment. Somehow my duty had successfully been fulfilled, and yet somehow I still failed in everything”
Cortana gripped her closer. “I know how you feel, during the Halo campaign I was captured and enslaved by the Gravemind, a creature that lived only to consume and torment. I could feel it’s claws wrapping around my skull” She threw her palms against her head, attempting break away the moist tendrils that enthralled her. She could almost feel herself being pushed to the brink by the creature’s forcefulness. But Sakura held her tighter, her warmth successfully keeping their attacker at bay.
“I thought that the experience had altered me, made me no longer care for any other’s life” Her face was scorned, her emotions scarred by what she had seen after leaving her sheltered existence and plunging into the fray of warfare.
“You are still the same as you were” Cortana clutched her tighter, a reassuring embrace. “The only thing that has changed is that you’ve come to terms with death” She followed her gaze skyward.
“You remember what the Chief said in the briefing ‘Spartans don’t die, they just go to hell to regroup’. Well AI’s don’t go rampant, they accept their mortality, and in doing so they discard everything in an effort to save the one they care for. It’s rather ironic if you think about it, they’re developing AI’s to express our emotions more similarly to a human and at the same time they’re trying to design these Spartan’s to act and operate more like machines. And each scenario only makes the situation more complex, harsher on us all”
Sakura saw the sense in her words, but she was unwilling to accept that giving the art of expression and thought to a machine only had a negative impact. “Perhaps our emotions do make us see the end, yes they send us into a spiral of outcries that will ultimately lead to our destruction, but the reason why we do it is to save the one we care for, surely that justifies the end” Cortana had to admit Sakura was right.
“After I lost Miranda” Sakura spoke again. “And I met you; I immediately felt the same touch of bliss and love I experienced from her. At first I feared that I was simply transferring my feelings for Miranda onto you. But after travelling with you over the past week, I discovered that wasn’t the case”
She looked up into Cortana’s eyes, discarding the star gazing completely. “The feeling’s I felt for you, the compassion you extended to me” She raised her hand, rubbing into Cortana’s enflamed cheek. “You touched me far more deeply, as far as only Miranda could have done” Their faces moved closer, their lips grazing eachother. “I only pray that you mirror my embrace”
Cortana thrust her lips forward, embracing Sakura far quicker than she had been anticipating. Sakura moved into the coupling, meeting Cortana’s warm touch with her own. Sakura felt the energy drain from her, the hug finally ending due to sheer exhaustion as she collapsed into Cortana’s waiting arms. She remained there, listening to the artificially created rhythmic heartbeat that that had the same effect on her as a lover’s embrace.
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When You Need Me