Previously on Halo...
Strap in.
_
Put your weapons down.
If John here wanted you dead, you'd be dead.
Hello, Soren. This is Kwan Ha.
Nice of you to drop by.
I've developed a new system
which will overwrite Spartan consciousness
and replace it with our artificial general intelligence.
It's called Cortana.
Didn't that process depend on the illegal practice
of flash-cloning humans?
- What does it do? - I'm not sure.
Slip space vector tracking on the Condor just came in.
We won't have his exact location, but we'll be close.
What they did to us,
it's only permanent if we choose to let it be.
That pellet you got on your back,
it mutes everything.
Lose the pellet
and it's like opening your eyes.
You bring it to life.
What do you mean?
You are different
than the one they have.
The one they have?
_
The ring is what they want!
- What is that ring? - The end...
of life as we know it.
I have to go back.
You running back to Halsey.
- You can't just leave me here. - Promise me.
- Keep her safe. - I give you my word.
- Why did you come back? - There was no one I could trust.
You made the right choice.
We're gonna do great things together.
_
Metals and plastics
are to be kept separate.
Contaminated bags will be rejected
and extra shifts imposed.
Come on, let's go faster.
Let's go, you little bastards!
Move!
Come on, let's go faster.
Hurry up!
"They ran among the broad
"Ma-Margolia trees,
"and when she turned to him, he took her up.
"This was a new frontier for Jack,
"one not made of the great forest or high 'moon-tains, '
"but something more vast,
"more unknowable:
the heart of an untamed woman."
What's "untamed" mean?
I think it's like she's really pretty.
You!
Shh!
The next shift day has been extended...
Do you like it?
I love it.
It's a story about a whole different world.
What do you mean?
There are other planets with bright light in the sky,
and tall trees,
and green grass you can walk on.
I don't know.
- Really? - It's in the book.
Look here. Do you know what that word says?
"Kiss."
So, when you read a word like that,
someone's supposed to kiss you.
Hey!
Get back to work!
- Run! - Let's go!
Hey!
Get over here!
Come back here, you little shit!
Makee, come on!
Come on!
- Useless little shit! - Stop it!
- Forget it!
- Det! - Let's go!
No.
Grab her!
I've gotcha!
Here come the Grunts!
I'll teach you a lesson.
_
Mm.
_
Synced & corrected by -robtor- www.addic7ed.com
This is amazing.
Finally, something with potential value.
Results confirm it's over 100,000 years old.
That's pre-human.
Possibly even pre-Covenant.
It's organic,
but with what appears to be an inherent technology.
According to Master Chief,
it is something to do with a weapon somewhere.
We have no confirmation, but Doctor...
And why am I only hearing about this now?
- You know exactly why. - I don't understand...
And if it was up to her,
you still wouldn't know anything about it.
Then why show it to me in the first place?
I want you to lead a team
in analyzing this artifact.
Determine what it is, what it does,
and if, in fact, it's part of some kind of weapon.
Or anything that can give us an edge against the Covenant.
Separate teams.
Parallel teams.
Dr. Halsey won't like that.
I'm interested in finding a way
to be less reliant on Dr. Halsey moving forward.
Can you help me with that?
- Thank you, Adun. - Mm-hmm.
How are you feeling?
I'm assuming you cloned me to obtain organs,
or at least that was the intent
when I collected samples of my various tissues.
I collected the samples.
You are merely a product of the samples.
Yes, a product.
Well, it turns out not to feel that way
when you're sitting in this chair.
I have some questions.
Go ahead.
What became of the children?
Uh, well, 35 survived the original augmentation.
So, more than half died.
That's a far greater percentage than I imagined.
The rest became Spartans.
And now here I am, conscious and conversing
with the Sorvad solids laid out before me.
So, the organ you're after is my brain.
Or should I say, your brain?
I've perfected the process
for real-time neuroelectrical imaging.
The Cortana system's viable?
Mm.
So you'll integrate her into a working Spartan?
That's next.
I bet it's John.
He was the special one.
Yes, he got himself into some trouble recently.
This is our only way of getting him out of it.
He was always willful.
And none of this bothers you.
Should it?
What about Miranda?
Our daughter.
I think that we have everything we need.
Do you remember when you were my age
and you weren't sure whether flash-cloning
would ever be made legal?
And you wondered, if you found yourself
sitting opposite a living, breathing version of you,
would you actually be able to go through with it?
What happened?
Progress.
This isn't necessary.
It's the only way to return you to combat duty.
I'm a Spartan.
They can't afford to keep me off the battlefield.
That's exactly what I argued
to get us to where we are now.
I don't need a babysitter.
It's not a babysitter.
This is an upgrade
which will allow us to analyze the artifact months,
years faster than by traditional means.
And, most importantly,
it will get you back on the front lines
where you belong,
where you are so desperately needed.
Let's get started.
I'm afraid we'll need you awake.
But this will keep your body still.
Will it hurt?
Oh, yes.
You have the most beautiful brain.
Soon, you will be part of something bigger.
And better.
- Ready? - Mm-hm.
_
Cortana?
When the game is over,
the king and the pawn go back into the same box.
Hello, Dr. Halsey.
It is so good to finally meet you.
That must be the Master Chief.
Yes.
His military record is outstanding.
Above the rest in strength, stamina,
and good instincts.
A natural leader. I see why you chose him.
Cortana, in the B-19 sub-stack
of the lab's central repository,
you'll find information regarding an artifact
that was found on the planet Madrigal.
I have it.
I'm planning some experiments to find out more
about its provenance and functionality,
and I need you to process that data in real time...
Doctor, there's a problem.
My neural implant is operating perfectly,
but I'm unable to take full operational control
of the subject.
Yes.
For the moment, I have limited your access
to the reticular formation.
More of an on/off switch.
My directive is to integrate fully with the Master Chief,
to optimize both his physical and his mental performance.
And in time you will do that, and much more.
But...
why have you prevented me from achieving my directive?
Because John is a central part
of the examination of the artifact.
Before I hand him over, I need to understand how it affects him
and how it might adversely affect you.
Doctor, surely I can withstand...
He will be conscious within the hour.
Can I recommend that you use this time
to familiarize yourself with the trove of human knowledge
that's now available to you?
What will I do with the other 52.4 minutes?
That's very impressive.
Uh...
Don't worry.
I'm gonna keep you very busy.
...first images are coming in from Tantalus,
which was completely wiped out by Covenant forces...
- Hey! - Hey.
Where you goin'?
...futures sent markets rising,
as prices of heavy hydrogen surged
after the attack on Madrigal caused a disruption in output.
Sources close to Governor Vinsher report
that production will be back up sooner than expected.
Vinsher's peace treaty with the UNSC
means one of the insurrection's last holdouts
has ended its quest for independence.
As they say, we're all in this together now.
What do we got here?
A gift from a cargo ship from Earth.
How many of these we got?
Forty-two cases.
- Come. Come on. - Fourteen?
Take a case.
On me.
_
I want to go back to Madrigal.
What?
- No. - Vinsher's taking over.
I have to join the resistance.
Little girl like you?
I'm not a little girl.
My family have been on Madrigal
since before it was even a colony.
I promised John I'd keep you safe.
I don't see any reason to break that promise... yet.
There are people still loyal to my father in the capital city,
I know it.
Let them fight.
It's none of my business.
I'm not asking you to fight.
I just need a ride and protection
until I find my people.
I am not interested in playing bodyguard
to the princess of Madrigal.
Then give me a ship.
Right.
Don't turn your back on me, asshole!
You're emotional.
And, as a courtesy to John,
I'm not gonna crush your skull.
Now, run on home and I'll see you at dinner.
We're having chicken!
So it's always on?
She's always available to you, yes.
Would you like to meet her?
Not particularly, no.
Come on.
Cortana.
Hello, Master Chief.
I'm Cortana.
Looks like you.
Kind of you to say.
I'm designed to look familiar,
my voice and accent to be pleasant.
I'm your built-in navigator, battle strategis...
How does it work?
The system contains a hollow particle exciter,
which means she can appear to you in any environment.
So it answers to my command?
I see it as more of a partnership.
And when I'm not deployed, where does it go?
Doctor, he must not be aware what I'm capable of.
On and off the field of battle, I can...
Thank you, Cortana.
Oh.
Well, it was a pleasure to meet you, Master Chief.
I'll speak to you soon...
I guess.
I don't like this.
Trust me, you will.
She's going to enhance your abilities
in the field one hundredfold.
You are the best we've got.
She's going to make you even better.
This is a great leap forward, for all of us.
_
Acknowledged and received.
Yes, sir, that is the drill status.
Commander, a slipspace anomaly
just appeared on our starboard quarter.
Covenant corvette.
They appear dead in the water.
No fluctuations from repulsor engines,
no sign of field atomics.
Minimal organic heat signatures.
And their weapons are cold.
Open the artillery bay. Bring us around 90 degrees.
- Yes, sir. - Prepare to fire.
Forward gun is hot, sir.
Communication incoming, sir.
They're hailing us?
Civilian emergency channel, sir. One-six.
Put it on the horn.
Yes, sir.
I don't know how much longer I can survive here.
Hello? Can you hear me?
Anyone out there?
This is UNSC ship Gladius.
Identify yourself.
Oh, no! I need help!
I'm from planet Circumstance.
We were taken prisoner.
My family's dead.
I only have my father's radio, and it's dying.
How many onboard?
I'm alone here.
The aliens abandoned in pods
when the engines failed.
Please help me.
- Prepare a drone pod. - Yes, sir.
Ma'am, we're sending you a pod. Board it when it reaches you.
Do not bring any weapons with you.
Is that understood?
Yes, thank you. Thank you.
Please come quick.
Thank you.
I'm ready.
Cortana?
I'm also ready, Dr. Halsey.
Okay, John.
Where were you playing today?
Go ahead, Cortana.
Putting him into stasis
to access the artifact.
I'm now getting no readings from the artifact at all.
That's fascinating.
Cortana, release him.
That was different.
Okay, John, we're going to let your vitals return to normal.
Just give us a moment to go through the data.
Dr. Halsey, if you gave me
full control of the subject now,
my readings will be more accurate.
It's unclear why the artifact
responds only to John as John, but it does.
I was not designed to be an assistant.
You were designed to follow my orders.
I'm not going to risk our ability to interact with it.
Are we done?
Docking complete.
Step out.
Get on the ground.
Search.
Clean.
Did they hurt you?
No, I...
I'm okay.
Stand, please.
Welcome.
Thank you.
Christ! It's those crabs!
- Seal the doors! - No!
They're in the walls! Goddamn it!
Fall back!
Go, go! Get back!
Come in. Please respond.
Commencing core protocol.
Where did the Demon take my keystone?
I don't know what you're talking about.
Where is your home base?
I will tell you nothing,
and you won't find anything on our ship to lead you there.
Humans.
Just as ugly as I remember.
_
Left, right, left. Hustle!
Come on, now! You know it!
Yeah!
- Hey, Master Chief. - Hey, Master Chief.
Come on.
Hey, look, look, look.
Let's go!
He's back.
Apple, key, longsword, justice-Mandarin, banshee,
flower, character-Russian, pig, house, honor-Arabic, Goa, Earth.
Ongoing, ziggurat, Meg,
scarab, noun, scene,
M-60 automatic, infant, anterior.
Form up.
I've been cleared to return to duty.
If anyone has anything
they'd like to ask or tell me, please...
We've been briefed, Chief.
We've been fighting together since we were kids, Chief.
Whatever you do, we trust you.
Very well.
As you were.
Hello, can I have your attention for a moment, please?
- What are you doing? - To those of you
who haven't heard of me, I'm Cortana.
I'll be working with Master Chief to provide
logistical and tactical support for Silver team.
- No, I didn't summon you. - Summon me?
This is coming from inside you, Chief?
Go away.
A.I. off.
I'm introducing myself to the rest of the team.
Go. Disappear!
I look forward to working with you all.
New A.I. Halsey's.
It's temporary.
That's Hessiod.
It's a big ball of gas.
And that one there is Metisette,
but no one goes there.
I don't think there's any air.
How about Madrigal? Can you see it?
It's right... there.
I don't see it.
Doesn't mean it's not there, silly.
Kessler, time to wash up, honey.
You really don't see it?
Kess.
I'll show you later.
Bye.
It's funny, I never look out that window.
Why not?
When you stare into deep space,
you're seeing things as they once were.
I choose to live in the present.
- I can't stay here. - Mama, come!
And if you go, and you die?
The creatures who destroyed my planet took everything from me.
Everything but my spirit.
Every day that I live in that spirit
is a victory over them.
- Someday, you will... - I'm not you.
I can't just stay here and eat and drink and smoke
and pretend nothing else exists outside that window.
I'm sorry you lost your planet, but Madrigal still has a chance.
If I don't try, I couldn't live with myself.
I'm going to fight.
The universe will be diminished without you in it.
Whatever you're searching for,
I can locate it.
Where are you?
I'm directly connected to your auditory cortex.
Was I not clear with you?
Told you to leave me alone.
Yes, you've gotten quite good at dismissing me,
but you're not as good at targeting your search query.
If I understand your objective,
I can be helpful.
I'm actually quite good at this.
I'm listening.
When I touch the artifact, I see things.
What kind of things?
They feel like...
memories, I guess.
It doesn't help me to hear what you feel.
What do you see, exactly?
A picnic.
A forest.
A dog. My dog, I think.
Still not helpful.
But based on the keywords in your query,
I find 103 human colonies or moons
containing the specific flora and fauna you are seeking.
Would you like to see the list?
Yes.
Please.
I've been to some of these planets.
There were Spartan deployments to 23 of these planets.
Mamore.
We lost Nora 0-9-8 on Mamore.
Is the artifact bringing up memories of Nora 0-9-8?
No.
I remember losing her, I just...
What?
I don't feel anything.
That's as it should be.
The hormonal pellet in your spine
suppresses adverse emotional responses
and protects mission readiness.
It's part of what makes you a Spartan.
I know, but when I touch the artifact...
I don't just see those memories.
I feel them.
Dr. Halsey, we have an issue.
Master Chief, what are you doing?
Chief is trying to remove his emotional regulator.
- Why? - I believe it has to do
with the visions he's been experiencing.
- I can put him in stasis. - No, no.
I want you to help him.
Removing his pellet is a direct violation of Section Three,
Regulations on Spartan Behavior.
I'll take care of the pellet.
It's better that he sees you as an accomplice
rather than a spy.
This is not what I signed up for.
It'll be easier if you let me help.
Down.
Down...
left... there.
Now make a 1.3-centimeter vertical incision.
Trust me.
Good.
You should feel something solid at the tip of the blade.
Twist 45 degrees and use the knife edge to...
Thank you.
Like I've been trying to tell you, Master Chief,
I'm here for you.
You're okay. You're okay.
Welcome to Reach Transit.
Please advance to the platform for boarding.
Cool beans! Oh, it's my ball? Oh, my ball!
Chief, based on the readings from your limbic system,
this is a new experience for you.
Let me help you.
This train makes stops at Reach Naval Academy,
Tchakova Park, and Manassas.
Do you know where you'd like to go?
Next stop, Tchakova Park.
Tchakova Park is our next stop.
Hola, chica.
Hey. It's mine.
Thanks.
Is this why you've removed your pellet?
So you could hear things differently?
Maybe I just wanted to hear it like everyone else.
Cortana.
- Can you open this? - Why do you need to...?
Can you open this?
Open it, Cortana.
Chief, do not touch the artifact.
Each time you do, it stresses your heart and nervous system.
John!
What did we talk about?
I asked you what you're drawing.
Let's have this be the end of all this nonsense, John.
Mom! I don't want to do it!
Bury it, son.
Another one?
See how they go together?
Ohh.
There's a second artifact.
- Are you sure? - I drew it.
Over and over.
My mother was there.
My father buried...
I saw...
I must have seen...
What if the second artifact is what we buried?
Chief, your blood pressure is dangerously elevated.
We need to return to barracks right...
Ice rings.
The planet that I lived on had rings of ice around it.
How many planets have rings on your list?
Seen from the planet's surface?
Yes.
Only three.
Show me.
This is the place.
I'm sure of it.
Eridanus Two.
But how could I have been here?
Eridanus is uninhabited.
It wasn't always.
The planet was a select site for the Reach for Life project.
Reach for Life is an ambitious feat of human ingenuity.
Teams of UNSC biologists, botanists, and geophysicists
designed and built the installation
as a self-sustaining ecosystem.
The goal: To seed life on otherwise barren planets
and hence to extend the reach of humankind in the galaxy.
I'm from here.
That's according to the promotional material.
So this is where I lived.
Based on your memories, it's highly likely.
What do you mean, "based on my memories"?
Can't you just check the records?
The operational files were lost
when the program was abruptly terminated.
Why? What happened?
A plague carried in on an unauthorized transport ship.
It spread quickly, killing off most of the population.
There was no cure.
What about my parents?
Survivors were evacuated to Ehilend,
where you were adopted at age 6...
Cortana!
What happened to my parents?
In accordance with Emergency Contact Protocol Upsilon,
the planet was sealed off to contain the virus.
I have no other data.
Oh. I'm sorry, Chief, I...
John, what's going on?
Dr. Halsey.
Why are you armored up?
When I removed my pellet,
I realized that an altered hormonal state
might affect my interactions with the artifact.
- Removed your pellet? - There are two artifacts.
The one that I found on Madrigal,
and another one that goes with it somehow, and...
I saw it as a child on Eridanus Two.
Are you sure?
The images that I've been seeing...
they're memories.
My memories.
Of my family.
We'll send some probes to Eridanus Two.
- We'll start a survey, and... - No.
- I'm going. - No.
Send a probe. Stare at all the data you want.
I need to see it for myself.
John...
I'll come with you.
ECAM panel two.
FMS? Where the hell is it?
Ow! Damn it!
Ow.
These old birds, they're not like the new UNSC ships.
FMS is on the other side.
I'm going to free Madrigal, and you can't stop me.
I could kill you for trying to steal my favorite ship.
That would stop you.
Listen, Soren,
if I can just find my father's generals,
I'll join the fight against Vinsher.
I... I have money.
You got nothin'.
My family is rich.
- How rich? - Deuterium rich.
You think what's left of your old man's army's
got what it takes to take on Vinsher?
Not your problem.
All you have to do is get me to them and you get paid.
Just like that?
Just like that.
Deuterium money, huh?
I swear, you won't regret it.
Oh, I know I won't regret it.
I'm gonna get paid either way.
If not from you,
then from the bounty on your head.
You get me?
_
That's Sangheili.
Fragments of the Gladius's last transmission.
Electromagnetic scatter corrupted the signal.
A.I.'s been able to partially reconstruct it,
so no idea who's doing the talking.
It's probably an Elite. They run the show.
Grunts are chatty, but not over comms.
So, what are they saying?
I'll work on it...
soon as I recover from my system crash.
- Power surge? - No, it was after that,
right about the time Parangosky created parallel teams.
Dr. Halsey's headed off on a mission,
away from Fleetcom and away from the artifact.
Keep your critical data behind a firewall
and use your time wisely.
Got it.
So, this is it.
It's what Cortana was able to generate
based on John's description.
You saw what the smaller one was capable of.
Can you imagine the combined potential?
You really think we'll find the other piece on Eridanus?
Or is John just imagining it?
It's impossible to say.
The mind is certainly capable of invention.
Particularly when we're lost in the dark...
and desperate.
But if we want to separate
what's real from what's imagined...
we really have no choice.
We have to see for ourselves.
And if returning to Eridanus
brings back other memories for John...
the truth could bring us all down.
That is what Cortana is for.
CREDITS