The Master Chief felt a brief shiver travel up his spine as he opened the last door to the Control Room.
It was odd, considering all Spartan armor had a climate-controlled undersuit. He wasn't the only one to feel it.
"Anyone else get a sudden chill?" Fred asked as Kelly and Linda nodded. They too had felt the strange chill. He said nothing as the door opened and they laid eyes upon the Control Room.
It was massive, with a ceiling that didn't seem to stop, and an endless abyss for a floor, as a simple glass-like platform served as all their footholds. What caught their attention as they walked in was the massive 3D image of the ring itself.
Various data points flashed and lit up across the hologram as they finally realized they weren't alone.
"Contact," Chief called as he levelled his gun at the alien standing at the end of the platform. It was taller than the average human, but the Spartans towered over it. Despite that, none of them felt safe.
"Careful, Blue Team. This guy's the mystery alien ONI has been hunting." Cortana told them as they moved carefully toward the center console, where the alien stood. It did nothing but watch them as they drew closer, something that troubled Cortana.
In all the records they had of this alien, it always wore a smile and seemed to take joy in messing with the ONI agents sent after it. Even when things escalated and Spartans were sent in, it still didn't seem very troubled by the increased firepower.
Yet now, the alien looked serious. It was odd seeing such a stern expression on its face, and it kept its eyes only on Chief. She didn't know if that was good or bad, given the name the Covenant had given John.
"I assume you have come looking for the Control Room?" It spoke when they were only a small jump away. Chief nodded. "I assume you have, since you've ignored the various attempts to contact you."
'Stupid Monitor didn't adjust the frequency!'
"I don't know what he's talking about, Chief. Stall; anything, buy time." Cortana said as Chief lowered his rifle; Blue Team did the same. "We've come to secure the ring before the Covenant can use it against us."
The alien snorted, as if amused. "Those fools are barely able to use the scraps of technology we've left behind. They would need a human to light one of these. Not to mention getting an Index."
Cortana then projected her voice using the external speakers on the Master Chief's armor. "Are there more than one Halo? We understood that there was only one." The alien nodded. "There are seven rings in the Halo Array. This is Installation 04, and the best chance you have of changing the war."
The Spartans stiffened at that. Change the war? That meant this alien knew just how badly the UNSC was losing, and that there was something worth using on this ring. The alien then stepped aside and pointed to a small slot on the console.
"Slot in your ancilla. She will discover the truth and help guide you."
It took Chief a moment to realize he was talking about Cortana, but he slotted her in when she urged him to. Cortana then appeared in a massive form hovering above them all as she glowed with joy.
"Are you ok?" Chief asked as Linda and Kelly glanced at each other. "I'm better than ok!" Cortana laughed. "So much information, so smooth, so fast! It's amazing!" The alien smiled at her joy.
"So, what is this place? How do we stop the Covenant from using whatever halo is?" Chief asked as Cortana looked down at him. "Stop halo? This isn't a cudgel, you barbarian; a halo is something greater than that."
She then went on a tiny tangent before freezing. "Wait, the armory that Keys was going to. You have to stop him!" She started before the alien cut her off. "Don't worry, I've had those cells cleaned out weeks before you arrived."
The Spartans were confused as Cortana suddenly bombarded the alien with questions about something called 'the Flood' before Chief finally spoke up. "What is going on? What is the Flood?"
"An extragalactic parasite that will consume us all if given the chance. They are the reason the Halo array was created, and why Cortana was so concerned." The alien said as Cortana sent them each condensed information about the Flood.
"Can it not be cured?" Kelly asked the obvious question, and the alien shook his head. "Sadly, no. It can only be starved of its food, which just so happens to be all sentient life." "I'll let you guess what this ring does," Cortana said dryly.
"I would rather you go collect Captain Keys, however. There are still pockets of Flood on this ring that are almost dealt with, and I'd rather not kill you all to stop an outbreak." The Spartans didn't like it, but they knew they didn't stand a chance against this particular alien.
Chief reached for the shard that held Cortana, but she stopped him. "Wait, I want to learn more about this place. Go with the others; I'll be fine here." She reassured him as Chief reluctantly left with Blue Team.
As the Spartans left, Cortana shrunk down to normal human size as she gazed at the data surrounding her in wonder. "I still can't believe it. A real, living Forerunner stands before me." The alien shook his head.
"Not a Forerunner, though they do still live on. I am something beyond them, somewhat." He admitted as Cortana tore her gaze away from the shimmering lights to stare at the alien. She had lots of questions.
"I can see you have questions, I will answer. In return I need your help with something that will keep humanity above most other races in the galaxy for many years to come." The alien smirked, as if amused.
"Alright, shoot."