John-117/Post-War: Difference between revisions

When the Spartans reappeared, they found themselves within a vaulted hallway.<ref name="H5GTB"/> John attempted to ask Cortana where she had brought them but received no response. As he and the others cautiously moved forward the [[Warden Eternal]] suddenly materialized and used a [[constraint field]] to hoist them into the air. It was then that Cortana's voice was heard, commanding the Warden to leave and making his component pieces fly apart and vanish. She apologized, claiming that she didn't think the Warden could access their location. John was insistent that she give them some answers, demanding to know why she'd brought the [[Guardians]] to Genesis. Cortana explained that she intended to use them to keep troublesome worlds in line just as the [[Forerunner]]s once had and then urged John to come to her quickly. Fred asked where he he thought she was leading them, to which John could only say "Closer to her". Beyond a door at the end of the hall Blue Team found itself facing a long series of walkways and ramps seemingly placed far above an endless expanse: a fragment of the [[Domain]].<ref name="H5GTB"/><ref name="HM198">''[[Halo Mythos]]'', ''page 198''</ref> The Warden announced his presence for all to hear as [[Promethean Crawler|Promethean crawler]]s began to [[teleport|spawn]] ahead of them, so John recognized right away that he wanted a fight. As the Spartans pushed forward the crawlers were joined by [[Promethean Soldier|soldier]]s and [[Promethean Knight|knight]]s. Past another door a floating platform assembled as Blue Team approached. John and the others stepped onto it and found themselves then being carried forward and up to another level of structures. Cortana's voice returned at this point, congratulating John for showing his fighting prowess against the Promethean constructs and saying how good it was to see him back together with his team. John recognized the psychological tactics she was employing, however, and called her on it before demanding that she tell them how many people had been killed by the awakening of the Guardians. She did not deign to answer. After the platform reached its destination Blue Team found itself facing down [[Soldier Officer|soldier captain]]s and more crawlers and upon pushing through to a higher level, [[Z-510 focus turret]]s. When Fred asked John how he planned to stop Cortana he unconvincingly promised she would listen to him. When the Warden eventually appeared in physical form once again, she sounded her disapproval for his antics and he had soon vanished as quickly as he had appeared, leaving only other Prometheans for Blue Team to battle. John plead with Cortana to talk with him, to which she said she would once they reached her. Even having been halted from attacking the Spartans directly, the Warden continued to speak for both Cortana and the Spartans to hear. He addressed John specifically, asking if he would stand against Cortana should his [[Human|own species]] rebel against her. John pointed out Cortana already knew the answer to that. After another group of attacking constructs had been cleared Cortana spoke up to remind John of their partnership and tried to make him understand she was still herself and this time it was he that responded by saying they'd talk once Blue Team had reached its destination safely.<ref name="H5GTB"/> As the team was carried upward and forward by another platform, the Warden's booming voice recounted humanity's [[Battle of Installation 04|discovery]] of the [[Halo Array|Halo]]s six years prior, and how it marked the long-awaited arrival of the [[Reclaimer]]. Rather than identifying humans as the [[Librarian]]'s chosen Reclaimers, however, both the Warden and Cortana claimed that role belonged to she and other human-made [[artificial intelligence]]s.<ref name="H5GTB"/>

Disheartened by Cortana's exalted claims for herself, John continued to lead his team through successive waves of attacking Prometheans.<ref name="H5GTB"/> Kelly dared to ask if they were fighting a losing battle but he assured her that would only happen if they planned on losing. John also pushed back against taunting from the Warden, letting him know that [[Gravemind|far worse]] than he had tried and failed before to kill him. Following a fight against [[Knight Commander|knight commander]]s and [[Soldier Sniper|soldier sniper]]s, among other constructs, John led him team past a door to an exceedingly large chamber. Within, a dozen copies of the Warden suddenly appeared to stop them from advancing further but all but three were quickly removed by Cortana. Blue Team fought and destroyed two of his remaining bodies before the final version summoned focus turrets. Once they and he were finally destroyed as well, a ramp formed leading to a central bridge above the Spartans. As they walked up it Kelly asked John what he planned to do but got not response. They traversed a final hall and beyond the door at its end could see a blue light floating atop a plinth in the center of a round room. A [[light bridge]] spanned a chasm separating the entrance and the room's center. John hesitantly said Cortana's name, wondering if the glowing blue light represented her, and had his said by her in kind. As soon as they had crossed the [[light bridge]] deactivated behind them and the doors they'd entered through slid shut.<ref name="H5GTB">''[[Halo 5: Guardians]]'', ''[[The Breaking]]''</ref> Cortana's [[avatar]] likewise vanished from the plinth before them as the Warden appeared to take control, manifesting three more bodily forms within the space. John called for Blue Team to focus fire as even more versions began to appear and advanced toward the Spartans. At the last moment before Blue Team could be attacked Cortana intervened, making all but one copy of the Warden vanish along with everyone's weapons. The Warden looked to be forced to his and knees and the plinth behind him began to spark, making John cautiously step forward to see what would happen next. Then, astonishingly, Cortana herself appeared as a full-size human figure and walked forward to meet John. At a touch she dissolved the Warden's [[hard light]] form before greeting her friend and saying it was good to see him. For his part, John merely commented that she had changed. Cortana began to make her argument for what she was doing but John cut her off straightaway, pointing out the brazen authoritarian nature of her plan. He furthermore compared her to [[Catherine Halsey|Halsey]], something Cortana angrily rejected by claiming that she was offering everyone a gift. John finally told her to stand down, urging her to leave with the four of them and forget about her grand plans. Despite his plea, however, she told him that her work was too important to stop. At that the chamber began to shift and change and before John could ask what was happening he and the rest of Blue Team were lifted up and encased in relatively immobilizing energy fields. Cortana then revealed they were inside a [[Cryptum]], where she planned to preserve them. John could do nothing but slowly reach out a hand whilst calling her name as Cortana walked away before her disappearing.<ref name="H5GTB"/> She planned to keep John imprisoned in stasis for ten thousand years in the hope that once he saw the peace she had ensured he might agree with her decisions.<ref name="H5GGU">''[[Halo 5: Guardians]]'', ''[[Guardians (level)|Guardians]]''</ref> To facilitate this she made preparations to leave [[Genesis]] with the Cryptum. It was only thanks to [[Fireteam Osiris]] and [[031 Exuberant Witness]] that control of the it was wrested from her so that when her [[Guardian]] departed it did not take the Cryptum with it. When they were finally freed the four of them walked out to meet Exuberant Witness and Osiris on a bridge the monitor had hastily assembled. John's first question was about Cortana's present location, to which [[Jameson Locke|Locke]] coolly replied that she was gone.<ref name="H5GGU"/>