The Cost

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The Halo 5: Guardians Master Chief Ad, also called The Cost,^[1] is a video advertisement part of the Hunt the Truth marketing campaign for Halo 5: Guardians. It was released on March 29, 2015 alongside the Spartan Locke ad as its counterpart, and depicts John-117 confronting Agent Jameson Locke. The two trailers were directed by Rupert Sanders, who previously worked on the Believe campaign and the We Are ODST live-action trailer.^[2]

Transcript

John strides across a large debris field on an unknown human colony world. Severely damaged skyscrapers still stand in the distance. A wind kicks up dust, which swirls around him. The camera faces his front, moving with him as he walks.

John: This...

Cut to John's POV. Ahead of him stands a severely damaged statue of himself. Cut back to third-person. A damaged UNSC Infinity looms in the sky.

John: ...is this what you wanted? Is this what you were looking for? Was everything you've compromised, everything you've done... worth it?

Pan up the statue. The quote "Duty and Honor Above All" appears written below the statue.

John: Was it?

Cut to John's POV. He levels his gaze on Locke, who lays at the base of the statue. John holsters his assault rifle and releases the magnetic locks holding his pistol to his thigh. It snaps into his hand.

John: You've completed your mission, Spartan Locke.

He stops in front of Locke, lying crippled. His armor is cracked and blackened and a portion of his chestplate appears to be smoldering. His visor's backlight flickers on and off. John levels his pistol at Locke, as the wounded SPARTAN gazes up at his soon-to-be killer.

John: Mine is just beginning.

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