Unconfirmed

Glassed is the fifth campaign level of Halo 5: Guardians.

Transcript

UNCONFIRMED REPORTS

{Cutscene}

Two Pelicans arrive at Apogee Station. POV shot as Locke and the others exit one of the Pelicans, and armed Meridian settlers exit the other.

{Gameplay}

Edward Buck: "Looks like we got an escort."

Holly Tanaka: "Be surprised if they weren't. Sloan can't be happy about UNSC marching around out here."

Governor Sloan (COM): "The lady is correct. My team's there to keep an eye on things while you look around. Nothing personal, Spartans."

Jameson Locke: "(hesitantly) No offense taken, Governor. We'll find our targets and be out of your way shortly."

The Spartans and miners head into the station. Leaving the dock, they pass the hallways to reach an outdoor. Other miners are already there, fighting attacking Promethean Crawlers.

Locke: "Prometheans."

Tanaka: "Clear them out! Sloan's people can fight, but they shouldn't have to."

The Spartans and miners defeat the attackers.

Olympia Vale: "Area's clear."

Buck: "Let's move on. See if we can find any signs of Blue Team."

If the player stalls.

Vale: "A lot of money going into this, where's the profit?"

Buck: "Sure your mom was signal intelligence? You sound like a banker's daughter."

Tanaka: "Liang Dortmund pays a couple generations of chumps to break off the glass, then has land rights to an entire planet. It's a long con. But it'll pay."

The Spartans pass through the area and head up the stairs. They reach a landing dock, in which is parked the ONI Acrisius prowler. Several Prometheans, including Knights and Soldiers have surrounded it.

Locke: "Clear the Prometheans. I want a look at that Prowler."

More Knights and Soldiers warp in, bringing their support class Watchers.

Vale: "Knight spawned a Watcher."

More Prometheans warp in.

Buck: "Reinforcements. Look sharp."

When all the Prometheans are destroyed.

Locke: "All clear."

Vale: "Blue Team just left their Prowler parked in the middle of everything?"

Tanaka: "Must've landed here for a reason. Ship's log might tell us something."

Locke: "Let's run a scan."

If the player stalls.

Vale: "You know, we've seen Promethean attacks since Requiem, but no record of any this intense."

Tanaka: "Something riled 'em up, that's for sure."

Locke enters the Prowler and activates his Artemis system. His HUD shows images from the Prowler's databanks.

Tanaka: "Look at this."

Buck: "Looks like a map of Apogee Station. It leads down inside the mountain."

Tanaka: "Marked a path to the door outside to the mines."

Locke: "Governor Sloan."

Sloan (COM): "Spartan Locke?"

Locke: "We're looking for access to the mine near our position."

Sloan (COM): "You think this soldier you're chasing is down there? Not likely."

Locke: "I'm asking politely for access to your facility, Governor."

Sloan (COM): "Opening the door for you now. (heavy static) You watch yourselves down there."

A door on the side of the landing dock opens. The Spartans pass through and reach an enormous debris hill.

Miner: "Stand back! Snipers perched ahead!"

The miner is suddenly shot by a binary rifle and disintegrates. Promethean snipers fire at down at the Spartans.

Buck: "The Prometheans have this entrance bottled up."

The Spartans push up the hill and defeat the snipers.

Locke: "This area's secured. Governor Sloan, there's a door blocking our way at this location."

Sloan (COM): "Opening now, Spartan."

The door into the mine opens, leading to a dim cavern path.

Buck: "Don't see any signs of Blue Team being engaged in combat through here."

Vale: "Think they found another entrance?"

Buck: "My money's on the Prometheans never engaging them."

Vale: "That doesn't make any sense."

Buck: "Making sense and being a fact aren't always the same thing."

The Spartans head into the cavern. They open the door at its end, leading to a large underground room with mining platforms. A Soldier at a weapons cache inspects a SAW.

Soldier: "Primitive. Yet functional. It will serve our purpose."

The Spartans engage the Promtheans. The room around them shakes.

Tanaka: "Earthquake!"

Locke: "Watch your heads."

The Spartans clear out the Prometheans and head to the next platform, but more begin to warp in.

Locke: "Spawn gates bringing more Prometheans!"

The Spartans destroy them and head to the end of the platform. A Promethean Knight arrives with troops.

Locke: "More Prometheans inbound."

The Prometheans are defeated.

Locke: "Area's clear. Move into the structure."

The Spartans head up the stairs and enter a quarry site, which had uncovered Forerunner ruins.

Vale: "There's no record of Forerunner artifacts on Meridian. They must have just uncovered this."

The Spartans drop to the bottom of the quarry. Floating Forerunner droids pass them by.

Locke: "Something here. Similar design to a Monitor."

Vale: "Non-communicative. And they don't seem interested in us."

Locke: "Move forward. But keep an eye on them."

The Spartans head into the ruins. They reach a Forerunner elevator platform, adorned by circular roof rings and lava falls.

Buck: "Forerunners did not lack a sense of style."

Locke: "Looks like the only way is down."

Vale: "Look at all this!"

Locke: "Record everything. We can get a good look at it later."

SALVATION LIES WITHIN

The Spartans step onto the elevator and it slowly lowers into the cavern.

Sloan (COM): "(heavy static) Spartans- I'm- losing- your- signal..."

Locke: "Governor?"

Buck: "Privacy at last."

Vale: "This place is huge. Why wouldn't Sloan report a find of this size?"

Tanaka: "Mother hell..."

Locke: "Tanaka?"

Tanaka: "Just realized. Buck was saying Blue Team didn't fight Prometheans? Well, they didn't have to sweet-talk Sloan either."

Vale: "You think Sloan let them down here?"

Tanaka: "Reckon it's a possibility."

Locke: "A possibility, but not a certainty. If Sloan's hiding something, we'll draw it out of him after we investigate this structure."

The elevator touches down at a platform. The Spartans step off and approach its door.

Fade to black.

{Cutscene}

The Spartans enter an enormous room vigilantly, looking around for any signs of Blue Team. Ahead of them is a light bridge leading to a platform, and above it around scale-like pods. As they approach, a loud echoing voice calls out. The Spartans turn to guard each in a circle formation.

Voice: "She calls the Guardians to serve her!"

Tanaka: "What was that?"

Buck: "Let's go find out, we're sitting ducks here."

Locke: "Agreed. Move!"

The Spartans run down the light bridge to the platform. They reach it but its door shuts before they can enter. The Spartans halt and hear the voice again.

Voice: "Your presence in the Guardian's shelter is undesirable."

Bird's eye view of the pods, then POV shot from below. Most of the pods pull away, but one opens up to reveal a strange mechanical body. Its parts fall out of the pod, land on the platform, then float together to create a tall skeletal Promethean.

Locke: "Are you the Guardian?"

Warden: "I am the Warden Eternal. I stand in service to Cortana."

Vale: "Cortana?"

Warden: "The other humans are approved for passage. Regretfully, you are not."

The Warden brandishes an enormous sword.

Tanaka: "That sounds like a threat."

Warden: "Vacate this shelter now!"

The Warden punches the floor, creating an shockwave that blasts the Spartans away. They're knocked to the edge of the platform, but regain their feet as the column the Warden's standing on rises.

Buck: "Yup, that was a threat, all right."

Fade to black.

{Gameplay}

Locke and the other Spartans prepare to battle the Warden. Their shields, broken from the blast, recharge as the Warden summons a pack of Crawlers.

Buck: "What is this guy? Where'd he come from?"

Locke: "Something new. Defend yourselves."

Warden: "You are not necessary to her plans. Leave now and be spared."

The Warden attacks, as do his droids.

Locke: "He's heavily armored. We need to get fire on his back."

or

Vale: "His cores are clustered on his back! Get behind him and fire!"

The Warden is defeated. His body fragments, and the pieces are sucked into a slipspace portal as he screams.

Tanaka: "What the hell was that thing?"

Vale: "The Warden Eternal... he said he served Cortana."

Buck: "Not anymore he doesn't."

The cavern shakes and rumbles.

Vale: "Another quake."

Tanaka: "Bad news. Should get moving."

Locke: "The Warden was protecting whatever lies beyond those doors."

Buck: "He called it the Guardian."

Locke: "Cortana is connected to this Guardian somehow, and that makes it the Master Chief's most likely target. We find it, we find him. Let's go."

The door inside disintegrates. The Spartans pass through into its hallway.

{Cutscene}

Fireteam Osiris exits a door to head further into the Meridian Forerunner ruins.

Jameson Locke: "The Warden said Cortana was calling them to her. She's not here."

The Spartans walk down their pathway. Pan right to reveal more of the underground chamber. It is framed by lava falls, and floating platforms move to lead to the enormous construct in its center - the Guardian.

Edward Buck: "Whoa. They built them big, didn't they? Figure that's the Guardian?"

Holly Tanaka: "Can't get much by Buck."

Spartan Vale approaches the edge of their walkway and sees a glowing blue light on its floor. It resembles another blue light situated on a floating circular platform. Vale steps into it, and is immediately teleported to the platform.

Olympia Vale: "Up here!"

Vale steps off the platform to another walkway, but sees another teleportation glow above her.

Vale: "Contact!"

It's the missing Spartan-II squad, Blue Team - and John-117. He turns to see the approaching Spartans, and runs.

Locke: "Move! Contain!"

A chase ensues. Osiris pursues Blue Team through the floating platforms, passing through teleporters to reach higher levels. At the last one, Locke jumps in but his teammates stay back. Cut to the final platform, which leads to a widening slipspace portal, and Blue Team lands to head for it.

Locke lands and holds Kelly-087, Fred-104, and Linda-058 at gunpoint with his battle rifle.

Locke: "Blue Team!"

Vale, Tanaka, and Buck arrive at a balcony overlooking the platform.

Locke: "Stay where you are."

John warps in and joins his teammates.

Locke: "117, stand down!"

Blue Team turns to look at John, who looks back at Locke, who still has rifle raised.

Locke: "Sir, you are absent without leave. This is your one chance to come home peacefully."

John nods to Blue Team. They turn and walk into the portal.

Locke: "Blue Team! Stand down!"

The Spartan-IIs ignore him. John starts to walk to the portal.

John: "I have a job to do."

Locke: "Cortana's our concern now, sir."

John stops, his back to Locke.

John: "Like hell she is."

Master Chief turns, grabs Locke's rifle out of his hands, then swing and breaks it over Locke's head. He punches at him but misses, and Locke catches his arm and pushes him away. John follows with another swing but Locke catches his hand. The two wrestle before John overpowers Locke, tossing him some feet away.

Locke lands and gets to his feet, then charges and kicks his knee into John's head. John flounders at the blow while Locke follows with a kick to the chest. John is pushed back a distance and Locke tries to get him with a punch, but the Chief grabs Locke and tosses him to the floor. He swings a punch at Locke's head, but Locke rolls out of the way and kicks John's face. Locke then gets to his feet and knees Chief more times in the chest.

As John reels, Locke swings his fists at John's head. The right punch stuns him, but the right punch knocks John to his knees. John stays kneeling for a moment, then gets up and slowly turns to face Locke, revealed his faceplate has been cracked. Locke stands ready and primes an armor restraint.

The Spartans charge. Locke swings his right hand carrying the restraint, but John catches it and punches Locke across the face with his other hand. He keeps his grip on Locke's right arm while he knees Locke's midsection then locks their arms. As the two wrestle for control, John headbutts Locke, takes the restraint, and jams it in Locke's chest. Locke struggles and draws his pistol but his armor seals tight, freezing him in place.

An earthquake rumbles through the chamber. Vale, Tanaka, Buck, and Locke, still able to move his head, looks up to see rocks falling from the ceiling. John holsters his assault rifle and heads into the portal. As it closes, the platform moves Locke closer to Osiris, letting them jump down to reach him. Tanaka pulls the armor restraint off Locke.

Locke: "Damn it!"

Roars echo in the cavern. The Guardian's "eyes" glow as it prepares to break free. The floating platforms around it begin to fall. Osiris looks to the closest exit platform, but it falls into the lava below. The door they entered from shuts.

Tanaka: "Don't like the looks of this."

A deafening screech emanates from the Guardian.

Buck: "Maybe we can get out how they got in."

Buck points to a distant teleporter platform.

Locke: "Go! Run!"

Osiris leaps from teleporter to teleporter, as the platforms lose power and drop. They make it to the last, but Buck misses and grabs its edge while the other phase through. Buck hangs by one arm and sees the lava lake below.

Buck: "Aw hell."

The platform starts to drop, but Locke reappears and grabs Buck's arm. He pulls him up and they pass through the teleporter.

Locke: "I said run!"

The now-empty platform falls into the lava. Cut to the Guardian, now powered and preparing to break into the surface.

Level ends.

Trivia

At the section where Osiris rides the elevator down to the cavern containing the Guardian, the player can simply jump all the way down to the entrance instead of riding the elevator. The game is freeze to load the next area a little more than halfway down, but will return control after a few seconds.