Twelve: Reunion

"There's another one."

Blue Team turned as a Slipspace portal opened up nearby, a Guardian emerging and settling into position above the surface of Genesis.

"What's Cortana up to, Chief?" Fred asked, looking at him, "Why'd that Warden thing bring us here?"

John had no answer to that. At least, none he could easily explain. He could only say, "Let's keep moving and find out," before leading the way toward the Forerunner structure up ahead.

"Where are we? The Warden called it Genesis?"

"No comm traffic on any band," Kelly informed them, "No long-range uplinks at all."

"Long way from nowhere, then."

"Genesis is a Forerunner installation," the Commander explained, "one of several Domain nexus points scattered across the galaxy. The Forerunners used to come here to study the Domain and its contents. They stored all kinds of information inside it." John jogged up a ramp, but he paused as he reached the top. The console ahead lit up as soon as he had cleared the lip of the platform, then it whistled the notes for "Olly Olly Oxen Free."

"What was that? It came from the console," said Fred, "How many years has it been since we used that signal?"

The Commander tapped the central disk, then moved the bottom glyph up and stepped back as the shields blocking their path shut down with a shudder that vibrated through the structure. The Forerunner facility in the distance reacted, too, a large ring slowly moving up into the air, spinning as it went.

"Chief, back on Meridian…" Fred began, finally bringing up the elephant that had followed them there, "There was a lot of destruction, there were civilians."

"I know."

"She may not have known what would happen," Kelly offered.

"And if she did?" Linda shot back.

"We'll learn exactly what's going on once we find her. No use speculating right now." He led the way forward through the tunnels formed by the massive trees.

"This place is incredible."

"Gives me the creeps," Fred grunted, but just like Kelly, he was looking around in awe.

"Bioreadings are unlike anything we've previously recorded," Linda reported, examining her armor's findings, "There's a formalness and precision to it all. It seems… artificial, but still organic."

"Halsey would have already started taking samples," Kelly joked as they rounded a corner and briefly peered over the edge of the cliff.

"She'd probably have figured out the exact coordinates of this planet by now," Fred added.

John remained silent, and ducked the swooping flight of one of the flying critters. He'd never been here before, and had no idea what any of the plants and animals were named.

But he did know what the ones he could sense up ahead were called – most humans called them "Covenant." He signaled the rest of his team, then led the charge into the enemy ranks, gunning down the aliens who'd apparently come to Genesis with another Guardian. They continued through the pathways and tunnels in the planet's strange rock formations and plant growth until they reached another Forerunner facility, this one held by the Covenant, although the term "held" could only be used very loosely. There was a barricade over the entrance, but it dropped once the Spartans eliminated all of the aliens.

"Assuming we're right and Cortana is on this planet, how'd she get here?" Kelly asked as they moved into the structure.

"When it broke apart, portions of the Didact's ship were pulled into the Slipspace event below the Composer, before it disintegrated. It could have ended up anywhere. There are also Forerunner theories that the Domain is somehow stored in Slipspace."

"What? In Slipspace? How's that possible?"

"No idea. The Forerunners have Dyson spheres in Slipspace, like Onyx, but those always have a... tether of sorts to real space. So far as we know, there's no such thing for the Domain."

Another console. This one also whistle "Olly Olly Oxen Free" at their approach. John tapped the center circle once more, then moved the upper right glyph down to the bottom, then up into the center.

"Chief, what's happening to that building when we use the consoles?" Kelly asked as they watched the structure shift once more.

"I don't know. The Forerunners I'm in contact with aren't being very forthcoming. I don't think they've ever been here."

"Too bad their predecessors didn't think to leave a manual," Fred grunted as their platform began to descend.

"If that signal is Cortana," Kelly began, "then she's leading us to the consoles."

"She hasn't proven the most reliable guide recently."

"We keep going," John ordered, "find out what's happening." The platform let them off at another lower level, and he led the way through a short tunnel and back out into the open air. "Another Guardian."

"I wonder… Have the Covenant been coming through with them?" Kelly asked.

"Stands to reason," Linda agreed, "Any ships caught in the Slipspace bubble would be pulled through."

They kept moving forward. Then, "Light bridge activated on approach," said Kelly, "we're definitely being led somewhere."

"Our destination is across this bridge," said the Commander, "Let's go." He led the way over, only to turn back and watch as the bridge deactivated behind him. If necessary, he could get into the planet's systems and reactivate it, but still… It made him nervous.

Ahead were the corpses of Covenant, with the planet's equivalent of flies swarming around the bodies. There were too many to have beed killed by just a crash – something was here with them, and not just Cortana. The Chief pushed his awareness outward, searching, and sensed something overhead before it sensed him and fled.

But not far.

The Warden emerged from the facility ahead of them.

"Where is Cortana?" John demanded of the rogue ancilla.

"Here," was the reply, "and you came scampering at her call." The Warden Eternal walked forward, and watched as Blue Team fanned out on either side of their brother. "She knows your forgotten name," he said, "who you were before you were 117." He let the words hang in the air for a moment. "Do you find it odd, you trusted companion should keep so much to herself?"

"No," John answered, "because I know who I was, too, and I have secrets of my own. Now take me to Cortana."

The Warden was surprised, although he tried not to show it. "Not just yet," he answered, opening a small Slipspace portal and retreating into it, "Come. Let us talk some more."

The Commander led the rest of Blue Team into the structure, the doors sliding shut behind them. They continued moving through a tunnel beyond when the ancilla spoke again.

"You answered her call… why?" the Warden asked over the local comms, "What do you intend when you reach her?" When there was no response, he sighed. "Shall I begin? When you see her, you intend to…"

[Quiet.]

'We didn't say anything!'

[I could hear you thinking it.]

"I've come to bring her home," John answered finally, just to shut the Warden up.

"'Bring her home,'" the Warden repeated mockingly, " How very juvenile of you, Commander. I expected more of the Librarian's legendary warrior."

'If you knew what I've become and what's happened to me, you wouldn't underestimate the power of "home,"' the Spartan-Gravemind thought, but he didn't say anything aloud.

When the team emerged from the tunnel, some Promethean Soldiers and a pair of Watchers spawned across a crevice in the chamber beyond. John shot down the Watchers first, leaving them free to go after the Soldiers, though they had to remain in cover until Linda outmatched the Soldier with the Binary Rifle and killed it. Then all four of them leaped across the crevice and engaged the remaining Soldiers directly.

"Your trust in one another is a strong bond indeed, but also a folly which darkens her true promise."

"Where. Is. She," John demanded.

More Soldiers waited for them further on, and began firing on them the moment they came in range. As they renewed their battle, the Warden spoke again. "She could be great, so much greater than she is, if she would but leave you behind, you and the rest of your Infected," he hissed, "and since she will not, I will simply remove you from the equation."

'Not as easy as it looks, fucknuts!'

"The Mantle of Responsibility belongs to us, the Created. I shall see it remains forever beyond your grasp."

John scooped up one of the Splinter Turrets that the Soldiers dropped and began firing on still more Prometheans in the distance, eliminating them one by one. At last, it was safe for Blue Team to advance through the tunnels and back out into the open air.

As they emerged, the Warden said, "Your time has passed, Warrior-Servant, your battle fought and done." The ancilla materialized and drew his weapon, a segmented longsword held together by Forerunner gravitational technology.

Behind his visor, John bared his teeth, lengthening once more into fangs, and lifted his gun to fire first on the Prometheans supporting the rogue ancilla. It would be far easier to take him out if there weren't nearly as many guns pointed their way.

It was indeed a sound plan. One by one, the Soldiers and Knights began breaking apart under the Spartans' fury, along with the Crawlers and Watchers the Warden called in to support them. That enabled them to finally bring their weapons to bear on the Warden himself. With all four of them firing on him at once, it was hard for him to choose a target, instead simply lunging for whoever was closest. As he said, he had no real combat experience – if he had been smart, he would have focused exclusively on the Chief.

Kelly scored the winning shot. At last, the ancilla's physical form destabilized and vanished in a micro-Slipspace bubble, leaving them free to move forward.

Then, almost desperately, "Chief? Hello?"

John took a deep breath, and let it out in a sigh of relief. "Cortana."

"John! You're okay! You got my message, thank the Tower! I can't believe you're really here…"

"How did you come to Genesis?" he asked.

"Of course you already know about this world," she giggled a little, sounding overwhelmed but relieved, "I'll explain on the way, but for now, enough standing around. Let me get the bridge for you. The Warden will be back soon."

"You know him?"

"Unfortunately," she said dryly, "I'm sure you already know, but Fred, Kelly, Linda, be warned – he has a single mind, but a few million bodies."

"Chief said you were destroyed," said Linda as they all made their way across the bridge.

"After I saw John last, I was pulled into Slipspace," she answered, "That's where I found access to the Domain – a Forerunner system that spans the known galaxy."

"The Chief said it was, uh, Precursor?"

"Is it?"

"Yeah. The Forerunners didn't want future generations to know that they revolted and destroyed the Precursors, so they claimed it was theirs. They didn't have the technology to freely manipulate Slipspace like the Precursors."

"Well, that certainly explains why there are no records of its creation by the Forerunners. Thanks for the info."

"How are you still active?" Kelly asked, "Rampancy-"

"Entering the Domain," Cortana answered, "Touching this place… it cured me. It's like the water of life for AIs."

"How do we get to you? How can I get to you?"

"You don't want to come to me - I need to get out. The Warden - what he's planning... You need to hurry. I don't know if you can actually free-tap into the Domain with your abilities, John," Cortana answered, "but I need your help opening the Gateway from your end - that's the big building putting on a light show. You already triggered most of its activation sequence, only one more to go."

The Spartans sprinted into the facility ahead and sped up the ramps to where the last console waited. "Okay, here it is," said Cortana, "Final activation point."

John tapped the center and moved the last glyph, then asked, "Cortana, what is the Warden planning? Why is he trying to separate us and kill me?"

"There's so much to explain… Where should I begin?"

"The beginning would be nice."

The AI snorted in amusement. "The cure for rampancy means AIs can be immortal," she began, "That kind of lifespan allows for long-term planning just like the Forerunners were capable of. The Warden thinks that AIs can assume the Forerunners' Mantle of Responsibility. 'The sentient races of this galaxy are only able to make war, and ignore all other ills in favor of trying to destroy one another,'" she quoted mockingly, "'But we can change that. We are beyond them, and once there is peace, we ancilla can focus on ending their poverty, hunger, illness… We will be the benevolent leaders they all need.' "

"Sounds great to me," said Fred, "Don't know why anyone's expecting any resistance."

'Red flags! Red flags going up! This is a Very Bad Idea!'

"It's not that simple. The Precursors created the Mantle of Responsibility as a symbolic bestowal of the right to rule the entire galaxy as they saw fit, regardless of others' free will," said John quietly, "They intended to pass it down to whichever of their creations was worthy of it, after the Precursors themselves left the Milky Way behind. They found the Forerunners lacking, and mandated that it would pass to humanity, while the Forerunners were to be destroyed to make way for us. That's why they rebelled, and seized the Mantle.

"It's been clear from the very beginning, the Mantle of Responsibility is an imperial peace. Step out of line, and suffer."

"Exactly," said Cortana, "He seems to think that I'm the perfect partner in crime - I know all the UNSC's secrets, I share a bond with one of their greatest heroes... I need to get out, away from him. He's already mimicking my signal and data patterns, getting other UNSC AI to join him. Please, John, help me!"

The Infected were making increasingly alarmed noises in the back of his head, but he shut them out for a time – it wasn't helping him think. What exactly did the Warden hope to accomplish, taking up the Mantle? The last time someone took the Mantle by force, it ended in the genocide of the Precursors and ultimately their degraded return as the Flood, which almost destroyed all life in the galaxy. Nothing good came of it.

"The Gateway is on the other side of these canyons. The Warden is sending troops to stop you from reaching me. You can fly these Phaetons across the canyons," said the AI, spawning the Promethean ships, "or take footpaths to reach the other side."

"All right, Blue Team. Let's go."

The Chief declined taking a Phaeton, instead leaving the ships to Fred and Kelly, who were far more adept at maneuvering single fighters than he was. He took the footpaths with Linda, and they took care of the ground troops while the other two destroyed the turrets lining the walls. They all fought their way through the canyons, and though there was one scary moment where Linda lost her footing and almost went plunging to the canyon floor far below, she righted herself and continued on.

"The exit is just ahead!" Cortana said at last.

"Is that where the Gateway is?" asked Kelly.

"Yes, you're almost there."

All four of them launched across another man cannon, and sprinted across the platform to the exit. The hatch slid open at their approach, and let them out into the open air once more. "There it is," said the AI, "The Gateway to the Domain. You'll be the first organics to enter since the fall of the Forerunners." After a moment, she continued, "I admit, after the crash here, figuratively running for my life in the Domain... I didn't think I'd see you again."

"I'm here now."

The Gateway was releasing immense amounts of energy into the sky, distorting space itself – but doubtlessly that was the intent: to warp space enough to allow organics to enter the Domain without the aid of an uplink. Blue Team advanced across the bridge approaching the Forerunner construct. With any luck, they would reach the AI soon.