(no subject)

[sophrianic.livejournal.com]

[ Cortana doesn't sleep. Ever. Which is maybe why she had spent a good majority of her time watching John sleep instead, from her chip on the table next to him. She didn't need sleep, ever, got along just fine without it, and she had never been really sure if that was one of the quirks or the downsides of being inhuman.

At least she doesn't miss much.

Still, this isn't something that should have happened. Whatever it is, whatever it was, Cortana doesn't understand how she could be in one place one second, staring out the hangar of the Forward Unto Dawn, and then -- here, the next. There's no lapse of what she would call consciousness, no falter in her program, she's just there, and then she's not, and for once, Cortana doesn't understand at all.

The sun is stretched high above her, high above the chip from which she's currently standing on, fingers outstretched as if waiting for something. It takes her a moment to look down, to look around, and then finally, to figure out where it is she's at.

Her commands are a little shaky, her various programs slightly off-balance from whatever apparent instantenous journey she had just made, but it doesn't take her long to determine she's not far at all from Valhalla.

Which is. Great. Just what she needed. ]

Chief? . . . John?

[ And, of course, she's met with silence. ]

Scanning and analyzing area --

Retreating back into chip. [ And with that, the holograph disappears back into the data chip, hiding her under the grassy green field. ] Unidentifiable lifeforms. Total, 7, possibly more. Analyzing further. Human. Non-human. Non-human. Human. Human. Human. Human. Closest human lifeform, approximately three-fourths of a mile away.

Damnit.

[ But she had no choice, either way. ]

Releasing distress beacon. Chief, if you can hear me, standby.

Comments

[exproject.livejournal.com]

[ Ironically, SOMEONE around here had been asleep, head pillowed on his arms on top of the underground base's main computer console. Epsilon is off re-learning how to shoot (NOT with Caboose, but with the Reds), Church is ...somewhere, and Wash has been sitting here for the past four hours, trying to find out any information he can from civilian and less restricted military sources about one Leonard L. Church and the other remnants of Project Freelancer. So far he's not had much luck, which may only mean that the information has been classified and he won't be seeing any warrants for his capture on the civilian networks, but every government agent and military black ops team will be after his ass just the same.

Anyway, it's tedious work and even Wash's endurance has limits, so he's dozing when the computer starts beeping softly. He blinks awake, staring at the flashing red light and the information scrolling across the screen beside it without comprehension for a moment.

A distress beacon. A UNSC distress beacon, coming from inside Valhalla.

Suddenly he's very, very awake. ]

Shit.

[ He frantically keys in the sequence to jam the signal, cutting it off, and then is up and already buckling on his weapons as he radios Epsilon and Church to get the frak inside somewhere and stay hidden. A beacon probably meant a recon team, not a strike force. A recon team could be dealt with.

And it won't take him very long at all to reach the source of the signal, scanning the empty field from the seat of one of the ATVs. ]

[sophrianic.livejournal.com]

[exproject.livejournal.com]

[ She won't have to wait long. Wash switches on his HUD and quickly picks up the energy signature of something hidden in the grass, and he approaches carefully, his rifle trained on it.

What the hell. He kneels down to get a better look at the metal object, and then glances warily at the surrounding area. Doesn't look like a bomb, doesn't scan like a bomb. To all of his sensors there's no one else around, but this could still be a trap. ]

[sophrianic.livejournal.com]

Hello.

[exproject.livejournal.com]

[ HOLY FLSKSJFLSJLKFDMKF;

Yeah that would be Wash freaking out very professionally jumping back and training his rifle on her forehead, a beat afterwards recognizing a holographic projection and. Well. That's really not any more reassuring, not to him.

In fact that's even worse.

In fact two seconds after that he's tearing his helmet off in a panic and yanking the radio component out, letting both fall as he retrains the gun on the metal disc (and what good is that gonna do, Wash) and stares at her with slightly wild eyes. ]

[sophrianic.livejournal.com]

Ah, I wouldn't do that if I were you.



Agent Washington, correct -- ? Recovery One?

-- David? You should put the gun down. I didn't come all this way to get into a death match with a man I don't even know.

[exproject.livejournal.com]

[ oh that was cute. Did she really think he'd be any more willing to talk things over with an AI instead of a real soldier? ]

[ harsh ]

It's Washington, and if you know that then you already know why I'm not going to comply.

Where's your team? Who else was sent with you?

[sophrianic.livejournal.com]

No one. I arrived here on my own.

[exproject.livejournal.com]

Really.

[sophrianic.livejournal.com]

Really. Listen, Washington, I can't fault you for being a little suspicious, but believe me, I have bigger fish to fry. 7 foot fish, in fact. You think they'd be easier to spot . . .



I'm looking for someone.

[exproject.livejournal.com]

[ Yeah. ]

I'll just bet you are.

You honestly expect me to believe that you showed up at this particular base coincidentally? That--

[ Well, wait. ]

...how did you get here, anyway.

[sophrianic.livejournal.com]

I don't know.

[exproject.livejournal.com]

[ SKEPTIC LOOK ]

[overmindful.livejournal.com]

[ MEANWHILE, ]

Hey Wash, I finished the thing!

[ Something clatters and goes rolling. A certain young construct pokes his head around the corner. ]

What d'you want me to do with the rest of it?

[exproject.livejournal.com]

[ sob epsilon ]

It can stay wherever it is for now, as long as it's not about to explode or leaking radiation or anything like that.

And. Uh. Cortana's not a hostage anymore.

[overmindful.livejournal.com]

Oh, who rescued her?

[exproject.livejournal.com]

...

[ ... ]

You did. Congratulations.

[overmindful.livejournal.com]

...









[ LOL YOU NEARLY GOT HIM but he's on to you. >:| ]

Don't be an asshole.

[exproject.livejournal.com]

Nope, she owes her brand new not-hostage status entirely to you.

[ hair ruffle you little brat ]

Now I need to let Church know the change in plans and then talk him out of cutting his wrists, so if you'll both excuse me.

[overmindful.livejournal.com]

[ HE'S NOT A KID okay maybe one hair-tousle. :\ Only because it's you. ]

Yeah, right...

[ Wash leaves around the corner, and Epsilon looks across the room at Cortana and straightens up. And then slouches. You know. Playing it cool. ]

...So, uh. Hey.

[sophrianic.livejournal.com]

Hello again. Leonard, was it?

[overmindful.livejournal.com]

[ *A*

( Keep cool, Epsilon. ) ]

Yeah. Leonard Church. Blue team leader, hero of time... you know. All that stuff.

So... [ Hands in pockets. >>; ] You're a Smart AI, right? What's that like?

[sophrianic.livejournal.com]

A little tiresome, but I keep busy, at least. What's it like being so charming?

[overmindful.livejournal.com]

[ jksghjak his ears, so red. ;; ]

Oh, you know... you get used to it. I mean, it can be hard sometimes... leading everyone... taking care of shit, but you know. It's all part of the job.

[ Slouches closer. >: ]

Hey, uh... Don't tell Wash I said this, but you wanna hear something cool?

[sophrianic.livejournal.com]

My lips are sealed.