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(no subject)

[ 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.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Oh, I think he likes some things . . .

[ So conversationally, ]

No, he doesn't like women either...

[ LALFJDSL;FJSLDJFL???

SFLKSDJ

DKFLDSJ

DKFJK

...

... ]

I've gathered as much.

Yeah, I guess he just finds guys easier to handle?

[ What is this presence suddenly looming near his shoulder ]

[ That would be Wash firmly clamping a hand over Epsilon's mouth and dragging him back against him to hold his talkative little self still. ]

Cortana, 'Leonard.' Leonard, Cortana. Now everybody knows each other, wonderful. You two will be working together on those security codes.

Edited 2009-11-14 07:09 (UTC)

Of course. Whatever you like.

[ He'll just be over here, wriggling against Wash's chest and grumbling muffled curses, okay. ]

...excuse me a moment.

[ DRAGGING EPSILON BODILY OVER TO A CORNER NOW. Wash drops his head and whispers angrily in his ear. ]

Take this seriously, Epsilon. As an AI she might be sympathetic to us, but her masters are a lot of powerful people who would love to get their hands on you and Church. Understand? If they find us, they will kill me, they will take you and either try to reprogram you or delete you entirely for being a security risk. Same for Alpha.

[ Blaaaaank stare. And then, moment of understanding. ]

Oh, she's an AI.

...

What. Did you think she was.

Idunno. [ casual shrug ] Is that it? You want me to go help Alpha pack?

[ gives up ]

He's probably ready to go.

I need you to help me strip down this cannon. We're taking it with us and I need it in a more portable form.

[ Oh sweet dismantling things. :D ]

Hey, I know this. This is that Emp thing Caboose used on me at Sandtrap.

...

...

...

Caboose. Shot this at you.

Yeah, but he missed. I mean, seriously, like he could ever shoot his own leader.

[ Already undoing some of the couplings. ]

[ Mental note: beat Caboose to bloody pulp. ]

I'll deal with that later.

[ Okay turning back to the rest of their hideous little group. ]

Cortana, I'd like you to run an ID number through the UNSC and civilian databanks, if you would.

As you like. Would you like that done now?

Yes, please.

[ HE DISTRUSTS THIS COOPERATIVE ATTITUDE. But. Rattles off a serial number anyway, one that Church might remember. ]

The attached name is Leonard L. Church.

Standby.

-- A Dr. Leonard L. Church?

...is that the only listing for that name?

It's the only name I've been able to pull up. It says -- he's currently under arrest?

[ bitterly, ]

Yeah, we'll see how long that lasts.

And then --

. . . Was that all?

One more ID.

[ He lists another number, fairly certain of what he'll hear. ]

--codename Texas.