Cyberpunk: Spartan Walker

But this will cost Sergeant Johnson his life, she said coldly. MI will not be content with just taking a blood sample. They will dissect him to find out how he resisted the Flood. To successfully replicate With his unique physical attributes, they only have a one in a billion chance - but they're going to do it anyway. They're going to kill him because it's good for them.

The Chief picked up another crystal. He stared at the two crystals placed side by side in his hands.

Is this worth the trouble, John? she asked.

He clenched that hand into a fist and put it on his chest, Why do you want me to choose?

The last lesson. I want to teach you something that took me a lifetime to understand. She cleared her choked throat, I give you the opportunity to make decisions that I thought I couldn't make on my own.

She lied, every word was a lie. She had already made up her mind - Sergeant Johnson would survive. Halsey was certain that the Chief would not hand over the second report, not only because of their comradeship, but also because John had always been a genuine human being.

So the real risk lies with the other Spartan.

She glanced at the clock on the monitor, I'm sorry, Linda's preoperative preparations are almost done. I still have a few things to complete before the actual operation. It's time for you to go. She paused, Yes. Please let Tommy come over, please.

Okay, doctor. The Master Chief turned and walked towards the exit obediently, but stopped again at the door. Doctor, don't let her die again. After saying that, he walked out.

Dr. Halsey watched him leave the room until he disappeared into the corridor. She wished she could see John again before she did what she had to do, but that might not be possible. Will the ideas she instilled in him be accepted by him? Perhaps only in this way could she compensate for the pain she had caused John and the other Spartans.

Such random thinking is a waste of time. There are only three hours left before the Wushang Justice leaves the slip space. There are too many things that need to be done before that. She turned all the monitors towards her and typed in a command to release Cortana's restraints.

Lock the door, Dr. Halsey ordered Cortana, Raise anti-intrusion level to level seven.

Done, Cortana said. She had been forbidden to speak for the past five minutes, which made her simmer with anger, and now her words seemed to have a thorn in them, Why did you do that? Give John a lesson? Tell him to choose? To save a person And leave billions of people behind?

Dr. Halsey ignored her and quickly typed some instructions on the keyboard. Let me enter your core storage 447.

The obstruction is lifted, Cortana said angrily. Are you going to answer my question?

I'm tired of sacrificing the interests of others for the 'good of the many.' Dr. Halsey responded. It never ends, Cortana. And the number of us who are being sacrificed is getting smaller and smaller. She finally typed in the command to start the memory-wiping worm program and pressed the Enter key.

you want--

I'm deleting your files about this. I'm sorry, Cortana, but I can't even trust you about this.

Cortana remained silent as the worm worked its way through her storage area, deleting all entries and records related to Avery Johnson.

Cortana, tell me the latest status of your core storage area.

After the program was recompiled, 16% of the memory processing space was freed up. Doctor, thank you. This has given me some more space to think.

I'm afraid there's only so much we can risk deleting, Dr. Halsey said. If I delete more, the Halo and Covenant AI data may be compromised, and there's no safe enough place to use it right now. to store that information.”

Dr. Halsey downloaded the mission reports of several groups including General Whitcomb, John, Tommy, and Fred. She frowned and looked at the various screens, which displayed the time, date and location marks indicated in the official UNSC records.

Have you completed the time analysis of these logs?

Yes, Doctor. You're right: there are inconsistencies between the team on Halo, the team on Reach, and Colonel Price's experience in Night City. The average time stamp difference between Halo and Reach is three weeks, while Colonel Price’s was actually several months, I guess this was caused by my slipspace jump while under the influence of gravity.”

A smile appeared on Dr. Halsey's lips, You disappoint me, Cortana. That was just a guess. And it wasn't right.

Really? Cortana replied, a hint of challenge in her words.

Do you have any data on your next few gravity-affected jumps?

After a pause of two seconds, Cortana finally replied: I do, Doctor, but there will be no time errors in the next few jumps.

Just as I expected. Dr. Halsey tapped his lower lip with a finger while thinking, Plot the irregular changes in time on a time-space coordinate surface, and then call up the information about the space caused by the mysterious crystal. Twisted documents.”

Two sets of almost identical curved membranes appeared on the monitor, unfolding around a central area of ​​time and space: Reach and the site where alien artifacts were discovered.

That thing not only bends space, Dr. Halsey whispered to himself, but it also bends time.

That's impossible, Cortana said. How could this man-made object on Reach affect people on two celestial bodies so far away—light-years apart.

Don't look at this distance in terms of physics. Dr. Halsey replied absently, staring at the monitor. In fact, your three event lines intersect at the point of the crystal. She moved the two curves to They overlap; the surfaces of time and space match up perfectly. You must find us at that place and time and take the crystal - the bending of time and place is precisely to make this happen.

Cortana smiled mockingly. That's a circular argument, doctor. It directly contradicts several authoritative theories—

But it fits the known data. Dr. Halsey closed her analysis file. I now understand why the Covenant is so interested in this thing. They must not be allowed to touch it. Not only them, but also MI3 No exception.

Doctor? Cortana muttered in confusion. (End of chapter)