User:Saberstorm/Not one of You

Saberstorm

The Following is a possible opening cutscene for the level Ghosts of the Past in Halo: Reborn.

He could feel himself getting dragged along as he came to. His head pounded, but it was a small price to pay in order to escape death on a dying ship.

But now we're trapped on a Halo ring again, he thought to himeself. This time, there may not be a way out. Cortana had always said he was lucky. Had his luck run out on both of them?

Speaking of which where was Cortana? "Cortana?"

"Silence," came a firm growl from his captors. John noticed his two 'escorts' and instantly began to struggle, lashing out with his boots. The two strange, bipedal Flood Tank forms gripped his arms tighter, blocking his kicks with their armored legs, armor that looked like pieces of a coral reef. One of them lashed back, kicking him directly in the stomach. In spite of his own armor and shields, he doubled over, winded. "It would be wise not to try that again," one of them growled. "While our Queen demands you be brought to her alive, she said nothing about how many pieces."

They began to drag him again, and John noticed that he was inside some sort of structure, most likely the Control Room. Dread gripped him. How far had the Flood spread on this ring, and how? His guess was confirmed when the last set of doors opened, revealing Halo's Control Room. But it was different. Strange devices lined the walls, projecting various images. A chair, turned away from him and his 'escorts' was in front of the control panell, flanked by two more Flood.

His escorts threw him to the floor of the catwalk, "We have brought the Insurrectionist, as you requested." For a brief moment, John felt a preassure on his mind, similar to what he felt when rescuing Cortana from Gravemind's clutches on the Ark. The pressure lifted without words, and then a female voice spoke.

"Give him back the AI Chip. All of you leave."

One of the Flood behind him, tossed the crystal chip down next to John, and then all four Flood left the room, leaving him, Cortana, and whoever it was behind the chair. John got to his feet, putting Cortana's chip back into the slot on his helmet. "You ok, Cortana?"

"Aside from the fact that I have no idea where we are, what's going on, and that I still wish you had left me behind, I feel fine," she snapped. Rampancy was setting in for her, but John was determined to not let her go.

"It's been a long time, John," said the voice behind the chair. "I never thought I'd see you again."

He froze, wishing he had a weapon with him. The Flood had taken what he had away. "Do I know you?"

"You saved my life once," came the answer. "I'm sorry that we thought you to be an Insurrectionist earlier. Otherwise, I would have been the first to reach you."

"Chief, this has got to be a trick," Cortana said.

"I know," he answered before focussing his attention on whoever it was in the chair. "Who are you?"

"You know who I am," the voice answered, and then the chair turned.

John felt his heart stop as he gasped in shock. While the signs of infection were obvious, there was just enough there to make the figure recognizable. "Sara?"

"In the flesh, more or less," she answered, standing. "Like I said, it's been a long time."

He shook his head. "No. This is a trick. Sara's dead. She died on Harvest. What's your game this time, Gravemind?"

"There is no Gravemind, John. I'm alive," Sara answered. "You saved my life." She looked down at her own arm, observing the tendrils extending from her wrist. "It wasn't easy surviving infection, but I fought back enough that things changed here. The Flood on this ring have evolved John. We're the Antis'Grafen Hive Collective, not Flood."

"Why should I believe you?" he retorted.

"I can't force you to believe me," she answered. "I can only ask. I need your help. We need your help. Give me a chance. Let me repay my debt to you."

"Chief, I'm picking up no motion below us, but I am noticing a secondary entrance," Cortana whispered. "We should be able to jump safely if you make your way over to the wall and use friction to controll your fall."

John backed up until he reached the edge of the catwalk next to the wall. "Sara died because I tried to save her life," he said. "You can't be her." Then he turned and jumped.

"John!" Sara shouted, but it was too late. He was gone.