Cortana
Log Entry: Series "Nexus" number 343
Recording...
Star-date Log: Unclear
Estimation: July 17, 2553 - 1756 hours
Time since arrival: Unclear
Estimation: 14 hours 45 minutes 3 seconds
Cortana was enveloped in her thoughts, detailing various processes through her digital mind. She was the highest quality of A.I. ever created from her own world. It was doubtful any would yet surpass her. Dr. Halsey had gone through significant efforts in the creation of Cortana. Essentially, she was perfect. She was to A.I. what John was to the Spartans. The best of the best.
Yet even with the knowledge of the Forerunner within her mind, she could never have foreseen this. A break in time-space. Not a break into slipstream-space, no, this went beyond that. It shattered a higher plane of existence that had only ever been theorized. Even she was struggling to wrap her mind fully around the concept, and all the possibilities it held.
They had arrived by fire and steel in the mountains. Confused and ignorant. They had met allies, assumed their purpose, and were executing their mission. She and John were doing what they'd always done. They were fighting for the betterment of others. This time, however, things were different. Things
felt different, and that didn't just attribute to Silent Hill. Things remained unclear. The Nexus and its purpose. How it worked. Who built it? Eggman had been her best wealth of knowledge on this place so far, but he didn't have much in his databases. She'd had to scour through the minds of his many different subjects, picking apart their technological memories for anything she could salvage. The simple truth was, they seemed as new as she felt.
It wasn't until the other one. Metal Sonic, as it was called. She had dived into his mind and found... interesting treasures. Answers, as well. The tournament, the Nexus, and that helped. But it didn't explain everything.
Somehow, Eggman had infused Metal Sonic with the power contained within these keys, and that's how she connected the dots about these keys. The reason why she was here in this fog-ridden town, watching her closest friend go slowly insane.
...okay, that was harsh. She knew his head was still screwed mostly on right, she'd run plenty of preliminary scans on his neurological functions, and he remained as healthy as ever, though he frequently seemed to have an influx of irregular activity. She would inquire him on these later. It was obvious he would know the answer to at least that.
As for their new allies. Geo, the teenager clad in blue armor. It wasn't heavy nor as dense as John's MJOLNIR power armor, but it fit the boy well. His arm canon was an interesting inclusion, and it could condense energy into concussive blasts of light and a type of plasma. A primitive plasma, to be sure. It was powerful, but the Covenant outclassed it with the majority of their arsenal. The Bennett kid was interesting, to say the least. His attitude felt somewhat deceiving. A strange energy emanated from him that she couldn't quite place. Scanning for similar signatures was damn near impossible in this town, however, so she would have to save that investigation for later, logging it in her data banks.
Scorpion was the strangest of the litter. His biological signs were a dead line. He had no pulse, no body heat, no anything. He was certified dead, there was no other way to put it. It was impossible for him to be walking and talking, yet he continued. His eyes were a milky white, his skin deathly pale, and he never blinked. He never even took a breath. She had recorded these just for the fun of it. Ever since the three had united with her and her Spartan, Geo had blinked 276 times, Bennett had blinked 302 times, and John had blinked 52 times. Geo had taken 487 cycles of breath, Bennett had taken 405 cycles of breath, and John had taken 197 cycles of breath. Scorpion, on the other hand, had taken none on both accounts. He himself had admitted to being undead, and nobody had seemed all that phased by it.
Then there was this girl. Alessa. She had been abused, assaulted, her innocence stripped away without a chance of getting it back. When John had been this girl's age, he had been training harder than even the Marines for a year at the time, yet even his trials couldn't compare. The things this child had endured were horrific. Enough to make even Cortana feel a simulated sickness writhing within her metaphysical body.
And this place? Alessa had control over it. How much was uncertain. How powerful her hold was also unclear, but it was there. She had appeared to Scorpion already. To John twice now. Possibly to others in the town. Speaking of...
Cortana had found a way to get information through this fog. It had been a stroke of luck, really. An overlap in the negation field the fog seemed to carry. For a thousandth of a millisecond, the fog ceased blocking her sensors. She never would have noticed had she not increased her processing speed in tracking the Watching One. Through this, she managed to begin collecting more data. Brief and minuscule, but it was better than nothing.
Through this, she had already found something else in this town. Movements, all over. Flashes of these could be reviewed by her to study, and through this studying, she found that there were two other signatures she could trace. One electronic, the other biological, not to mention resonating a familiar signature. One of Green's brothers was here. They weren't far away, either. It was possible these were the 'others' her soldier had alluded to.
It was also thanks to this, that Cortana finally began to compile an accurate map of the town, managing to scan the surrounding area in all directions by 150 meters. She couldn't gain much more without a satellite, and the only spatial receivers she could feel for belonged to the Covenant deserters. Judging from the communications she'd hijacked earlier, they were called 'the Banished', led primarily by Brutes, one named 'Decimus' at the helm, though he was not their top dog. They were occupying increasingly expansive areas of this world, seemingly unopposed. They were going to be a great problem to deal with, this she was certain of, but she would not worry her Spartan with it for now. He had a mission, and she would rather he stay focused. These mind games Alessa seemed to be playing felt counter productive. It was as though she wanted to tell a story. It was almost as though she didn't want them to leave.
Unacceptable outcome.
Wrapping up a few more of her processes, Cortana came to a conclusion. They needed to forgo story time and focus on uniting with the other individuals trapped in the town with them. It was very possible that Alessa was attempting to make the people here feel sympathetic for her. The reasoning? It could be anything. Perhaps to let down their guards and kill them easier. Perhaps to entice them into staying longer. It was undoubtedly lonely here.
But they could not stay. She needed to urge her John to get a move on.
Star-date Log: Unclear
Estimation: July 17, 2553 - 1756 hours
Time since arrival: Unclear
Estimation: 14 hours 45 minutes 4 seconds
End of Log: Series "Nexus" number 343
She'd concluded her thoughts, scans, and analysis in 0.78 seconds. Enough time to pass for... well, nothing really. She had to grapple with a sudden burst of frustration at the feeling of being forced to wait. Wait she did, however, as words were shared, and she awaited a segway to intrude. Segway, she was given, as Bennett asked his question regarding their next moves.
"No." Cortana immediately spoke through John's helmet. "I've managed to punch a hole through the fog, gathering data from my scanners. I won't bore you all with the science of it all, but it's really quite interesting. Every thousandth of a millisecond a break appears in the-"
She was cut off as Master Chief tapped his hand abruptly against his helmet, almost appearing like he was hitting his own head lightly. It was enough for Cortana to get back on track. "Right, sorry." The moment of levity was probably desirable, anyway. "I think I found the others we need to meet with, they're just south of here a click. On top of that, I believe Alessa may be trying to lead us astray, or even possibly into a trap. I recommend we don't trust anything she says or shows."
"I concur." Scorpion was the first to speak, and without another word, he made his way out of the room. Cortana waited for her Spartan to agree, but his words didn't come. He didn't truly doubt her instincts, did he?
@Shen: King of the Mist @DarkHydraT
Sub-Zero
It was finished. The Grandmaster lowered his arms as bits of gore littered the rooftop. The exchange had ended. A distraction delivered by the Warriors of Hope. It would not be the last, these sadistic, unholy children would make sure of that. His gaze flit over the ravaged form as the ice began to dissipate. "Perhaps now, you can rest easily." He spoke softly to the mangled mess of blood. It would be better for the tortured individual this way. Had it continued living... his actions were out of mercy and empathy. Not bloodlust or sadism.
With that, Kuai Liang approached Undyne's unconscious form, the dome having cracked away and dispersed by now. He stooped over, scooping the fish woman into his arms. She remained limp.
Now, he turned his gaze upon Tabby. "We have little more time to fool around. The other two that accompanied this woman. They were near here. Do you believe you can track them? We will fare better in larger numbers." He asserted. Normally, he'd use his cold to cauterize the wounds this woman had, but considering the lack of blood and her completely foreign biology... his attempts to cauterize her open gashes and lesions could result in dire consequences. He would be wise not to meddle in those affairs he did not fully understand. She was still breathing, so that was at least something good. He gave the tabletoid before him a nod, signifying to it that he would follow the creature.
@Psymallard
Bri 'Filkom
The Phantom had alerted him to a hostile entity, alongside an Eggman enforcer. By the time he had led his troops along to the other end of this particular ravine, this hostile entity appeared to have vanished, alongside the signature of the 'God's Gift', as Decimus called it. Label it however he pleased, Bri 'Filkom could recognize it was not of Forerunner origin. The old ways seemed to die hard. The aged Sangheili warrior had abandoned those teachings long before the fall of the Covenant. It wasn't until he had been accepted into the ranks of the Banished could he properly reveal his true beliefs without the fear of a public execution and dishonor for both he and his family.
The gleaming metal bipedal spoke, glaring down at them from above. Bri 'Filkom continued his calm approach, his royal armor gleaming just as brightly, his size dwarfing Metal Sonic by a factor of three. It requested they go in search of the key together.
The wizened warrior pondered on this for a moment, sizing the beast- and its capabilities he knew of -up.
"No." He stated after a moment, his tone level. "You're faster than our vessels. We would slow you down. Complete your business by your commander's orders, we will safeguard this location. Just in case."
It was slim, but perhaps there would be a chance to collect the key if it somehow appeared here once more. Banished forces were already spread a little slim, but with an influx in human troops from the metropolis on the other end of this continent, there were more troops to spare, and more vehicles were being built to make up for the low numbers of troops.
Alongside this simple fact, Decimus would want to collect that trophy of a sword-like being nearby, presumably crushed by Eggman's enforcer. "Before you go, did you happen to destroy any other enemies within the tunnels?" He asked Metal, gesturing toward the nearby cave mouth. The rumbling had ceased by now.
@Captain Pokémon