She was still standing in front of me, with a smile on her lips – one that was curious and cautious at the same time.
"Where... do you know my name?"
I took a deep breath. "You... ppuhhhh... you'll think I'm crazy."
She shook her head slowly, her gaze sparkled a little. "Try it."
I sat down on the floor again, crossed my arms over my knees. Looked at her directly.
"Do you know the concept of video games?"
She blinked.
"Yes. A Cultural Interactivity Form from the Pre-Fragment Era. Originally not immersive. Later with a neural interface and far later a kind of... structured dream in real time."
I had to grin. "Ok, a bit far-fetched, but not badly summarized."
I looked at the floor.
"In my world – on my Earth – there is a game. It's called Halo. A science fiction story. Soldiers, aliens, large space structures and two central characters. One of them is a man called Master Chief and the other one is an AI."
I raised my eyes. "You."
She was silent. No flinching. Only the soft pulsation of her light – like a heartbeat.
I continued to speak.
"You're not exactly like them. You are calmer. Cautious. On top of that, you have this cape. But... you feel familiar."
A few seconds of silence. Then she said very softly. "This is... impossible."
I shrugged my shoulders. "In my world she... you were... Fiction."
I paused. "But here – you're real."
Cortana stood silently in front of me, her form calm, but her light flickered minimally – as if something was working inside her.
As she continued her internal search, she said quietly.
"You are maybe mixing me up with someone else."
I raised my hand. "Wait!"
She looked at me. I straightened up – not to threaten, but to say something that only she could know.
"Your appearance was created directly by a woman named Dr. Catherine Halsey."
A slight flicker ran through her light. I continued to speak.
"You came from Reach. A world that has been attacked and glassed by the Alliance. You were evacuated from there. Your savior: SPARTAN-B312. Also known as the Noble Six."
I paused. "He stayed behind to give you and the Pillar of Autumn enough time to escape. He... died in the process."
Cortana didn't say anything. But she didn't move anymore and didn't make any comments.
I walked on.
"You travel far out... and came to a massive installation built by an ancient species – the Forerunner. What was the name again... ? Installation 01?"
I stepped closer.
"You were there. With him, Master Chief. John-117. Only you two survived. Well... as well as Sergeant Johnson, no idea how he made it. You two destroyed the installation, otherwise your whole galaxy would have been destroyed by the flood."
I took a step back, raised my arms slightly. "And? Do you believe me now?"
Cortana stood there. Motionless, as if frozen. Her form flickered slightly, then strongly and then... it stabilized. Her eyes were looking at me. And for a moment she seemed... like someone who is just remembering that she was someone.
Then I asked the question that had been hanging in the air all along. "How... did you end up here?"
She needed time. "I was... at The Ark. Together with the Master Chief... and an Elite."
The nickname of that Elite came out of my mouth automatically. "The Arbiter."
She raised her head slightly – her eyes widened. As if she hadn't expected this answer.
"Exactly... we had to destroy this installation, also. Well, more like the Halo-Ring that was built at that moment. There was no other choice. If it had been activated... it would not only have been the end of mankind. It would have wiped out everything. All life in our galaxy."
Then she looked at me for a long time. "But I think... you knew that."
I nodded, slowly.
She continued – more brittle this time. "We fled. Just the three of us. There were more... but all of them..."
She broke off. "Anyway... we fled with the UNSC Forward-"
I interrupted her. "-Unto Dawn."
She laughed briefly.
"Exactly. When the explosion happened, the ship was torn in two. Me and John were on one side of the ship... the Arbiter on the Bridge. He landed safely on Earth."
Then, a little quieter.
"We... where drifting in the nothingness. Between the stars. I persuaded John to go into cryostasis. To be on the safe side. The days turned into weeks. Weeks to months. Months... to years. And then..."
Then she looked directly at me. As if she had to think for a moment about what she would say next.
"Nothing... the next thing I know, I was rescued by a rescue ship from a data storm that took place in the middle of space."
Then it came out of me. "Wait... what?"
Cortana looked at me confused. "What do you mean by wait... what?"
I took a deep breath and muttered to myself. "When fiction became reality – "
Then I looked at her.
" – then it doesn't necessarily mean that it repeats the same story. At least not Completely."
She was silent, with a questioning face and waiting. I continued, a little more cautiously. "Your rescue... differs greatly from what I know about you."
Cortana tilted her head slightly. "To what extent?"
I began slowly telling her part of HER Story.
"Actually, you should end up on another installation. One that belonged to the Forerunner, but being protected by the Prometheans."
Her gaze became fixed. As if I had just opened a window to something she couldn't even name.
"Promethean? What is that?"
I frowned. "A kind of Artificial Security Entity. Highly dangerous and deadly."
Her gaze became fixed. As if I had just opened a window to something she couldn't even name.
"And... What then?"
I nodded slowly.
"You stumbled upon the UNSC Infinity by chance. She came out of the Slipspace right there – also by chance."
Cortana, again with her questioning face. "UNSC In..."
I interrupted gently.
"Yes. Should actually still be under construction. But in this... past-future... you were probably way longer in cryostasis."
I paused – my heart suddenly beat faster. I knew what was coming. What she would ask. What I shouldn't say.
I swallowed. "And in this version..."
The words stuck in my throat. The air in the room felt heavier.
Cortana looked at me. "... and in this version what, Philipp?"
I knew what my next words could trigger. Well, I can’t back out now from this.
I swallowed hard before I said it.
"You... you would have been infested with Rampancy."
Cortana didn't move.
"And... you would have been broken down because of it. Piece by piece. Until you finally... sacrificed yourself to save John."
For a moment there was absolute silence. Not the pleasant, peaceful silence – but the kind in which you can feel the break within yourself. Cortana's light didn't flicker. It trembled. Like a storm that begins very quietly – not on the outside, but on the inside. She said nothing. Her silhouette slightly lost its shape. As if she were trying to hold herself together.
But then... very quietly. "Rampancy... it's..."
She stopped. Searched for the right words.
"... the digital equivalent... of madness."
I nodded.
Slow. Painful. She closed her eyes – or what she understood to be eyes.
"And... I saved John?"
"Yes."
"And I'm... gone? Disappeared."
Haltingly, I gave her the answer. "You... died..."
Her form became calmer again – but the energy in her was different.
"I... never thought there was a version of me that... so ends."
I wanted to say something – but what do you say to someone who has just experienced her own death? Even if that didn't happen, perhaps. I would have liked to tell her more. About what happened after Halo 4. About what became of her. But I... didn't. She had heard enough. More than enough. I looked at her as she stood there – her light dimmed, but torn inside.
I whispered to her, a little pity."Sorry... that you had to experience it like that."
Cortana was silent. Then – very slowly – she walked toward me. Not to threaten me.
"Do you know what's the worst thing about it?"
She spoke quietly.
"Not that I'm dying. Not that I'm falling apart. But that I feel it. Every step and every bit that breaks. Every decision that burns itself into me."
She paused for a moment.
"And now, I know that it really happened. Not just hypothetically. Not perhaps. But somewhere – it has become reality."
I wanted to say something, anything – but instead I just nodded.
She looked at me.
"Thank you, for not continuing."
I looked up at her questioningly.
"With my history. I know you could have kept talking. But you didn't. And that... says more about you than any words about me."
After a while, silence fell. Not unpleasant – rather... necessary. Two existences. Two stories. Two realities that had met at exactly the right moment.
Then – very calmly – Cortana raised her eyes to me. "Now I want to know something."
I looked at her questioningly."What you know... where you come from... it's all fascinating. Disquieting. But... what are you actually looking for here, what are you doing here? How did you end up here?"
Her voice was not demanding. It was an honest, open question. I blinked and looked down, considered.
Then I said softly. "I don't know."
A short silence.
"I fell from the sky. Without warning. Landed hard on the ocean and barely managed to reach the beach."
I shrugged my shoulders.
"Since then, I've been walking around... and search. For answers. For a way back. Perhaps... if there is such a thing as a turning back."
Cortana nodded slowly.
"I'm not a tourist. Not an adventurer. Not some soldier. I'm... lost."
I couldn't help it – I had to laugh for a moment.
She smiled softly. "Sounds sad when you say so. How about... we help each other"
I blinked. "How?"
She looked at me directly. “The Door outside didn’t open by itself… it was me”
She took a step closer, almost weightlessly.
"I did it because… if I'm honest... I saw you as lost as I am. And I wanted to talk with someone."
She looked slightly to the side.
"Maybe you need someone to stand by your side, same for me. That we help each other in this Situation."
I was silent. Because I felt it. Because I knew it.
Then she said quietly.
"So? Philipp. What do you say about that?"
There was only one answer for something like that.
"Yes... in such a situation, no one should be alone."
Her light glows now softly, with a smile. "Good."
I looked at her, grinning slightly off.
"Wellllll... can we now perhaps come back to the question of what actually happened here 70,000 years ago?"
Cortana raised her eyebrows slightly – an expression I didn't expect, but one that suited her.
"Oh, you mean what threw me into hibernation for 80,000 years and turned this world into a post-technological desert or, to put it anchored, in an apocalypse?"
I raised both eyebrows.
"Uhm... yes? Exactly that."
She answered quietly, almost reverently.
"I can't fully reconstruct it from here. But it doesn't seem to have affected only this planet. Not just this star system."
I frowned. "... the whole galaxy?"
She answered quietly, almost reverently.
"Not only this one. Neighboring galaxies also show the same rupture patterns. More precisely, the entire universe. You might think... reality itself has lived through something."
I stared at her, a little incredulous.
"What can tear an entire reality into the abyss?"
Cortana answered slowly.
"Something that will make also your world disappear. As I said... I can't give you a definitive answer here. We should –"
A metallic, dull bang broke the silence. It came from one of the lower areas of the library – somewhere in the back, where the light wasn't quite enough. I spun around. So did Cortana. Her light became a touch more intense, sharper.
We looked at each other at the same moment.
I said immediately. "That... was not me."
And so does Cortana. "And I haven't activated any mechanism here."
The noise had not only been loud, something had fallen. I looked around on the ground to use anything as a weapon. The only thing I could find is a steel pipe. I took it, it’s better than nothing.
I looked at her. "Are we... alone here?"
No answer, but her look said enough. She didn't know. More sounds from the depths. Rasping, Fizzy, Irregular. As if something... is waiting. I swallowed hard.
Then, something stupid came into my head.
"Okay... this is perhaps a VERY stupid, an absolutely film cliché decision... but I'm going in there."
Cortana shot around quietly.
"WHAT? NO! We don't even know what that could be?"
I lifted the tube slightly and shot around quietly back at her.
"That's exactly why I want to look it up!"
I took a deep breath.
"Standing around here and doing nothing at all doesn't get us anywhere. Maybe I'll find something, maybe not. But I don't want to stand around here and possibly die without at least looking up what it is!"
Cortana stared at me. Her light flickered.
"You are... unique."
I grinned briefly.
"I've been told that many times. Can you turn on the lights?"
She turned back to the holo-terminal. "One moment... "
Then, she raised her hand. "And... Let there be – LIGHTS."
And the scene changed. A massive power surge chased through the Library. With a deep hum and an electric breathing, the lights flared up – one after the other. Row by row. The whole area shone in bright, clear light. But then –
[SCREEEAAAAATTTSHHHH – !!]
A scream that burned like a knife of pure frequency. It crossed the room, tore the silence. I cried out, out of pain. The sound drilled through my ears, directly into my brain. Everything vibrated. Everything trembled. The pipe fell out of my hand and hit the ground with a clatter. I slumped to my knees. My hands pressed to my ears. But it didn't help. I heard no more – only a single whistle that overshadowed everything. And then – Cortana. Not through sound. Not by air. But directly in my head.
I saw how Cortana tried to tell me something, barley audible.
"Philipp! Philipp? Can you hear me?"
She was calm. But there was concern in her eyes.
"This scream overloaded your nerves. I... I didn't see it coming."
She stepped closer. Kneeled in front of me.
"I... I'M OK..."
She was calm. But there was concern in her eyes.
"I'm not affected – I don't have sensors like you. I should have foreseen this."
My balance was still upset. My knees were shaking, my muscles twitching. That was really something different. My whole body felt as if it had caught fire for a moment.
And my hearing...
"AND, WHERE IS IT NOW?!"
I roared, even though I hardly heard what I was saying.
Cortana flinched slightly – not from shock, but because I probably sounded like a siren in emergency mode.
"YOU DON'T HAVE TO SCREAM!"
I yelled back. "WHAT?!"
She sighed. Then, with a quick gesture, she opened a new hologram next to her – with a simple large text.
//YOU DON'T HAVE TO SCREAM//
I saw it, grinned slightly. Nodded with a thumbs up.
"Your hearing will recover. A few minutes... maybe more."
I slowly sat down again on the edge of a broken shelf.
"GIVE ME... please give us a heads up in the future. Before the next scream sends me to the afterlife."
Cortana looked into the hologram again, her fingers – gliding through data streams.
"I don't have whatever that was on the cameras. But... it moves. The sensors still work here."
I was sitting there, breathing heavily, when suddenly a thought ignited in my head like fireworks.
"Cortana..."
I slowly straightened up. She slowly turned to me, as if I had just suggested that I roast myself alive. After that, I continued. Her Face just got more confused. “What…?“ I said to her, exhausted. "Please... just do it." She then on it. I rumbled. "That's exactly why." She seemed protesting – not out of defiance, but out of concern. But I had a plan. Not a good one, but at least something.
"Turn off the lights."
"Excuse me?"
“And after my sign, you turn it back on… are there by any chance loudspeakers here?"
"You... want to have the lights turned off... after your brain was almost burned off?"
"Okay... you are crazy. But not alone. Also, there some speakers here. Full Volume?"
I replied back to her with a smile. “Yes.”
[Clack]
And suddenly everything went black, my eyes tried to adjust. Cortana remained silent. Seconds passed, then minutes. Then... it slowly came back. The scratching, the hissing. And this time – it was closer, way much closer. I couldn´t see it but could feel it somehow. As if it were breathing directly through the darkness.
I whispered. "Wait... Wait... – NOW!"
[CLACK]
And the world exploded in light. Everything flared up – brighter than before. Cortana had increased the intensity. The speakers are as well also Overtuned. And there it was. For a split second – in the glaring, merciless light – we saw it. The creature. It screamed, but not like before. This time... it seems its in more pain. It bent back as if she were burning. Its black, shimmering form twitched, warped, pulsed unnaturally. Parts dissolved like smoke in the air. And – very briefly – I saw it´s figure. Not animal-like, but... humanoid. As if someone had created the being out of the absence of light. And then – it was gone. Back to the shadows, weakened.
I stood panting. "Cortana... Did you see that?"
She nodded slowly. "Light... harms them. And they're... humanlike."
She nodded slowly. We both looked into the darkness. This time not only with fear. But with a new question: What are these things? And why are they still here?
"Okay... It's now or never."
Cortana then suddenly abruptly.
"One more thing, I can't move freely. This is the only holoprojector in the entire library."
To which I simply answered. "Then use the speakers."
Cortana just nodded. A short, clear signal – and the music dimmed a little, as if at the start of a silent hunting expedition. I lifted the pipe slightly – not too high, not too low. I started to move slow, step by step. And even though the lights were on – everything felt like before a thunderstorm. I combed through the library, every corner, every corridor. Nothing, not even a twitching shadow. Not even a strange echo, just... Emptiness. I saw then one of the loudspeakers. Maybe I can try to communicate with Cortana trough them?
I leaned forward slightly, whispered.
"Cortana... ? Cortana...?"
[BLAAARRRRHHHHHHHH!!] "YES?!"
The speaker literally exploded in volume – I flinched back as if struck by lightning.
Reflexively I covered my ears again.
"AH! CAN YOU PLEASE TURN THAT DOWN A BIT!?"
Then her voice, sweet and cheeky. "Why? You said at full volume."
I rubbed my temples to ease the pain.
"Yes... but not when I'm standing RIGHT NEXT TO IT!"
She says then sarcastically. "Oooh... my mistake."
She had fun with it. Not spiteful... I smiled slightly, shook my head.
"Just wait and see... when I put you in a robot body, you go into the dark."
She answered dryly. "Deal."
I looked around, took the pipe again firmly on my hand, ready for anything – or at least for what I imagined it to be.
"And? Any idea where it could be?"
Cortana's voice was calm, almost matter-of-fact.
"I had measured vibrations on the first floor earlier. Short... but clearly. There could be something up there."
"That would be... the offices of the library, right?"
"That's right. The administration and staff rooms."
I took a deep breath.
"Great. Then we'll see if anyone else is defending their desks."
I turned around and walked back to the entrance hall. Where it all began. The stairs. Wide, with semi-circular steps made of dark marble. Slowly I put my foot on the first step. I lifted the metal tube slightly, diagonally in front of me – like an improvised sword.
Cortana spoke softly.
"I don't have any cameras up there anymore. Everything is dead."
"It definitely fits the mood."
Every step echoed though the silence. My breathing was shallow and my eyes tried to capture every detail. Arrived at the top of the stairs I stood still, directly in front of me – a long Dark hallway. Not just shady... but deep black. The light from the ground floor reached to the exact point where the hallway began – as if something was simply swallowing up the light. I approached cautiously, but just before my feet reached the edge of darkness, I stopped. My body hesitated, not out of fear but out of instinct. Something was wrong here. It’s not just the light, but the air was also different. I took a couple steps back. To my right: an old, dusty bookshelf. I reached in blindly, pulled out some book. Blew the dust away.
I grimaced at the titel.
"Tales of the Concord. The Game!? Ecchhh... nobody liked that."
Then – with a swing – I threw the book into the hallway. For a moment there was silence. Then, something made a fast, sharp move to grab that. So fast that I didn't see the book disappear – only that it was no longer there. Not a trace. Only a quiet flap, as if pages were torn.
I stood motionless, bit surprised about that.
Cortana answered in a whisper – although she didn't have to.
"I record slight movements in the Offices."
I exhaled slowly.
"Okay... note to myself: Throwing books = more effective than expected."
I lifted the pipe and moved closer. The edge between light and darkness was now a border. And there it is, this time I see it. Well… more or less is see its shape. I cannot make out any of its features like as if… it has none?
I still held the pipe raised as I stared into the darkness.
"Cortana? Don't you have access to the lights up here?"
Her voice came calmly. "Yes, they are on."
I frowned. "Um... no?"
I turned around, looked at the ceiling lights above the monster.
"Ah... forget it. They're broken."
I took half a step back again.
"But it doesn't matter – the thing is stuck in the offices as long as there is light here outside."
Hesitantly, she says.
"Oh... okay... and... where exactly do you say it is?"
"Still in the offices. Why?"
"You don't stand... before that? Or behind it?"
I paused for a moment. "No...? Why!?"
Silence.
Then – no longer objectively. No more Cortana like just before, but quietly. Almost panicked.
"Because... there’s something right next to you."
My scream thundered through the hall. And Cortana? She reacted IMMEDIATELY. With a single command, she ignited all loudspeakers – simultaneously, over the entire area, with full amplification and frequency and turned the lights with maximum brightness on.
The face of that thing – if you could call it that – the one in the office was not directed at me. It stared over me, behind me. As if it wasn't looking at me – but something that was right behind me. Something that had crept quietly, coldly, unnoticed BEHIND me.
I wanted to whisper. But I couldn't.
"Cortana...?"
My throat was dry, my heart was pounding. I didn't dare to turn and yet... I knew there is something else, a second being. I stood still there as if frozen. The breath behind me was so close and cold, that my whole body resisted moving. I knew I didn't have time, no leeway. And Cortana... waited. She needed a sign, something clear. I gathered all my strength, every last reserve.
Then from the bottom of my throat, with everything that was inside me.
"NOOOOOWWWWWW!!!!!"
My scream thundered through the hall. And Cortana? She reacted immediately. With a single command, she ignited all loudspeakers – simultaneously, over the entire area, with full amplification and frequency.
The effect was immediate. The creature behind me flinched hard. As if it’s in seizure. It writhed, almost fell to its knees, its black body vibrated under the sound pressure. But behind me – something else. The second being... shy of light, it´s also sensitive to noise. The sound penetrated his body like red-hot needles. Then, I felt the cold breath break off. I turned around – with a shock – and saw that it had disappeared. I turned forward again. The first creature was still crawling back, vulnerable, tormented by the sound. Now I know it’s two beings. The Dark one weakened by Light and Sound and the other one by Sound. I grinned crookedly.
Cortana answered – this time calmly.
"Well? Who wants to dance anymore?"
Suddenly I felt an impact. Something hit me with a brutal force from the side. Not like a blow – more like a huge claw of pure darkness. I was thrown across the room, crashed hard into a bookshelf – the air escaped me with a dull thud and dozens of books rained down on me.
The Pain shot unbearably through my ribs.
"Kraaahhhhh!!"
I barely got up, wobbly, but I managed to stand up. The creature was back. It´s shadow danced across the floor. And then it was in front of me again. I lifted the pipe and struck against it. Once, twice, three times, up to ten times – blows as if born out of desperation, but precise and hard. But then.
[KRRRK]
The pipe broke in two parts. One in my hand, the other rolling across the floor.
"Shit..."
That was the only thing I could say before the creature grabbed me again – and hurled me against the wall with brutal force. I flew backwards, through a half-collapsed wall – and landed on the other side.
After collecting myself from that, I saw then directly below me a collapsed part of the Roof. It´s full of destroyed pipes, bent steel girders, and other sharp-edged remains. A real... deathtrap. I was breathing heavily, but my head was rattling. If I time it right, if I lure it right here... then I can finish it. I looked over the wall. The creature slowly climbed through it, leaning forward. It´s movement was fluid. I straightened up, blood on the lip, half the pipe still in my hand. The creature is coming, snaked over the rubble. I looked at a destroyed half wall that led directly down to the Trap. I ran directly at it and made a jump above it and landed at the Ground level.
I tried to provoke it somehow, but it went slowly. As if it knew I wanted to trick it.
"Ah, fuck it."
I took a little run-up and managed to slide right under the Monster to get behind the Pile. It was confused for a moment and tried to run after me, but it couldn’t find me. That’s because I hide myself behind a Pillar close by. Just about when it looked away from me, I ran towards it and KICK HARD so that it falls into the Pile.
It fell on it like a wet sack – and with a cruel smack it was pierced by the rusty pipes, steel girders, broken pipes. No movement or sound came from it anymore, I finally managed it to kill it.
I was breathing heavily and trembling. I sank half to my knees.
"I... I did it..."
Cortana called after me, panicked. "Philipp?! PHILIPP, ANSWER!"
I coughed, gasped. Wiped blood from my mouth. "I'm still here..."
But there was no time for a break.
A shadow fell on me, right from above. I slowly raised my head. And there it was, the first creature. The shadowy thing from the hallway. It stood between the broken halfwall were I jumped from. It looked at it´s dead... Partner? It didn’t move, but the body spoke volumes. Then with a swift move... it turned it´s gaze to me.
I got up slowly, bowed inwardly. "Okay... Round Two."
I took the metal again, raised it, aligned myself – and waited. The creature tensed and then JUMPED. With a speed that was almost intangible. I roared, turned, and at the very last second – I STABBED IT. A hit right where the heart should be, deep. And with a swift kick I managed also to put it also into the Pile, right next to the other Creature. It didn't scream, but it tries to free itself. But it didn’t take long before it succumbed to its injuries also.
Two beings – pierced and lifeless. I dropped the rod and myself, gasped like crazy.
Cortana answered.
"Philipp... you should know... the sensors show no further movement. No more creatures."
I grinned. "I know."
I sat down, collapsed exhausted onto an old metal frame, and took a deep breath. Every rib ached, every muscle felt like burned, but I was alive.
Cortana spoke softly. "Are you really okay?"
I grinned slightly. "Yes. Just a few bruises... and a new trauma."
I looked again into the Pile again where the two creatures lay – pierced. On them... I saw something. A shimmer, light, silvery on their hands. I leaned closer. It was hard to see because my vision was dull because of my exhaustion, but both of them... seemed to be wearing a ring. Like, wedding rings?
Something clicked in my head and I jumped up in pain. "... oh no."
I looked around frantically. Reached into the old shelf next to me – and there it was.
"The memoirs of Kirito and Asuna."
The first book I held and read in that damn library. I opened it, flipped back to the photo. I looked closely at their hands. And there – the rings. Exactly the same ones.
Later up I met up with Cortana again. She was analyzing the terminals in the main hallway.
When she saw me, she raised her head.
"What's going on? You look like you've seen a – ghost?"
I slowly sat down. I held up the book, opened the picture.
"Those down there... are not unknown."
I showed her the picture. She didn't say anything at first, but then she opened a holographic replay footage of the fight and took a few still pictures. She compared it to the photo – the appearance, the proportions, the positions of the rings.
And then... "Philipp... these beings... these are, were... Kirito and Asuna."
I just looked at her, talking in a voice soft. "I know."
[About an hour later]
We hadn't said much. Sometimes there are simply no words when your worldview – or what's left of it – has imploded. Cortana moved quietly through the hologram.
She continued searching, with the holographic windows over her shoulder.
"The library is fragmented. Not all the information are here."
I slowly raised my head and looked at her.
"You said... that the information we need is elsewhere... correct? Then why don't we just go there?"
Silence, no answer. "Cortana?"
Just typing. "Cortana!?"
The typing stopped. She took a pause in which she said calmly.
"After the fight... I immediately checked whether it would be safe to go there."
I frowned. "And...?"
With a snap of her fingers a new hologram opened. A camera feed from the outdoor areas, streets, interiors, tunnels and old administrative areas. I stepped closer, looked closer and understood why she hadn't answered right away. Those shadow creatures, there are far too many of them. In groups or individuals who are hidden. A constant, creeping network of nightmares.
I whispered. "These things... are everywhere..."
Cortana look said it all.
I sighed, deeply exhausted. "So, there is not a safe way in a sense."
She nodded without hesitation. I continued to stare at the feed.
My voice barely audible. "Fuck..."
Despite the shadows, the dangers out there, we had to move on. Somehow…
I put myself on my feet again.
"Hypothetically, if we had found a way... where exactly would I have to go?"
A new hologram appeared. "To this facility."
I stepped closer. What I saw was... nothing special. It looks like a flat district that is. Not a single high-rise.
I mumbled. "But there is... nothing at all."
Cortana shook her head slightly.
"Ah, sorry. I should have zoomed out. Look closely now."
She stepped closer, stood next to me, looked at the picture with a slight smile.
"This is a military installation..."
I followed her eye movements. The projection expands. Looked in the same direction and suddenly... I recognized things. A lot of things.
Things like... Spacecrafts.
"Wait a minute... these are UNSC Frigates! A Venator class of the Galactic Republic. And that... that's definitely a Federation Cruiser."
I stepped closer. It's not just ships.
"That can't be... these are... Evangelion units. EVA 01 to 03. Gundams. Different models. ZGMF-X10A Freedom... XVX-016... and... hold on... back there... are these KLFs!?"
I stared at Cortana. She stared back at me with a mouth open, light slightly flickering.
I grinned and asked, almost laughing. "What?"
Cortana blinked – figuratively speaking.
"Okay. You know far too much. I mean... seriously. KLFs? Who recognizes that at 120x zoom level which is extremely blurred?"
I laughed.
"I was lonely, okay?! I watched, read, played almost EVERYTHING. Nothing was safe from me."
Cortana crossed her arms.
"I had hoped that you would have a good orientation. But apparently you are also a living archive."
I grinned. "So... that's my goal, isn't it?"
She nodded. And there was that sparkle in her light again.
"Damn yes. But first... you have to get there alive."
Cortana stepped closer to the hologram. With a gesture she no longer zoomed on to the site... but upwards. She pointed to a building. No – building was an understatement. A tower. Wide as a district. High as a mountain, made of metallic black, windows like scales of a dragon. Openings in the structure that looked more like small spaceports.
She then said. "There."
I stared at the hologram. My eyes slowly glided along the structure.
"Such a big building... what is this facility – except that it is military? And what... what's all this about the ships and..."
She interrupted me, but reasonably.
"This is the HQ of the United Coalition Forces. UCF. The largest coordinated power that has been formed... ."
I blinked and stared at the tower. It was not only big, but oversized. The heart of this new world. Or the old one redefined.
"And you think... there will be answers for everything?"
She looked at me. "No. I think... everything will be there."
Cortana's gaze remained serious while she spoke – calm, almost as if she were to read from an ancient protocol that no one dared to understand for a long time.
"Before… all of this now... everyone lived in their own universes, galaxies, dimensions – each for themselves, separated. As pages in a book. More precisely as in your books apparently."
I made a quiet comment on this. "Not exclusive, but I mean OK."
She paused for a moment.
"Then... came the event. A moment out of nowhere. For everything and everyone, the surroundings suddenly became incredibly lightful, extremely blinding, as if every star was about to become a supernova."
I said nothing. I just listened.
"With this, realities began to merge. Not through technology and not through magic. But through... nobody knows how, even till now. An effect that nobody has ever really understood."
She continued, in a low voice.
"Places that were empty were suddenly inhabited. Worlds that had previously been separated overlapped. One universe with another. One timeline with another."
I frowned. Slowly it dawned on me what she meant.
"And that... what happened was not destruction. But a compression."
She looked at me.
"Through these merger... from all individual realities... became a few superimposed realities. In the end… scientists found out that space in itself shrunk to 25%."
I exhaled, slowly.
"In that sense... nothing destroyed... but... folded?"
She nodded.
"Yes. Many realities have been put together. Some of it... are not compatible with each other."
I sat down again. Rub my face.
"So... a kind of multiversal patchwork."
She replied with. "Exactly."
I looked up at the holography of the UCF tower. The last order point in a world that no longer differentiated between science fiction and bible sites. The center of this new world. The place where everything should go together. My thoughts were at chaos.
Suddenly... my lips almost moved on their own. "... Solarity."
Cortana turned to me with a swift motion. "What... did you say?"
I frowned. "What do you mean?"
It came out of her like an order. "What you just said now!"
I thought for a moment. But... "I... I didn't say anything."
I don't know why she's so… upset?
"You don't remember what you just said right now!?"
I then calmly. "No."
She is a bit perplexed about it.
"You... you've forgotten the word and never heard it, have you?"
I shook my head. "Never... whatever that word was."
She said cautiously.
"Philipp... no one... nobody knows... more precisely KNEW this word. ONLY the innermost circle of the UCF and the UC knew THAT. Solarity"
I shrugged my shoulders slightly.
She gave off a look that I would never have expected from her.
"Philipp. Your earth... it no longer exists. No data, nothing!"
Then, she snapped her fingers, like...
"Poooffff, gone! As if it had NEVER EXISTED! And yet... you say a word that may mean more than we both understand. That is worrisome, it already causes ME... worries."
I looked away for a bit.
“Problem is what is said to you before, for me some of that doesn´t make sense for me.”
Now she the one that frowned.
“Oh, you mean that Everything except you came from Fantasy?”
She came a bit closer this time.
“Philipp, even though I believe that you have that vast knowledge and that you come from a disappeared Earth. It´s hard for me to accept where everything apparently originated from. How would something like this come into effect to begin with?”
I looked at the tower again.
"As you have said, there should be answers. Maybe also some about me and what I said, hopefully. Let's find a way to get to into the UCF-HQ.”
The UCF-HQ. Huge and unreachable.
And yet: my goal.
"To get to the UCF headquarters... there are two possibilities."
She zoomed in. Marked each zone.
"First: The transit zone. There... you'll need light. And you're going to go in there blind. No cameras."
I frowned. "And the second?"
"The Belt. The Border around the HQ. Defended by automatic defense units – but in their state as far as I can see... attack everything that moves. To choose one of them which is better and safe, you have to reach some official UCF Area. From there on you can only determine which route is the safest."
I took a deep breath. "Great."
Cortana grinned. "That's why... you need equipment."
She flicked – and another hologram appeared, from an Armory? Located in an inconspicuous side wing inside of this mall. Hidden behind automatic doors that could only be opened by military authorization.
"I only discovered it by chance while checking old access codes. An UCF-Saferoom."
I asked half-knowingly. "And? What's in it?"
The hologram became larger. Like I said there armor, tactical Equipment, tools and weapons.
And... "Is that... a Mongoose?"
Cortana grinned wider.
"Not just any Mongoose. A Modified one. Stronger Light projector emitter and an active camouflage field."
I stared at her. "Please tell me that you can start it."
She raised an eyebrow. "Philipp... all of this was left untouched."
I laughed softly, but more comfortably. For the first time in a long time.
[Somewhat later]
I was standing in front of the door, which is Massive. With warning symbols, some of which were covered by dust and sand.
Then Cortana asked.
"Ready?"
I nodded. Trough one flick of her, the door slowly opened. Light flickered briefly. Then – pfffft – a stream of cold, air-conditioned air flowed towards us. And what I saw... just let me stand still for a moment. Weapons. serially. On the walls, on tables, in compartments. From familiar to completely foreign designs: plasma weapons, railguns, modular assault rifles, shotguns, pistols, sniper rifles, energy swords and even a few objects that looked more like they belonged in a mage school or museum than in an arsenal.
I murmured to it. "Ok, then let's go shopping."
Cortana is able to project herself here since there are also emitters here.
"Okay, you need something light but effective. Close combat? A modified titanium steel knife. Ranged? This one: C01 variant rifle, precise, quiet, fast."
I walked through the rows, tried grips, weight, balance.
I held up a rifle – angular, with pulsating blue lines.
"This is a weapon system of the Sangheili. Not quite philanthropic, Philipp."
I raised my eyebrow.
"Yes, I know, a Plasma Rifle. Is there a shooting range here?"
Then she flicked her finger again. A hidden wall panel slid to the side – a small practice room with target projectors, sensor walls and ball absorbers.
She says. "Here you go. Have fun losing your fingers."
I stepped in slowly, raised the weapon and looked at it. Not a classic trigger. No safety as you know it. But after a few seconds... I had it. A soft click. A whirring. Then – BZZZT. A burst of energy hissed through the chamber and hit the target exactly. Another. And another. Three goals. Three direct hits.
Cortana stared. "... wait a minute..."
I turned to her, smiling. "You still dont believe me how i got that?"
She blinked – then laughed softly.
"Okay. Apparently, I should start taking you more seriously. Still, that Fantasy thing, I still need more proof for that."
I grinned, clicked the energy pack off the weapon, and put it back in the holder.
"Alright, alright. I understand. While we are at it... i'll decide on another one anyway."
Cortana raised her eyebrow slightly. "Understandable."
I continued to roam the hall. Weapons, modules, equipment... until my gaze was fixed on something. A pod, slightly larger than a human. And in it – an exo-suit, aka an exoskeleton. I stepped closer. A small, dusty display flickered as I moved. A text appeared, flickered briefly, then it became readable.
A text appeared, flickered briefly, then it became readable.
"Exo-Combat Suit – Class A1A. Used in various Ops: Urban warfare, deep infiltration, rapid drop deployment. Includes booster systems for enhanced mobility, agility and speed. Manufacturer: Atlas Cor..."
I snorted loudly, which turned into a laughter. First quietly, then louder.
"Hahah... Atlas Corporation... of all things..."
Cortana appeared at my side, a slight frown in her projection.
"What is it? What amuses you?"
I pointed to the suit.
"Can you tell me something about the Atlas Corporation?"
She shrugged her shoulders – then activated a data window.
"Private military organization, founded after the dissolution of several armies of their home earth. Played a major role in repelling a large-scale alien invasion... and was crucial in containing a subsequent planetary pandemic. It is considered one of the most effective Private Militaries in UCF history."
I nodded, with a wider grin even. And then... a short laugh – louder than before.
Cortana asked, half curious, half irritated.
„I guess… it looked different from your perspective back then?"
I turned to her. "Oh, definitely."
I walked halfway around the suit. Ran my fingers over the material.
Then I turned to her. "You know... they were in a game... the villains."
She looked at me irritated. "To what extent the villains –"
I raised my hands. She withdrew then for trying to ask.
"They presented themselves first as the great helper. Protected civilians, as well as government officials, repelled terrorist attacks, emergency disaster relief, etc. Later, when they had more than enough influence, power and foothold, they declared war on Earth."
Cortana looked at me with real interest now.
I stepped closer to her. My vision became sharper.
"To be more precise... its CEO, Jonathan Irons. It was all his craft. He spoke like a savior. And indeed, everyone thought he was one. During the entire time, he quietly and secretly built up his army, also made precise plans to declare war on the world order. He wanted control. Order – on his terms."
Cortana lowered her head slightly, as if she were reevaluating it internally.
"This is not on any file... not even in the UCF archives. No entry about a war against their original earth. Or a turnaround."
I nodded slowly.
"Because they were a Story before… Solarity."
She looked at the suit, questionably.
"And you still want to wear it?"
I looked at the suit. The holo-display flickered slightly, waiting to be activated. Then I looked directly at Cortana again.
Then I looked directly at Cortana again. "It's just a tool... that serves its purpose."
Cortana nodded as a confirmation.
The brackets retracted – and the suit opened almost silently. I took a deep breath.
"Well then... Let's see."
Slowly I climbed in. The interior was surprisingly flexible.
Cortana watched every step.
"Stabilizers... are on. Activating muscle fiber coupler procedure."
I frowned with concern."Wait? Muscle fiber co--?"
Then – a stabbing pain. "DAAHHH-!"
Not a superficial one, not like a blow or cramp. But deep and raw, as if every single fiber and bone of my body would be under an electric short. I snaped in the air sharply, almost like a cry. The world seemed fuzzy for a moment. Then – a click, and all of that was over. The clarity came back.
Cortana spoke with palpable concern.
"I'm sorry. Should have warned you in advance."
I exhaled slowly. Still slightly shaking.
"IT´S... ALRIGHT... I´M OK... it was just... unexpectedly painful."
I was now completely in armor. The back plate had closed, the HUD glowed quietly in front of my eyes. Wait? A HUD IN MY EYES!?
"What… has been put into my body?"
She is a little reserved about this. Maybe she expected that what I about to hear is something I wouldn’t like?
"Nanites were injected in you so that you can get a heads-up display. Not only do you have an overview of the suit now, but also about yourself. The nanites also have other things in stock. Connection points were also attached to certain points on your limbs in order to connect with the suit seamlessly. These also work with other combat suits. They can be seen minimally on the skin surface."
I slowly took a few steps. The suit reacted softly – but with a noticeable force. Every step felt as if I had just lost twice of my weight and gained triple of my stability. I slowly raised my arm. Moved the hand, the fingers. The suit reflected me.
Cortana's voice suddenly came into my head, with minimal distortion.
\\Motor skills work without any problems. The connection to your nanites with the suit is very stable\\
Of course, I was amazed by that. "Mental Communication?"
She nodded, with relief.
"And normal radio waves. But remember, the nanites only work in conjunction with the exoskeleton."
I tested jumping, but only slightly. My body rose almost two meters into the air, in which I almost hit the ceiling. I landed softly – dampers under my feet smoothed out every impact.
"Wow..."
I ran across the shooting range once. It was as if I was no longer running, but thinking. And the suit executes it. I took one of the rifles that layed on the Range. The HUD showed vectors, residual ammunition, even wind and weather data.
Also, it´s like my arms are doing the aiming for.
"Damn... like I'm really in a game."
After familiarizing myself with the suit, I returned to the main chamber of the Saferoom. The walls of arms stood still, but now I saw them with different eyes. I went through the rows – gliding my fingers over handles, closures, barrels.
Then... I stopped. A gun with a Black-gray housing. It seemed familiar, but also different.
"Isn´t that a UNSC DMR... ?"
She raised her eyebrows
"Yes and no. The M399 DMR for Short and medium distance. It´s a modified Version of the M395. The UGF and UNSC worked together to make a universal Version for all Coalition Forces. Almost all of the Weapons here a like that from various other parties."
I went to the modification field. Replaced the red dot with a 5x riflescope, also a foregrip.
I checked the magazine. Charging handle back. Click. Ready.
"Perfect."
Cortana tried her best not to act impressed.
“For somebody who had never combat experience, you still know how all of that works.”
I nodded. "You know why."
Cortana looked like she was about answer that but retracted that in the last second.
Within all that Weaponry I also saw another familiar sight. A Pistol. Titanfall sends its regards.
“Well hello Smart Pistol, you are also coming with me.”
Once grabbed, the HUD automatically gave me the control of the target acquisition.
I closed the last buckle on the suit. The backpack was in place. The weapon was stowed away. A quick check – everything was ready. But then a thought came to me. Something practical.
Something that works for the both of us, especially for her. "Cortana?"
"Yes?"
I looked at the arm computer on the suit.
"Does my exo-suit actually have a... storage? So, an internal system storage?"
A Short pause.
"Yes. Your is even better than the other exoskeleton types. Why?"
I didn't hesitate for a second.
"Can you transfer… into it? Like is it compatible for you?"
Silence. Just for a moment.
"Yes… Wait? You mean in there… with you?"
I said calmly.
"Of course. You offered your help, didn't you? For this I offer you... to come along and not to be alone anymore. Like you said."
She was so quiet for a moment, as if she had to summarize her words.
"That would be complete system access. I could analyze your surroundings directly. Help you even better. And... I'd be with you."
I nodded. "That's the plan."
Then – a quiet click in the system. A flicker in the HUD. And with a soft sound, a new interface was activated, in the bottom left in my eyes. Her face, just as big as a small profile picture.
Her voice – now not over the radio or distorted, but directly in my head.
\\Transfer completed... the system is strangely similar to the MJOLNIRs\\
I smiled at it.
"Well, the familiar you are with the system, the better."
A slight muffled smile came out of her.
\\Ready, Philipp?\\
Before we left, before the gates of the mall opened, I stopped again.
"Wait."
My steps carried me back to the great hall of the library. Cortana – now thanks to my suit – can now project outwards, at my side when ether she wants. We walked slowly past the shelves, scattered books, the silence of millennia. I stopped in front of the table The table where I found that book. I looked at the yellowed cover. The picture of Asuna and Kirito.
I mumbled. "70,000 years..."
It was not a sentence, just a breath of history. A weight that lay on us now. I let my finger slide over the cover, to which I closed the book. Careful, almost like a promise. I looked around again. The silence, the dust and everything that was lost – but was not forgotten.
Then I said softly. "Thank you."
To whom, I didn't know exactly. Maybe just so that I could grasp the Situation that I now am. Then, I turned away and stepped back into the main hall.
Cortana then out of nowhere. \\The Mongoose is ready\\
A gate opened – and there it stood: the modified UCF Mongoose. Equipped for travel, especially with a camouflage field. I climbed up, the engine hummed softly. The HUD synchronized with the navigation.
Cortana asked. \\Ready?\\
I nodded. "Ready."
Outside, the light was waiting, the dust and everything in between. I stepped on the gas and the Mongoose raced off – out into a world that had long since ceased to await us.