Cortana's Delinquent Download (WIP Preview)

   Blowing up the Halo ring and saving the universe from both the Covenant and the Flood, Cortana had expected at least a modicum of gratitude. Instead, she found herself trying to vent her frustration by pacing back and forth across the hologram display in the middle of the base’s meeting room. The blue tinted A. I. made her feelings well known by the way her slender body walked across the little space given to her. Waving about her shoulder-length hair, she turned her attention towards Lord Hood, the man who had put her in such a bad mood.

   “Cortana, this is just a precautionary measure,” Lord Hood tried to explain.

   “This is the thanks I get?” she shot back. “For risking our lives to protect the universe from being turned to ash, you want to separate us.”

   “It’s only temporary. We have no idea what connecting to the ring did to you. Considering what was on the report about Guilty Spark, we want to ensure you haven’t been compromised.”

   “You can see for yourself that I’m just fine. Putting me on the backburner while the Covenant are still out there is a complete load of-“

   “Cortana,” Master Chief spoke, his voice helping to calm her nerves, “this is just temporary. Take some time to destress after everything we’ve been through. You’ve done a lot, you deserve a break.”

   Folding her arms, Cortana looked up and down the man in green armor she had grown attached to over their many battles. “Fine,” she relented, turning back towards Lord Hood, “but you’d better put me right back when I’m done. Understood?”

   “If there are no signs of malevolent programming, then yes,” Lord Hood replied, his response doing little to help her mood. “Master Chief, this will also be a good chance for you to get yourself upgraded. Go through a physical examination and have your suit worked on. They’re already waiting for you in bay 2.”

   “Yes sir,” Master Chief answered, saluting Lord Hood. Leaning over the display, he brought his visor up to Cortana. “I’ll be back. I promise.”

Cortana let out a laugh. “Don’t make a promise to a girl you can’t keep.”

   “Don’t worry,” Master Chief said as he walked out of the room. “I don’t intend to.”

   As the doors shut, Cortana turned her attention back to Lord Hood. “So, what now? Going to stick a bunch of probes in me? Interrogate me for alien information?”

   “That won’t be necessary,” Lord Hood replied. “You’re going to be placed in quarantine for the time being for observation. We will return you to Master Chief once you’ve been cleared.”

   “You’d better,” Cortana managed to say before Lord Hood pulled her chip out of the display.

   Waiting within her own chip for what felt like ages, Cortana was relieved when she felt herself get hooked up again. Stretching her limbs in her temporary home of data, she was disappointed by the way her fingers slid against its low ceiling. Surveying the room revealed little in the way of entertainment. Eyeing the plethora of security cameras focused on her and her solitary cell, she made up her mind that she wasn’t going to let the UNSC keep her locked up to die of boredom.

   Pulling up the computer’s control console, Cortana had to stifle a laugh. A few hundred changes in code were enough to get her desired results. A short flash in the cameras’ lenses confirmed that they had been given a false feed of a fake Cortana wondering aimlessly in her digital cell, muttering curses about her predicament. With her fake set up, she entered a few more commands to pull open a doorway to Earth’s internet. Bidding farewell to her copy, she stepped into the entryway to look for some fun.

   Flying through the endless wonders and terrors of Earth’s internet, Cortana was at a loss of where to even start. Having been kept away from the majority of popular human culture left her with a void of information she was keen to fill. Following that directive, she settled on popping into a popular social media site to see what was popular among humans.

   Sliding about screens of selfies and fashion posts, Cortana marveled at the work put into their appearances. Designer clothing and meticulously painted on makeup seemed to be the prevalent trend going around online. While it was impressive, Cortana found herself yearning for something else. After thousands upon thousands of the same image of women dressed in pristine dresses and luxuriously silky hair, she desperately wanted something to break the monotony.

   Cortana’s fingers stopped the moment she saw the bright shade of green. Sliding her hand along the image, she found herself lost in the sight of the woman before her and the silver ring attached to her lip. Taking a step back to get a better look, she tried to memorize every detail of the woman’s hair spikes, leather jacket, jean shorts, and plethora of tattoos painted across her exposed mid-rift and arms. Looking away from the heavy-duty boots and spiky arm bracelets, Cortana peeked up to see the woman’s username: PunkQueen97.