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Dr. Halsey pushed the tray bearing the data crystals toward the Master Chief. "If you give ONI the first report, they may be
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able to find a countermeasure for the Flood. Maybe. They would have a slightly better chance, however, if you give them the sec?ond report."
"Then I'll give them the second report." He picked up the crystal.
"Which will murder Sergeant Johnson," she said with a chill in her voice. "ONI will not be satisfied to take a sample of blood. They will dissect him to find out how he resisted the Flood. It will be a billion-to-one shot that they'll ever replicate his unique medical conditions—but they'll do it anyway. They will kill him because the trade-off is worth it to them."
The Master Chief picked up the other crystal and then stared at them both lying in his gauntleted hand.
"Is it worth it to you, John?" she asked.
He curled his hand in a fist and held it close to his chest. "Why do you want me to make this choice?"
"One last lesson. I'm trying to teach you something it's taken me all my life to realize." She cleared her throat of the lump thickening there. "I'm giving you the chance to make the deci?sion that I thought I couldn't make."
She glanced at the clock on her display. "I'm sorry. Linda is almost prepped for surgery, and I have several things I must ac?complish before then. You should go."
The Master Chief obediently turned and strode toward the exit, but halted in the doorway. "Doctor, don't let her die again." He then left the room.
Dr. Halsey watched until he rounded the corridor and was gone. She hoped she saw John again before she did what she had to do, but she might not. Would the thought she had planted within him take hold? The gesture might be the only thing she could do to atone for what she'd done to him and the other Spartans.
Such thoughts were luxuries when there were only three hours before Ascendant Justice exited Slipspace. There was too much to do before then.
She turned all the monitors to face her and typed in the com?mand to unsquelch Cortana.
"Lock the door," Dr. Halsey ordered Cortana. "Boost counter-intrusion measures to level seven."
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"Done," Cortana said. The irritation at having been silenced for the last five minutes was like barbed wire in her voice. "What precisely was all that about? Teach the Master Chief a lesson? Giving him a choice? Save one man instead of billions?"
Dr. Halsey ignored her and rapidly typed in commands on her keyboard. "Give me access to your core coordinates four-four-seven."
"Block removed," Cortana said with an exasperated sigh. "Are you going to answer my question?"
"I'm tired of sacrificing others for the 'greater good,' " Dr. Halsey replied. "It never stops, Cortana ... and we're running out of people to sacrifice." She tapped in a final command for the memory-wiping worm function and punched the ENTER key.
"What—"
"I'm erasing your files on this matter. I'm sorry, Cortana, but with this, I cannot trust even you."