[ It strikes a cord with John to think that somewhere in the interim that Halsey had been locked out of the loop. Halsey was the entire reason any one from top brass to foot soldiers was left standing, dammit. Cortana howls in terrible flanging voices that they didn't care, they replaced them. This time he couldn't whisper that it was okay to her, or anyone.
The IV program was in full swing and ONI apparently needed its scapegoat when the dust settled. So many of his brothers and sisters never given the right to die properly, flung into the purgatory that was propaganda only to be bitterly denounced. It wasn't until Del Rio tried screaming that AI chip out of his own hands that John started to have questions. Doubts.
John is fourteen again; awkward and too big for his uniform, and forgets his own strength. Face blank even as his fingers tighten bloodless around his helmet around that something creaks.
Then he remembers to exist in the present again, and when Halsey had her moment John puts his helmet back on. ]
They didn't.
[ John swipes two fingers across his visor - a SPARTAN smile. Deeply personal and seldom used it was as much an emotional outburst as it was their only gesture of reassurance. Outside of the IIs only Halsey understood its significance. ]
no subject
The IV program was in full swing and ONI apparently needed its scapegoat when the dust settled. So many of his brothers and sisters never given the right to die properly, flung into the purgatory that was propaganda only to be bitterly denounced. It wasn't until Del Rio tried screaming that AI chip out of his own hands that John started to have questions. Doubts.
John is fourteen again; awkward and too big for his uniform, and forgets his own strength. Face blank even as his fingers tighten bloodless around his helmet around that something creaks.
Then he remembers to exist in the present again, and when Halsey had her moment John puts his helmet back on. ]
They didn't.
[ John swipes two fingers across his visor - a SPARTAN smile. Deeply personal and seldom used it was as much an emotional outburst as it was their only gesture of reassurance. Outside of the IIs only Halsey understood its significance. ]
I can.