- Sgt. Johnson: Well, I don't care if it's God's own anti-son-of-a-bitch machine or a giant hula hoop, we're not gonna let 'em have it!
- [last lines]
- [as you enter the Longsword Fighter]
- Cortana: We're cutting it close!
- [the Master Chief sits down, hits a few buttons]
- The Master Chief: Here we go.
- [the fighter launches, Halo explodes, the engines give a critical temperature warning]
- Cortana: Shut them down, we'll need them later.
- [pause]
- Cortana: Fancy a look?
- The Master Chief: Did anyone else make it?
- Cortana: Scanning... Just dust and echoes. We're the only ones left. We... did what we had to do, for Earth. An entire Covenant armada, obliterated, and the Flood... we had no choice... Halo. It's finished.
- The Master Chief: No, I think we're just getting started.
- [first lines]
- Captain Keyes: Cortana, all I need to know is did we lose them?
- Cortana: I think we both know the answer to that.
- Captain Keyes: We made a blind jump. How did they...
- Cortana: Get here first? The Covenant ships have always been faster. As for tracking us all the way from Reach, at lightspeed my maneuvering options were limited.
- Captain Keyes: We were running dark, yes?
- Cortana: Until we decelerated, no one could have missed the hole we tore in subspace. They were waiting for us on the far side of the planet.
- Captain Keyes: So, where do we stand?
- Cortana: Our fighters are mopping up the last of their recon picket, nothing serious. But I've located approach signatures for multiple CCS battlegroups, make it three capital ships per group.
- Captain Keyes: Well, that's it then. Bring the ship back up to Combat Alert Alpha. I want everyone at their stations.
- Cortana: Everyone, sir?
- Captain Keyes: Everyone.
- Pvt. Mendoza: [Jenkins's video feed - Marines are examining a brutally killed elite] ... which is weird right? I mean, look at it, something scrambled the insides.
- Sgt. Johnson: Hunh. Plasma scoring?
- Pvt. Mendoza: Yeah, I don't know, maybe there was an accident you know, friendly fire?
- Captain Keyes: What do we have Sergeant?
- Sgt. Johnson: Looks like a Covenant patrol, bad-ass elite unit, all KIA.
- Captain Keyes: Real pretty, friend of yours?
- Pvt. Mendoza: Nah, we just met.
- The Master Chief: Captain Keyes.
- Captain Keyes: [offers his hand] Good to see you, Master Chief. Things aren't going well. Cortana did her best, but we never really had a chance.
- Cortana: A dozen Covenant superior battleships against a single Halcyon-class cruiser. With those odds I'm content with three... make that four kills.
- [turns to the Master Chief]
- Cortana: Sleep well?
- The Master Chief: No thanks to your driving... yes.
- Cortana: So you did miss me.
- Cortana: I've spent the last 12 hours cooped up in here watching you toady about, helping that thing get set to slit our throats!
- The Master Chief: Hold on, now. He's a friend.
- Cortana: [sarcastically] Oh! I didn't realize. He's your pal, is he? Your chum? DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT THAT BASTARD ALMOST MADE YOU DO?
- The Master Chief: Yes. Activate Halo's defenses and destroy the Flood. Which is why we brought the Index to the control center.
- Cortana: [holds up the Index] You mean this?
- 343 Guilty Spark: A construct? In the core? That is absolutely unacceptable!
- Cortana: Sod off!
- 343 Guilty Spark: What impertinence! I shall purge you at once.
- Cortana: You sure that's a good idea?
- [the Index vanishes from her hand]
- 343 Guilty Spark: How... How dare you! I'll...
- Cortana: Do what? I have the Index. You can just float and sputter!
- The Master Chief: Enough!
- [turns to Cortana]
- The Master Chief: The Flood is spreading. If we activate Halo's defenses, we can wipe them out.
- Cortana: You have no idea how this ring works, do you? Why the Forerunners built it? Halo doesn't kill Flood, it kills their food! Humans, Covenant, whatever. We're all equally edible. The only way to stop the Flood is to starve them to death. And that's exactly what Halo is designed to do: wipe the galaxy clean of all sentient life. You don't believe me? Ask him!
- The Master Chief: [turns to the Monitor] Is it true?
- 343 Guilty Spark: More or less. Technically, this installation's pulse has a maximum effective radius of 25,000 light years. But once the others follow suit, this galaxy will be quite devoid of life, or at least any life with sufficient biomass to sustain the Flood. But you already knew that. I mean... how couldn't you?
- Cortana: Left out that little detail, did he?
- 343 Guilty Spark: [to the Chief] We have followed outbreak containment procedure to the letter. You were with me each step of the way as we managed this crisis.
- Cortana: [puts her hand to her head] Chief, I'm picking up movement.
- 343 Guilty Spark: Why would you hesitate to do what you have already done?
- Cortana: We need to go. Right now!
- 343 Guilty Spark: Last time you asked me, if it were my choice, would I do it? Having had considerable time to ponder your query, my answer has not changed. There is no choice. We must activate the ring.
- [four Sentinels appear behind the Monitor]
- Cortana: [to the Chief] Get... us... out of here!
- 343 Guilty Spark: If you are unwilling to help, I will simply find another. Still, I must have the Index. Give your construct to me, or I will be forced to take her from you.
- The Master Chief: [raises his weapon] That's not going to happen.
- 343 Guilty Spark: So be it.
- [to the Sentinels]
- 343 Guilty Spark: Save his head, dispose of the rest.
- Cortana: [at the Library's control center on Halo] That terminal, try there.
- [the Master Chief inserts Cortana's chip into the terminal, and Cortana materializes from the console]
- The Master Chief: You all right?
- Cortana: Never been better! You can't imagine the wealth of information. The knowledge, so much, so fast! It's glorious!
- The Master Chief: So, what sort of weapon is it?
- Cortana: What are you talking about?
- The Master Chief: Let's stay focused. Halo - how do we use it against the Covenant?
- Cortana: This ring isn't a cudgel, you barbarian, it's something else. Something much more important. The Covenant were right. This ring... it's Forerunner. Gimme a second to access... Yes, the Forerunner built this ring, what they call a "fortress world", in order to... Wait... No, that can't be... Oh, those Covenant fools! They must have known! There must have been signs!
- The Master Chief: Slow down. You're losin' me.
- Cortana: The Covenant found something buried in this ring, something horrible, and now... they're afraid.
- The Master Chief: Something buried? Wha...
- Cortana: The Captain! We've got to stop the Captain!
- The Master Chief: Keyes? What do we...
- Cortana: The weapons cache he's looking for, it's not really... we can't let him get inside!
- The Master Chief: I don't understa...
- Cortana: There's no time! Get out of here, find Keyes, stop him!
- [the Master Chief runs out of the room]
- Cortana: Before it's too late!
- Marine: [after killing all the aliens on the beach] Area secure! All hostiles have been eliminated!
- Foe Hammer: Affirmative! Echo 419 inbound! Somebody order a Warthog?
- Sgt. Stacker: Hey, I didn't know you made house calls, Foe Hammer!
- Foe Hammer: You know our motto! "We deliver!"
- Sgt. Johnson: We are going to blow the hell out of those dumb bugs until we don't have anything left to shoot 'em with! And then, we are going to strangle them with their own-living-guts!
- Sgt. Johnson: [fighting the Covenant] I would have been your daddy, but that dog beat me over the fence.
- 343 Guilty Spark: Greetings. I am the Monitor of Installation Zero Four. I am 343 Guilty Spark. Someone has released the Flood. My function is to prevent it from leaving this installation. But I require your assistance.
- [in a Banshee]
- Cortana: This thing is falling apart!
- The Master Chief: It'll hold.
- Cortana: We're not gonna make it!
- The Master Chief: We'll make it.
- Cortana: Pull up! Pull up!
- [the Banshee crashes]
- Cortana: [sardonic] You did that on purpose, didn't you?
- 343 Guilty Spark: Why naturally the Flood is simply too dangerous to release, and mass sterilization protocols may again need to be enacted. Of course, samples were kept here after the last catastrophic outbreak... for study. It seems... that decision may have been an error.
- [the Master Chief plugs the AI Cortana into his MJOLNIR armor memory matrix]
- Cortana: Hmm. Your architecture is a quite similar the Autumn's.
- The Master Chief: Don't get any funny ideas.
- Marine: So how do we get inside the ship if it's in the air? The corps issued me a rifle, not wings.
- Captain Keyes: [FPV from Pvt. Jenkins' helmet cam] Right, let's get this door open.
- Pvt. Mendoza: I'll try, sir. But it looks like these Covenant tried pretty hard to lock it down.
- Captain Keyes: Just do it, son.
- Pvt. Mendoza: Yes, sir.
- [Mendoza uses a codebreaker and opens the door; he motions to enter the room. Jenkins, Mendoza and Bisenti go in and fan out]
- Pvt. Bisenti: I got a bad feeling about this...
- Sgt. Johnson: Boy, you always got a bad feeling about something.
- Marine: [over radio] Captain? Sarge? Can you hear me?
- Captain Keyes: What's going on, soldier?
- Marine: [over radio] We got contacts, lots of 'em! But they're not Covenant! They're just tearin' through us! What the... Oh, no!
- Sgt. Johnson: Corporal? Do you copy, over? Mendoza, get your ass back up to second squad's position and find out what the hell is going on!
- Pvt. Mendoza: But...
- Sgt. Johnson: I don't have time for your lip, soldier! I gave you an order!
- Pvt. Mendoza: But Sarge, listen!
- [ominous crawling and slurping is heard]
- Pvt. Bisenti: What is that?
- Sgt. Johnson: Where's that comin' from, Mendoza?
- Pvt. Mendoza: Everywhere! I don't... There! Mira!
- [points as infection form Flood pour out of a door]
- Pvt. Bisenti: [an infection form latches onto his face] Gaaah! Get it out! Get it out!
- Pvt. Mendoza: Hold still! Hold still!
- Sgt. Johnson: Let 'em have it!
- [the Marines open fire]
- Captain Keyes: Sergeant, we're surrounded!
- Sgt. Johnson: Goddammit, Jenkins! Fire your weapon!
- Pvt. Jenkins: There are too many, Sarge!
- Sgt. Johnson: Don't even think about it, Marine.
- Pvt. Mendoza: Aw, this is loco!
- [runs away]
- Captain Keyes: Get back here, Marine! That's an order!
- [Johnson calls out to Jenkins whose cam is blocked by the Flood; video feed ends]
- Sgt. Johnson: [to Fire Team Charlie] Once again, it is our job to finish what the flyboys started. We are leaving this ship, platoon, and engaging the Covenant on solid ground. When we meet the enemy, we will rip their skulls from their spines, and toss 'em away, laughin'! Am I right, Marines?
- Cortana: The Covenant believe that what they call the Silent Cartographer is somewhere under this island. The Cartographer is a Map Room that will show us the location of Halo's Control Center. The Island has multiple structures and installations, one of them contains the Map room.
- Foe Hammer: The LZ looks clear! I'm bringin' us down! Get set to come out swingin'! Touchdown! HIT IT MARINES!
- Marine: [after killing an enemy] Get up, so I can kill you again!
- Sgt. Johnson: [to Fire Team Charlie] Men, here is where we show those split-chin squid-head sons-of-bitches that they could not have picked a worse enemy than the human race! We are going to blow the hell out of those dumb bugs, until we don't have anything left to shoot 'em with! And then we are going to strangle them with their own-living-guts! Am I *right*, Marines?
- Marine: [if you shoot him] Do I owe you money?
- Grunt: I'm glad that food nipple is waiting for me on the starship cause man, have I worked up a big, grunty, thirst!
- 343 Guilty Spark: It is curious that you brought such ineffective weapons to combat the Flood, despite the containment protocols.
- 343 Guilty Spark: These Sentinels will supplement your combat system. But I suggest you upgrade to at least a Class Twelve combat skin. Your current model only scans as a Class Two, which is ill-suited for this kind of work.
- 343 Guilty Spark: The installation was specifically built to study and contain the Flood. Their survival as a race was dependent upon it. I am grateful to see that some of them survived to reproduce.
- naval officer: [on the Pillar of Autumn after attack has started] Looks like I picked the wrong day to stop smokin'.
- 343 Guilty Spark: [after hitting 343 Guilty Spark with your gun] We have much more important things to do.
- Cortana: [Before crash landing on Halo in the life pod] Sure you wouldn't rather take a seat?
- The Master Chief: We'll be fine.
- Traumatized Marine: Stay back! Stay back, you're not turning me into one of those things! I'll blow your brains out! Get away from me! Gaaaaahh! Aaaaahh! Don't touch me, you freaks, I won't be like you, I'll die first! Find your own hiding place, the monsters are everywhere! Play dead! That's what I did... played dead. They took the live ones... Oh, God, I can still hear them!
- [sob]
- Traumatized Marine: Monsters... Ahhhhhh! Ahhhhaaahhh... Just leave me alooooone! Sarge? Mendoza? Bisenti? All gone... the things took them, away, away, away, they went away...
- [mumbles and cries]
- Traumatized Marine: They're gone! Get it? Gone! They won't get me! Oh God... oh God I don't want to be like them, please, please no, please nooo...
- Elite: Wort Wort Wort!
- 343 Guilty Spark: You can see how the body's been transformed by the genetic restructuring of the Flood infection. The small creatures carry spores that cause a host to mutate. The mutated host then produces spores that can pass the Flood to others. It is insidious and elegant. As long as any hosts remain, the Flood is virulent.