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306
HALO: FIRST STRIKE
you?" he asked. "It would be handy to have you monitor the
Covenant security systems."
The duplicate Cortana was silent a full three seconds. "There
is a way," she finally replied. "When I was copied from the origi-
nal Cortana, the duplicating software was copied as well—it
becomes an inseparable part of all subsequent copies. I can use
this to copy myself into this system."
"Perfect."
"There are risks, however," Cortana told him. "Each succes-
sive copy contains aberrations that I cannot correct. There may
be unforeseen complications associated with using a copy of a
copy."
"Do it," John ordered. "I'll take that chance. But I'm not will-
ing to take a chance on crossing seven kilometers behind enemy
lines without a way to bypass their security systems."
"Standby," Cortana said. "Working."
A minute ticked off John's mission timer. Then the data chip
ejected from the terminal.
"Done," Cortana said over the interteam COM. "I'm in. There's
an exit to this bay thirty meters to your left. I will black out the
security cameras there and open the door in twenty seconds.
Hurry."
John retrieved the chip and reinserted it into his skull. There
was a flash of cold mercury in his mind.
"Move out," John told Blue Team. "Stay low."
Fred's and Linda's acknowledgment lights flickered, indicat-
ing the way was clear.
Blue Team ran, crouching, for thirty meters. A small access
panel slid open, they piled through—then the door snapped shut
behind them.
They proceeded, hunched over; they crawled on their hands
and knees, on their stomachs, and through ducting so tight they
had to shut down their shields and scrape by on bare armor over
metal. For kilometers they followed Cortana's directions, halt-
ing as she ran motion sensors through diagnostics until they
passed ... twisting and turning and shimmying down long
lengths of pipe, dodging the giant blades of circulation fans, and
edging by transformer coils so close that sparks arced across
their shields.