Editing Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn/Transcripts/Part 4

''[[UNSC Forward Unto Dawn]]'s [[cryo chamber]]s. [[Cortana]]'s voice can be heard.''

*'''Cortana''': "I don't recognize..."

''Cuts to a closer shot of one of the chambers.''

*'''Cortana''': "I can't...remember..."

''One chamber suddenly burst open.''

*'''Cortana''': "...so much of myself."

''An air hose bursts under pressure, sending a ring-shaped pressure seal flying outward. Cuts to a wider shot of the room.''

*'''Cortana''': "I'm lost..."

''Cuts from the screen showing a scan of the ''Forward Unto Dawn'' to a haphazard shot of the room.''

*'''Cortana''': "...I'm scared."

''As the shot suddenly goes into slow motion, light reflects off the ring and a dramatic chord plays, clearly an homage to [[Halo Array|Halo]]. As the shot returns to regular motion, [[Ur-Didact|an orange light]] scans the ship, turning the alarms on. Cortana's voice suddenly overlaps.''

*'''Cortana''': "Hello? Who's there?"

*'''Cortana''': "It appears to be an [[Requiem|alien construct]]."

*'''Cortana''': "The data confirms it was not built by the [[Covenant]]."

*'''Cortana''': "No need for more analyzing."

''Cuts to black.''

*'''Cortana''': "We are in danger."

{{Center|'''HALO 4<br>
'''FORWARD UNTO DAWN'''<br>
<small>'''PART IV'''</small>'''}}

''Cuts to an ODST as he is blown apart by a [[plasma grenade]].''

*'''Marine 1''': "Incoming!"

*'''Marine 2''': "Hold on!"

*'''Marine 3''': "Move it!"

*'''Marine 4''': "Watch out!"

''[[Thomas Lasky]], [[Chyler Silva]] and [[April Orenski]] run through a firefight between [[Orbital Drop Shock Trooper|ODSTs]], [[UNSC Marine Corps|Marines]] and [[Covenant]] forces. [[MA5D Individual Combat Weapon System|MA5Ds]], {{Pattern|Okarda'phaa|plasma rifle}}s, [[Vostu-pattern carbine|Covenant Carbines]] and [[Gadulo-pattern needle rifle}}|Needle Rifles]] can be heard firing. Pieces of rubble from the destroyed [[space tether]] continue to fall. Orenski tries to guide the other cadets through the chaos. A Marine next to her is gunned down.''

*'''Orenski''': "Come on! Let's go!"

''In the confusion, Lasky loses sight of Silva and Orenski. He looks around and sees Marines firing their weapons.'' 

*'''Marine''': "Over there!"

*'''Marine''': "Get back!"

''Behind Lasky, an academy instructor can be seen firing an assault rifle. Cadets are running in every direction as the UNSC troops continue firing. Lasky turns around.  A Marine screams as he is shot through the back by a Carbine round. The [[Unidentified Sangheili Zealot|Sangheili Zealot]] fires its [[Okarda'phaa-pattern plasma rifle|Plasma Rifle]] at a pair of fleeing cadets.''

''Lasky desperately shouts for his teammates.''

*'''Lasky''': "Chyler! Hastati!"

''A nearby Marine is killed by Needler fire. Another Marine is engulfed in an explosion. Cut back to Lasky. Another armed academy instructor rushes past him, firing an assault rifle. Lasky then notices [[Colonel]] [[K.L. Mehaffey|Mehaffey]] wielding an [[MA5D assault rifle|assault rifle]] and yelling at the cadets.''

*'''Colonel Mehaffey''': "Get to the dorms, go!"

''Lasky stares at her. Behind him, a Marine can be seen aiming a [[M41 Surface-to-Surface Rocket Medium Anti-Vehicle/Assault Weapon|rocket launcher]].''

*'''Lasky''': "Colonel Mehaffey...?"

*'''Mehaffey''': "Go, go, go, go!"

''Mehaffey cries out as she is suddenly hit by multiple Needler rounds.  As Lasky watches in horror, everything is now in slow motion. Mehaffey falls out of the frame; there's a small explosion of pink light and blood (most likely the embedded Needler rounds detonating). Lasky continues to look on as the Zealot barks orders.''

*'''Zealot''': "Ee-nah rah!"

''Two ODSTs are seen shooting. Lasky looks to his left. A cadet runs through the smoke.  Lasky turns to his right and sees a Marine about to get ambushed by a [[Kig-Yar Sniper]] with a [[Gadulo-pattern needle rifle}}|needle rifle]]. The Kig-Yar squawks as it starts to raise its weapon. Cuts to a brief shot of the Marine before everything goes to normal speed as Silva runs up to Lasky.''

*'''Silva''': "Tom!"

''Silva pulls Lasky, still in a trance, by the arm.''

*'''Silva''': "Come on, let's go!"

''Cuts to more shots of Marines fighting.''

*'''Marine''': "Fall back!"

''As the firefight tips even more in the [[Covenant]]'s favor, [[Junjie Chen]] grabs the pair.''

*'''Lasky''': "JJ, is that you?!"

*'''Silva''': "Come on!"

*'''Chen''': "To the dorms!"

''Cuts to a shot inside the dorms. Explosions can be heard outside. [[Hastati Squad]], minus [[Dimah Tchakova]], regroups.''

*'''[[Michael Sullivan|Sullivan]]''': "What's happened?"

''[[Walter Vickers|Vickers]] tries to open the doors to no avail.''

*'''Vickers''': "Doors are locked!"

*'''Sullivan''': "Over here; in Lasky's room."

*'''Silva''': "Come on, come on!"

''Hastati quickly squeezes into the room. Cuts to various close-up shots of the cadets as reality starts to sink into them.''

*'''Sullivan''': "Oh my god...Dimah, she's dead."

*'''Lasky''': "Colonel Mehaffey..."

*'''Vickers''': "We'll be too if we don't do something!"

''Sullivan scatters his hand on the [[Holotank|holotable]], knocking around the shells and casings on Lasky's makeshift chessboard, as he works.  He tries to activate the system but is unsuccessful.''

*'''Sullivan''': "Comms are offline"

*'''Vickers''': "It's a [[Human-Covenant war|whole new war]]."

''Everyone spaces out in disbelief.  Suddenly they hear a woman screaming from outside in the hallway. She is abruptly silenced by a stabbing sound.''

*'''Vickers''': “That sounded close.”

''Lasky goes up to the door and peeks outside. The Sangheili Zealot has stabbed a female cadet through the back with its [[Type-1 energy sword|Energy Sword]]. It utters something in [[Sangheili (language)|its native language]].''

*'''Zealot''': "Noh-mee-oh woo-nn-tah-kee rah-uh."

''Lasky looks on in fear as the Zealot pulls its sword out of the dead cadet and deactivates it before suddenly [[Active camouflage|disappearing]].''

''Eyes widening, Lasky quickly retreats inside.''

*'''Lasky''': “It’s invisible.”

*'''Vickers''': “What the hell’s invisible?”

*'''Lasky''': “One of those things is inside, and it is ''invisible''!”

''As everyone absorbs this information, Lasky looks out into the hallway again. He hears the Elite growling. Still cloaked, the Zealot bursts into another room. Screams are heard.''

''Lasky turns to the others.''

*'''Lasky''': “Let’s go. We gotta get out of here.”

*'''Sullivan''': “No, no, no, no, screw that! We stay here.”

*'''Chen''': “Where’re we gonna go?”

*'''Orenski''': “No, no, no, no, we’re gonna, we're gonna go to the training room. We’re gonna get prepped up. We’re gonna get some weapons.”

*'''Chen''': “I’ll take point.”

*'''Orenski''': “Come on. Come on, line up!”

''Hastati lines up, with Chen in front.''

*'''Orenski''': “Alright. Tell us when. Tell us when, alright?”

''They hear the sound of glass shattering.''

*'''Sullivan''': "Jesus..."

''Chen takes a peek outside as the invisible Zealot exits back into the hallway. A few moments later, the Zealot bursts into the room right next to Hastati’s.''

*'''Chen''': “Now!”

''Hastati squad runs out of the room. Behind them, the Zealot roars in anger. They come across a two-way where Chen leads the squad to the left before suddenly stopping, shock in his eyes.''

*'''Orenski''': “Go! Go go go! Hurry! What-”

''Chen is still, the shock not leaving his face.''

*'''Sullivan''': “Guys?”

''There is a harsh growling sound nearby.''

*'''Vickers''': “Why’d you stop, JJ?”

''As his glasses start to steam up, Chen is suddenly stabbed by the cloaked Zealot’s energy sword and lifted off the ground.''

*'''Vickers''': “JJ!”

''Hastati squad looks on in horror as the Zealot drops JJ.''

*'''Vickers''': “Oh my god!”

''Everyone runs toward the right.''

*'''Sullivan''': “Move! Go, go, go!”

*'''Zealot''': "Ee-nn-hah ee-nah hah!"

''The Zealot bellows at the fleeing cadets. Camera focuses briefly on Chen’s dead body. The rest of the squad arrives at the training room.''

*'''Orenski''': “Lasky, send the distress beacon. Chyler, help me get the weapons.”

''Orenski, Silva, Sullivan and Vickers head to the weapon compartments while Lasky works on the doorpad, trying to seal the door. Orenski begins entering codes while Silva and Vickers try to force the compartments open.''

*'''Orenski''': “It's locked! My code isn’t working!”

*'''Silva''': “Try again. Do it again!”

''Sullivan points at the door.''

*'''Sullivan''': “Lasky, door!”

''The cadets continue attempting to open the compartments, while Lasky continues trying to shut the door.''

*'''Sullivan''': “Lasky, door!”

*'''Lasky''': “Yeah, I’m-I’m trying!”

*'''Silva''': “April, come on!”

*'''Orenski''': "It's not working!"

''The door finally shuts. Lasky goes to the emergency beacon.''

*'''Lasky''': “Mayday, mayday, mayday. This is Cadet Thomas Lasky. I repeat, mayday! Mayday! There’s been an attack on Corbulo Academy. Excessive casualties. I repeat, excessive casualties.”

''Orenski backs away from the weapons locker, giving up.''

*'''Orenski''': “I don’t have access to the live rounds.”

*'''Lasky''': “I think the beacon’s down as well.”

*'''Sullivan''': “We’re dead.”

*'''Orenski''': ''(slightly hysterical)'' “Okay, alright. Think, think, think, think...”

''Lasky walks towards Orenski.''

*'''Lasky''': “We can’t stay in here, April.”

*'''Orenski''': “We can’t go out there!”

''As Lasky and Orenski look on, Vickers takes a fire extinguisher and starts ramming the compartments. Everyone looks at him before encouraging him on.''

*'''Lasky''': “Come on, Vickers! Harder!”

*'''Sullivan''': “Harder, Vickers!”

''As Vickers is about to ram the lockers one more time, something bangs on the door outside. Everyone stops what they are doing and stares at the door in horror.''

*'''Orenski''': ''(faintly)'' “Hide.”

''The cadets quickly run to the back, where Vickers goes to the right and everyone else goes left. An alien roar is heard from outside the training room.  As Vickers tries to rejoin the others, an errant burst of sparks from the broken ceiling lights erupts in front of him and he is forced to stay separated. The Zealot outside can be heard speaking.''

*'''Zealot''': "Ray-nah-reh! Woh-koh nah bee-oh-gyoh joh."

''The banging continues. There's a few seconds of silence. Then the door is finally knocked off its hinges, scaring all five cadets.''  

''Everyone except Vickers rushes to a new hiding spot.  Lasky presses a finger to his lips, indicating for Vickers to be quiet.  Vickers nods and backs up against the lockers.  A frightened Lasky waits in his hiding spot as footsteps are heard. A cloud of exhaust steam leaking from a pipe is disturbed by an unseen force.  Then something steps over the fallen door, making it move. The cadets all recoil in fear. They hear the invisible Zealot growl, and the sound of footsteps going past their hiding spot.''

*'''Lasky''': ''(whisper)'' “Go.”

''Lasky starts to move forward, when sparks burst out from a damaged cable in front of him. He recoils slightly, then lowers himself on all fours and slowly starts crawling out from his hiding spot.  Everyone, minus Vickers, follows Lasky's lead and cautiously start crawling forward. Vickers, still in fear, doesn’t move.''

*'''Sullivan''': “Lasky, go for the door.”

*'''Lasky''': “We can’t leave Vickers.”

''Close up on Vickers, breathing hard, still unable to move.''

*'''Silva''': “Where is it?”

''Lasky drops to his stomach and takes a quick peek. Everything is quiet until the Zealot’s cloaked foot hits a puddle. Realizing the Elite is doubling back, Lasky quickly gets back up.''

*'''Lasky''': “Right there.”

''There's another burst of sparks from the damaged cable, momentarily outlining the cloaked Zealot's profile.  As everyone looks on in silent fear, the Zealot activates its energy sword and walks around, barely missing them. Chyler grips Lasky's hand tightly. The Zealot stops as it receives a transmission from its [[Unggoy]] subordinates. It de-cloaks and responds.'' 

*'''Unggoy (COM)''': "Nee-kah koh reh-moh. Nee-kah koh. Nee-kah koh."

*'''Zealot''': "Gee ree-oh ruh-ah."

*'''Unggoy (COM)''': "Nee. Uh-GEH. Gah-reh goh-roh-MEH-nee-oh yee-may-oh."

''Cuts to Vickers, a look of determination coming across his face.  Cuts back to the Zealot, still on the line with the Unggoy. The Zealot shouts angrily into its comm.''

*'''Zealot''': "Woo mah-nuh nee noh rah-shee!"

''Suddenly, Vickers steps out of his hiding place.''

*'''Vickers''': “Hey! Guys, run!”

''Vickers raises the fire extinguisher, intending to charge.  The Zealot turns around and fires its plasma rifle, blasting Vickers in the chest once and killing him instantly.''

*'''Sullivan''': “Vickers!”

''Hearing Sullivan’s shout, the Zealot turns back and reactivates its energy sword. Backed into a corner, the cadets can only sit, frozen in place.''

*'''Zealot''': "Tah-koh koh zah-meh-ah-uh!"

''Orenski's eyes widen in terror as the Zealot finds them at last.'' 

*'''Zealot''': "Ee-gah zah-ruh-mee ee-geh-nee!"

''The alien points his sword at the cadets, the blade’s tips inches from Lasky’s face. Silva puts her hand on Lasky's shoulder. The Zealot starts to laugh, when there's a sudden stabbing sound. The Elite jerks its head up and gasps in shock and pain. A bloodied [[combat knife]] is pulled from the back of its neck; the alien groans and falls sideways, dead. Its killer, [[Spartan-II|an enormous]], [[MJOLNIR Powered Assault Armor/Mark IV|armor-clad soldier]], bearing the number 117 on his chest plating, looks down at it briefly before activating his helmet lights and turning to the cadets.  A burst of sparks from the broken ceiling lights illuminates his profile as he steps forward. The cadets stare up in fear and awe.''

''Cuts to a close-up of the Spartan.''

*'''[[Master Chief Petty Officer]] [[John-117]]''': "We don't have much time. Let's go."

''Cuts to Lasky, too stunned to speak.''

''Cuts again to Silva looking down at Vickers' body. The others are standing behind her with John-117, who is communicating over the radio.'' 

*'''John-117''': "[[Kelly-087|Kelly]], inform Command I have four survivors."

''Silva gets back up and rejoins the others in the hallway. John-117 is still on the radio.''

*'''John-117''': "Take [[Blue Team|your team]] north. Rendezvous at Evac Alpha for [[Pelican]] extraction."

''An errant blast of sparks distracts the cadets.''

*'''John-117''': "We'll meet you there. Chief out."

''John-117 ends communications and turns to face the cadets.''

''Cuts to a close-up of Lasky.''

*'''Lasky''': "How did you find us?"

*'''John-117''': "A distress beacon."

*'''Sullivan''': "Why did you come for ''us''?"

*'''John-117''': "You're the only survivors."

''Cuts to a close-up of Sullivan.''

*'''Sullivan''': "In the ''school''?"

''John-117 turns to him.''

*'''John-117''': "On ''[[Circinius IV|the planet]]''."

''Lasky and Silva look away in shock.''

*'''John-117''': "We've got fifteen minutes to get to the evac point. Armor up."

''Cuts back to Sullivan.''

*'''Sullivan''': "It's-It's locked."

''John-117 looks at him before punching straight through the locker door and ripping it off its hinges.''

''Cuts to the hallway. John-117 leads the now geared up cadets out of the training room armory, all of their flashlights active. As the walk continues, they take up formation; John-117 and Orenski in the front, Lasky and Silva on left/right with Sullivan watching the rear. John-117 suddenly signals the group to stop.''

*'''John-117''': “Stay quiet. Do not leave, no matter what you hear outside.”

*'''Lasky''': “Wait, who are you?”

''John looks at Lasky for a short second.''

*'''John-117''': “Call me [[Master Chief Petty Officer|Master Chief]].”

''As he walks away, Silva sits down on the floor in exhaustion.''

*'''Sullivan''': “I knew those [[Office of Naval Intelligence|ONI]] vids were bad news. Now we’re the only ones alive, and-”

''Lasky joins Silva on the floor.''

*'''Orenski''': “Sully, shh.”

*'''Sullivan''': “What the hell is going on? We’re all following a giant robot.”

''He turns to check the back.''

*'''Sullivan''': “Who knows if he’s even coming back?”

*'''Lasky''': “He’s gotta come back. I believe him.”

''Lasky turns to look down at Silva, who looks uneasy.''

*'''Lasky''': “You okay?”

*'''Silva''': “I don’t know.”

*'''Lasky''': “Hang on. We'll be all right.”

''Lasky takes her helmet and puts it on for her.''

*'''Lasky''': “Hey. Hey, you’re gonna be fine."

''Lasky tightens her helmet.''

*'''Silva''': “Thanks.”

''They suddenly hear footsteps as the lights start to flicker. Fearing it's the Covenant, the cadets nervously aim their weapons.  As the footsteps grow louder, lights suddenly come on; the Chief is back.''

*'''John-117''': “Who’s the best shot here?”

''The cadets look at him in confusion.''

*'''Sullivan''': "...you probably?”

''John-117 still waits for a response. Lasky ties his helmet and gestures to Silva.''

*'''Lasky''': “Chyler is.”

''The camera goes down to Silva, who nods in agreement.''

*'''Silva''': “I’m good.”

*'''Orenski''': “I am too.”

''John-117 turns to Lasky.''

*'''John-117''': “Cadet Lasky, can you drive a Warthog?”

''Lasky, unsure, stares at him for a short second.''

*'''Lasky''': "Uh...yeah. Sure."

*'''John-117''': “Good. That’s where we’re headed. Shooters on the left and right, driver in the center.”

''The cadets get ready to move out.''

*'''John-117''': “Stay close to me. It’s your best chance of survival.”

''Cuts to outside, close up on the body of a female cadet. John-117's armored feet enter the frame, followed closely by Lasky's.''

''As the [[SPARTAN-II Program|Spartan]] leads the group through the wreckage of the academy, the cadets are shocked by the decimation and death around them.  Lasky looks down, his gaze lingering briefly on the body of a fellow cadet. Orenski, distracted by a small explosion behind her, turns around and sees the body of one of the ODSTs who died attempting to defend the academy. Sullivan stares at another cadet partially buried under a pile of rubble. Silva reacts visibly to the sight of a female cadet and an academy instructor lying dead in each others' arms.'' 

''The survivors continue moving forward. Covenant ships can be seen in the distance, holding position and sweeping the area with search lights.  Eventually, the group spots a Warthog and starts to move towards it.''

''An errant explosion in the background startles Sullivan. He starts to lag behind a little.''

*'''Lasky''': ''(whispers)'' "Sully, keep up."

*'''Orenski''': “Sully, come on.”

''Sully looks around nervously.''

*'''Sullivan''': “Where-Where’d [[Covenant|they]] all go?”

''A Needle round suddenly strikes Sullivan in the right leg. He cries out in pain. Scene then switches to slow-motion as Sullivan sees a [[Kig-Yar Sniper]] standing on a roof firing another round aimed for his head. John-117 jumps in just in time to shield Sullivan.  Grabbing Sully in one arm, the Chief fires his assault rifle with the other.''

*'''John-117''': “Get down!”

''John-117 shoves Sullivan down and continues firing his [[MA5D assault rifle|assault rifle]]. The other three cadets take cover with Sully. Incoming Needle rounds bounce off the Chief's armor.''

*'''John-117''': “Get to the ‘Hog. I’ll draw their fire!”

''The explosions from the shooting temporarily obscure the cadets’ vision. By the time they recover, the Chief is gone.''

*'''Orenski''': “Where’d he go?”

*'''Lasky''': “Chief!”

*'''Orenski''': “Cover me!”

''Orenski gets out of cover and takes up position.''

*'''Orenski''': “Lasky, go!”

''Lasky takes a moment to look at the other two cadets.''

*'''Lasky''': “You okay?”

''Silva nods.''

*'''Silva''': “I’ve got Sully. Go!”

''Lasky nods back as Orenski starts to shoot.''

*'''Lasky''': “Moving! Cover me!”

''Lasky gets up and runs toward the Warthog.  The scene briefly goes into slow motion as he dodges a barrage of Needle and Carbine rounds.  As he runs, Orenski keeps on firing. After taking a few deep breaths, Silva gets up to fire, only for a Needle round to impact nearby. A chunk of rubble blows up in her face, forcing her back down.  She and Sullivan start to crawl away.''

*'''Silva''': “Stay low, stay low!”

''Lasky reaches the jeep, and finds the corpse of its driver, [[Black (general)|General Black]], dead from a wound to the forehead. Putting his shock aside, Lasky pulls the superintendent’s body off the driver’s seat. Orenski, meanwhile, keeps firing until her rifle stops.''

*'''Orenski''': “Chyler, I’m out. Give me Sully!”

''Silva pushes Sullivan to Orenski, who takes the injured cadet. She pulls him aside just in time to avoid an explosion.''

*'''Orenski''': “I got you.”

''Lasky tries to activate the Warthog.''

*'''Lasky''': “Come on!”

''The Warthog sputters. Lasky groans in frustration.''

''Silva fires at the Kig-Yar snipers until her rifle runs dry. Out of ammo, Silva discards her MA5D, before noticing an [[Vostu-pattern carbine|alien weapon]] lying in the rubble. She cautiously picks it up and accidentally discharges a shot into the air. Getting a better grip, she takes aim and fires, killing one of the snipers.''

''Meanwhile Lasky finally reactivates the jeep. Almost immediately after doing so, the sound of [[M6H Personal Defense Weapon System|pistol shots]] gets his attention. He looks up to see the Jackals getting killed one by one. He looks back and sees John-117 running along the edge of a building, firing his pistol and dodging enemy fire.''

*'''Silva''': "April, go!"

*'''Orenski''': "Come on, Sully!"

''Orenski grabs Sullivan and brings him safely to the Warthog.  John-117 fires his pistol several more times before jumping off the building's edge. A slow-motion of him dropping down from a rather great height is shown. He lands with ease, as Silva watches in amazement.''

*'''John-117''': ''(gesturing to the Warthog)'' "Go!"

''Snapping out of her trance, Silva makes a break for the Warthog.''

*'''Orenski''': “Come on, Chyler!”

''As Silva gets in, John-117 takes the turret.''

*'''John-117''': “Drive!”

''Lasky floors it, and the Warthog speeds away from the destroyed school.''

''Cuts to black.''