Chapter 1: Operation Hourglass

Chapter 1: Operation Hourglass is the first chapter of Halo Infinite: Memory Agent.

Summary
Onboard the vessel, the lieutenant, an agent for the Office of Naval Intelligence, is awakened from cryonic sleep by Officer Mateas and promptly escorted to a shuttle to be given her next mission briefing. Disorientated and having no previous recollection of either Mateas or the ship, the lieutenant is led onto a shuttle craft for her private and classified briefing. The lieutenant is taken aback, however, when a pre-recorded hologram message she left for herself informs her about their memory loss and unique condition. Due to a past injury, the lieutenant's short-term memory is limited to seven hours, but she possesses a photographic memory within this time frame. Operating as a courier that can ferry highly confidential information across enemy lines, she must complete her fifth and final mission, "Operation: HOURGLASS", with the assistance of her AI, Oliver. The mission entails transmitting an encryption key to Spartan-117, the Master Chief. Once the encryption key is memorized, the lieutenant is unceremoniously left by the Down Out and Go in her shuttle in deep space. Proceeding to the target rendezvous point, the lieutenant is left wondering just who is the Master Chief.

Transcript
''Note: For the sake of the transcript. "The Lieutenant" is referred to as their actual name "Parisa".''


 * Narrator: "Halo Infinite: Memory Agent, part 1."

Music starts, with the sound of a heartbeat increasing


 * Technical Officer Mateas: "Cryo sleep concluded, the Lieutenant is awake."

Lieutenant Parisa breaths hard before talking.


 * Lieutenant Parisa (Internal monologue): "Is that me he's talking about? I'm the Lieutenant. I hate cryo sleep. Can't remember a god damn thing. How long have I been asleep in this tube."

Sound of a Cryo chamber opening happens


 * Technical Officer Mateas: "Cryo pod is open."


 * Lieutenant Parisa (Internal monologue): "Urgh my head is pounding."


 * Technical Officer Mateas: "Good morning Lieutenant."


 * Lieutenant Parisa (Internal monologue): "Why is this guy talking so loudly. Guess I have to rejoin the living and interact. Oh god, here we go"

Lieutenant Parisa vomits.


 * Lieutenant Parisa: "Sorry."


 * Technical Officer Mateas: "Make nothing of it. I'll be escorting you to-"


 * Lieutenant Parisa: "What ship is this? I think this latest doze left me a little more worse for wear."


 * Technical Officer Mateas: "Um, well, let's hurry to the shuttle bay for your briefing on the next mission."


 * Lieutenant Parisa: "Uh- what's your name?"


 * Technical Officer Mateas: "Mateas ma'am, technical officer."


 * Lieutenant Parisa: "Mateas, I can barely remember who the hell I am but I know I outrank you."


 * Technical Officer Mateas: "Yes ma'am, uh, sorry ma'am."


 * Lieutenant Parisa: "Are you new?"


 * Technical Officer Mateas: "No ma'am, not exactly."


 * Lieutenant Parisa: "Not exactly? Speak plainly for Christ's sakes."


 * Technical Officer Mateas: "I've been with you since you transferred here to the, that's the ship you're on. Six months now."


 * Lieutenant Parisa (Internal monologue): "Six months? What's this guy talking about? I don't remember him or this ship"


 * Lieutenant Parisa: "What are our orders?"


 * Technical Officer Mateas: "There's a classified briefing for your ears only. I'm not really supposed to know this. But the only thing I heard is it has something to do with a Spartan."


 * Lieutenant Parisa: "A WHAT?"


 * Technical Officer Mateas: "We really better move to your shuttle for the briefing lieutenant. If you'll follow me."

Mateas and the Lieutenant walk through the ship with chatter happening in the background.


 * Lieutenant Parisa (Internal monologue): "I could walk these metal corridors with my eyes closed but I don't recognize... any of this. Maybe it's all getting to me. This war, these ships."

Doors open to the shuttle bay.


 * Technical Officer Mateas: "Okay, this is your shuttle. After you ma'am."

Mateas and the Lieutenant enter the shuttle.


 * Lieutenant Parisa: "Hey do I have a decent AI on this ship? Still shaking some cobwebs out of my head, I think I'm going to need the help."

Digital sounds happen and the Artificial intelligence Oliver starts talking.


 * Oliver: "Good morning lieutenant."


 * Technical Officer Mateas: "This is Oliver, your AI. He'll provide... adequate assistance for your... condition."


 * Lieutenant Parisa: "My condition?"


 * Technical Officer Mateas: "Okay, time for your briefing hologram. I'm gonna deboard."


 * Oliver: I'll be going into isolation mode for your briefing lieutenant. Classified message commencing now."


 * Lieutenant Parisa (Internal monologue): "Who's doing the briefing, the secretary general?"


 * Lieutenant Parisa (Recording): "Hello lieutenant. Yes, I'm you."


 * Lieutenant Parisa (Internal monologue): "What the hell is this? Wha- when did I- Is this a joke?"


 * Lieutenant Parisa (Recording): "You don't remember recording this message. In fact, you don't remember much of anything."


 * Lieutenant Parisa (Internal monologue): "Well that's the first accurate thing I've heard today."


 * Lieutenant Parisa (Recording): "Your memory loss is not due to cryo sleep. An injury has left you unable to retain your short-term memory. This prevented you from continuing your previous duties. But the Office of Naval Intelligence has recruited you to ferry critical intel behind enemy lines. That's what you do now and evidently you, heh. WE are pretty good at it. Your memory is limited to roughly seven hours. Apparently we can get to around eight if we concentrate. Everything I'm telling you now I learned from well, myself seven hours ago. I know that you have no recollection of anything that I am saying, but knowing you as I do, you should feel that this is all true as it did for me. This will be your fifth and final mission. Operation: HOURGLASS, bring the encryption key to Spartan-117. The Master Chief."


 * Oliver: "Classified message concluded."


 * Lieutenant Parisa (Internal monologue): "I just briefed myself. I'm an intelligence operative with... no memory? I guess someone figured the only person I'd trust IS myself."


 * Oliver: "Lieutenant, I am monitoring your health vitals. May I ask how you are feeling regarding the revelations about your condition?"


 * Lieutenant Parisa: "Do you ask me that each time I brief myself?"


 * Oliver: "I am programmed to monitor your stress levels given your condition."


 * Lieutenant Parisa: "Stop... saying... condition. *sigh* Have I been okay in the past? What did I say the last go-around when you asked?"


 * Oliver: "You instructed me to stop saying condition."


 * Lieutenant Parisa: "Looks like we both have faulty memories."


 * Oliver: "My memory is functional..."


 * Lieutenant Parisa: "Oliver, stop talking. Where's Mateas?"


 * Technical Officer Mateas: "Lieutenant, this is the encryption key to deliver to the asset."


 * Lieutenant Parisa: "What is this, paper?"


 * Technical Officer Mateas: "Yes, unfold it. Do you have it memorized?"


 * Lieutenant Parisa: "Mateas, how could I have possibly just memorized 276 lines of code? I... Wait. How the hell did I do that?"


 * Technical Officer Mateas: "You're condition is..."


 * Oliver: "She does not like that word. Again."


 * Technical Officer Mateas: "You can't remember anything after a day. But during that day? Well, that's a different story."


 * Oliver: "Lieutenant, your photographic retention within your daily seven hour cycle has been augmented and drilled with the Loci method."


 * Lieutenant Parisa: "The what?"


 * Oliver: "Otherwise known as a memory palace for enhanced recall."


 * Technical Officer Mateas: "I have to destroy the code now. Hold the paper out in front of you."


 * Lieutenant Parisa: "HEY! Careful where you fire that torch!"


 * Technical Officer Mateas: "I haven't scorched you yet."


 * Lieutenant Parisa (Internal monologue): "If I had any memory I would be fed up with this kid by now. I still don't understand how I memorized that intel so quickly."


 * Technical Officer Mateas: "I need to hurry off this shuttle. Good luck lieutenant."


 * Lieutenant Parisa: "Wait, Mateas. The asset I'm supposed to meet. Who's the Master Chief?"

Mateas laughs


 * Lieutenant Parisa: "I will not remind you of your rank again."


 * Technical Officer Mateas: "Won't happen again ma'am."

The following has sounds of the shuttle detaching, and the UNSC Down Out and Go retreating into slip space.


 * Oliver: "Mateas has deboarded. We are clear for detachment. Detachment is complete. Down Out And Go has jumped to slip space. We are officially unchaperoned in our shuttle. Shall we proceed to the rendezvous?"


 * Lieutenant Parisa (Internal monologue): "Unchaperoned is one way to say it. I am alone. A tiny speck in space. That's a whole lot of emptiness out that window. Emptiness in here too. Just a head full of numbers and coordinates to the 'Master Chief'. Whoever that is."


 * Oliver: "Lieutenant?"


 * Lieutenant Parisa: "Proceed to the rendezvous, Oliver. Hey, Oliver, what's our threat probability on this vector?"


 * Oliver: "Approximately seven hours until your memory loss, 39% chance of capture, 28% chance of fatality."


 * Lieutenant Parisa: "What's our armament?"


 * Oliver: "This compartment holds a single M6D sidearm. It is at your disposal."


 * Lieutenant Parisa: "Hehe, you're kidding. That's it?"


 * Oliver: "Weapon systems are not what you want to show up on enemy scans."


 * Lieutenant Parisa (Internal monologue): "You really would have to have no memory to be willing to undertake this mission."


 * Lieutenant Parisa: "Oliver, tell me about the Master Chief."

The Shuttle alarms start with the shuttle AI repeating the same words.


 * Shuttle AI: "Emergency alert, Emergency alert, Emergency alert, Emergency alert."