Two Betrayals

Two Betrayals is the eighth level in Halo: Combat Evolved.

Summary
The Master Chief, after teleporting back to the Control Room, proceeds to activate Installation 04. However, Cortana, who after spending twelve hours in the control room has discovered Halo’s true purpose, stops him just in time. After stealing the Activation Index, she tells the Chief that Halo will wipe out all life in the galaxy, and turns the Chief against the Monitor. Spark sends Sentinels to take the Spartan's head, and the AI inside his helmet. After destroying the Sentinels in the Control Room, Cortana tells the Chief to destroy three Phase Pulse Generators to buy some time, in case the Monitor finds a way to activate Halo without the index. While Cortana tries to locate the Pillar of Autumn ' s crash site, the Master Chief must hijack a Covenant Banshee and set out to destroy the generators. After destroying the third pulse generator, Cortana teleports the Master Chief to a Covenant cruiser: the Truth and Reconciliation.

Transcript
Cutscene

''Long shot of the Control Room. Master Chief and 343 Guilty Spark teleport in, obviously in the middle of a conversation, explaining something about the Flood.''


 * 343 Guilty Spark: "...which means that any organism of sufficient mass and cognitive capability is a potential vector."

Master Chief pauses as though sensing something is not quite right.


 * 343 Guilty Spark: "Is something wrong?"


 * Master Chief Petty Officer John-117: "No... Nothing."


 * 343 Guilty Spark: "Splendid. Shall we?"

Master Chief and 343 Guilty Spark move up to the main control panel.


 * 343 Guilty Spark: (random humming) "Unfortunately, my usefulness to this particular endeavor has come to an end. Protocol does not allow units with my classification to... perform a task as important as the reunification of the Index with the Core. That final step is reserved for you, Reclaimer."

''Master Chief takes the Index, and puts it into a slot on the console. Lights and holograms appear, but then fade.''


 * 343 Guilty Spark: "Odd. That wasn't supposed to happen."

Cortana suddenly appears over the console.


 * Cortana: "Oh, really!?"

There is a flash of light, and 343 Guilty Spark is thrown back, and down to the ground.


 * John-117: "Cortana!"


 * 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!"


 * John-117: "Hold on now, he's a friend."


 * Cortana: (Mockingly) "Oh! I didn't realize. He's your pal, is he? Your chum? (angrily) Do you have any idea what that bastard almost made you do?!"


 * John-117: (Patiently) "Yes... activate Halo's defenses, and destroy the Flood, which is why we brought the Index to the Control Center."


 * Cortana: "You mean this?"

Index hologram appears in Cortana's hand.


 * 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: (smiles nastily) "You sure that's a good idea?"

Cortana's avatar absorbs the Index.


 * 343 Guilty Spark: (outraged) "How... how... how dare you! I'll--"


 * Cortana: "Do what? I have the Index! You can just float and sputter!"


 * John-117: "Enough! (The Chief brings both hands up in the middle of them as if to stop a fight, then turns back to face Cortana.) 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!" (Points at Spark.)

Master Chief hesitates, and then turns to 343 Guilty Spark.


 * John-117: "Is it true?"


 * 343 Guilty Spark: (pauses) "More or less. Technically, this installation's pulse has a maximum effective radius of twenty-five thousand 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." (Pause) "But you already knew that... I mean, how couldn't you?"


 * Cortana: "Left out that little detail, did he?"


 * 343 Guilty Spark: "We have followed outbreak containment procedure to the letter. You were with me each step of the way, as we managed this crisis."


 * Cortana: (alarmed) "Chief, I'm picking up movement!"


 * 343 Guilty Spark: "Why would you hesitate to do what you have already done?"


 * Cortana: (urgently) "We need to go, right now."

Four Sentinels float up behind 343 Guilty Spark, their beams aimed menacingly on the Chief.


 * 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."

''Master Chief looks around at the Sentinels, and backs towards the panel. He takes Cortana's disk out of the console, and inserts it into his head.''


 * 343 Guilty Spark: "There is no choice. We must activate the ring."


 * Cortana: (urgently whispers in Master Chief's head) "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."


 * John-117: "That's not going to happen."


 * 343 Guilty Spark: "So be it." (to the Sentinels) "Save his head. Dispose of the rest."

343 Guilty Spark teleports away, and his Sentinels attack

{Gameplay}


 * Cortana: "Look out!"

The Sentinels open fire at the Chief, but are soon eliminated by the Chief's weapons.

The Gun Pointed at the Head of the Universe

 * Cortana: "We can't let the Monitor activate Halo. We have to stop him - we have to destroy Halo. According to my analysis of the available data, I believe the best course of action is somewhat... risky. An explosion of sufficient size will help destabilize the ring, and will cut through a number of primary systems. We need to trigger a detonation on a large scale, however. A star ship's fusion reactors going critical would do the job. I'm going to search what's left of the Covenant battlenet, and see if I can locate the Pillar of Autumn ' s crash site. If the ship's fusion reactors are still relatively intact, we can use them to destroy Halo."

After eliminating some Covenant patrols in the corridors, the Master Chief exits the structure into the snowy night sky.


 * Cortana: "I haven't located the crash site yet but we need to buy some time, in case the Monitor or his Sentinels find a way to activate Halo's final weapon, without the Index. The machinery in these canyons are Halo's primary firing mechanisms. They consist of three phase pulse generators that amplify Halo's signal, and allow it to fire deep into space. The power levels are enormous. I can't even begin to calculate the pulse's range. So, if we damage or destroy these generators, the Monitor will need to repair them before Halo can be used. That should buy us some time. I'm marking the location of the nearest pulse generator with a nav point. We need to move in and neutralize the device."

The Spartan heads down the pyramid structure, eliminating more Covenant patrols on the way.


 * Cortana: "Wait. We should commandeer one of those Banshees; we'll need it to reach the pulse generator in time."

''An Elite enters a Wraith and fires at the Chief. The Chief destroys the armor and the troops in the area. He enters the Banshee.''


 * Cortana: "Good, let's get moving. The nav point marks our target."

The Chief flies to a platform protruding from the cliff, clears a few Covenant patrols, and enters the room containing the Phase Pulse Generator.


 * Cortana: "That's the pulse generator. The center core is the signal amplifier. That's what we need to shut down. We need to interrupt the pulse generator's energy stream. I've adjusted your shield system so that it will deliver an EMP (Electro Magnetic Pulse) burst to disrupt the generator. You will need to walk into the beam, to trigger it. The EMP blast should neutralize the generator. But it will also drain your shields, and you will be vulnerable until they recharge."

''The Chief steps into the generator. The ground shakes rapidly as a small explosion drains the Chief's energy shields.''


 * Cortana: "Objective accomplished! The pulse generator has overloaded. Scanning... the generator's central core is offline. Well done."

Alone, the Chief exits the room and returns to the canyon.

Breaking Stuff to Look Tough

 * Cortana: "The second pulse generator is located in the adjacent canyon. Move out, and I'll mark the target with a nav point when we get closer."

The Chief reaches the bridge in the middle of the canyon, meeting more Covenant troops.


 * Cortana: "Head through that door. That's the way to the next canyon."

''After fighting through Covenant troops, a few Flood Combat Forms are seen attacking Covenant patrols. The Spartan continues and returns to the second canyon.''


 * Cortana: "OK. Let's take care of the next pulse generator."

If the player continues on to toward the third canyon, before destroying the second pulse generator:


 * Cortana: "Wait! We haven't destroyed the pulse generator yet. Find a Banshee, and fly it up to the location marked by the nav point."

''The Chief enters the second generator room. A fight between Flood Combat forms and Sentinels rages around the generator. After clearing the room, the Chief steps into the generator and the generator disables. Flood Combat forms jumps out from holes in the wall while some enters the room.''


 * Cortana: "That did it! The pulse generator overloaded. One more to go."

After clearing the room, the Chief returns outside.

The Tunnels Below

 * Cortana: "I've located the Pillar of Autumn. She put down twelve-hundred kilometers up spin. Energy readings show her fusion reactors are still powered up. The systems on the Pillar of Autumn have fail safes that even I can't override, without authorization from the Captain. We'll need to find him or his neural implants, to start the fusion core detonation. One target remaining. Let's take care of the final pulse generator."

The Chief draws closer to the tunnel that leads to the third canyon.


 * Cortana: "That tunnel leads to the next section of the canyon. The final pulse generator we need to destroy is through there."

After fighting through more Flood forms and Covenant troops, the Chief leaves the tunnel and exits to the third canyon.

Final Run
''The Chief fights through an armada of both Flood and Covenant with supporting vehicles. He enters a Banshee and flies to the platform that leads to the third generator. Sentinels appears and fire at him. As he arrives at the room containing the third generator, Sentinels with energy shields appear. He eliminates the Sentinel and destroys the final generator.''


 * Cortana: "Final target neutralized. Let's get out of here."

{Cutscene}


 * John-117: "Let's find a ride, and get to the Captain."


 * Cortana: "No, that'll take too long."


 * John-117: "You have a better idea?"


 * Cortana: "There's a teleportation grid that runs throughout Halo. That's how the Monitor moves about so quickly. I learned how to tap into the grid when I was in the Control Center. Unfortunately, each jump requires a rather... consequential expenditure of energy."


 * John-117: "Something tells me I'm not gonna like this."


 * Cortana: "But I'm pretty sure I can take the needed energy from your suit without permanently damaging your shields. Needless to say, I think we should only try this once."


 * John-117: "Do it."

''Master Chief is teleported away. Fades to black.''

Level ends.

Glitches

 * About halfway through the level, one will come across a room where when one first opens the door and a dead Stealth Elite and a dead Minor Grunt with Infection Forms on them can be seen. If the player fires his/her weapon near them, they will jump from the bodies and start attacking the player.
 * On rare occasions, the second blast door in the chasm will lock itself leaving players with no other option but to restart the level as a result of the glitch. The blast door also closes once the player has progressed further into the level.
 * After the player takes out the third generator, any remaining Sentinels in the room will be destroyed. However, in rare instances that the generator is destroyed and the Sentinels are left alive, they will begin attacking the Master Chief and, despite being in a scripted custom animation, his shields will fall and he will die. The dialogue continues regardless.

Miscellaneous

 * This is the last level in which Jackals are fought.
 * Some have wondered why Cortana says things like 'sod off' and 'toady about' in this cinematic. The reason for this is that apparently Jason Jones wanted Cortana to have a British accent originally. This was confirmed in the Halo 3 Legendary Edition disc. In addition, in Halo: The Flood, Cortana says 'piss off' rather than 'sod off'.
 * The title's name of "Two Betrayals" refers to the Master Chief and Cortana, in that in discovering Halo's true purpose, they have betrayed Guilty Spark to prevent this from happening. In return, 343 Guilty Spark betrays the Chief by ordering the Sentinels to kill him.
 * Cortana says she can't "even begin to calculate Halo's range," however, 343 Guilty Spark already stated that Halo's maximum range is 25,000 light years. Possibly she just means she can't confirm the Monitor's statement. This is a mistake, however, because she says that she can't even begin to calculate the Pulse's range, not Halo's.
 * One can snipe the Wraith driver at the beginning of the level. When the soundtrack starts, aim at the Wraith and one will see an Elite. The player still can't drive the Wraith, but this trick can help favorably in Legendary.
 * This level is similar to the Halo 2 level, Quarantine Zone as they take place at night in a snowy place, has the player fighting the Flood and Sentinels, involves the Index being stolen, and involves betrayals at the beginning or end of the level with someone who helps guide the player to the Index.