Index chamber



The Index Chamber is a large room within the core of every Library on each Forerunner Installation. Every chamber contains an Index. The Index Chamber is the most heavily protected area in any of the Installations. Intruders are met by Sentinels, who are programmed to keep the intruders from violating the Index Chamber.

Background
It is the storage area of the repository of all Forerunner knowledge and study of the Flood, the Index. The Index itself is a T-shaped object of similar size to a Human's forearm. It is both a store of information and the key in activating the Installation it was designed for.

At the very center of the Index Chamber is the Index, suspended in mid-air by an anti-gravity device, as this can be seen when there's a glow around it. It can only be reached via a vast anti-gravity powered lift that remains docked four levels above the floating Index.

This lift may require the authorization of the Installation's Monitor in order to be activated, starting the process of retrieving the Index and the final act of activating the Installation and killing every sentient being in the galaxy, in order to prevent the spread of the Flood.

Installation 04
The Index Chamber of Installation 04 was at the center of a massive underground security facility. This facility was protected by large groups of Sentinels and security doors. Many of the Flood, however, found their way into the area, using ventilation shafts and access tunnels to quickly infiltrate the entire structure. Even the Index Chamber was contaminated, with a large group of Combat Forms lying in wait inside. Following the containment protocol, 343 Guilty Spark led the Master Chief through the Library and to the facility, where he retrieved the Index. Spark then transported them both to Halo's Control Room. The chamber was destroyed in the destruction of the Pillar of Autumn and the subsequent destruction of Alpha Halo when the Master Chief detonated the Pillar of Autumn's engines.

Installation 05
The Index Chamber for Installation 05 is actually situated at the ending of a series of Forerunner gondolas. The Index Chamber itself has no walkway or energized bridge but rather a chasm and opening with no particular pathway or raised podium to stand on. This affirms the Forerunners placing of challenges before any Reclaimer set to attain the Index from its location, as Miranda Keyes had to take hold of a Flood tentacle to retrieve the Index. It is also possible that without a Monitor, proper access to the Index was impossible. The Index Chamber is protected by fields and arenas known as the Quarantine Zone, where Sentinels, Sentinel Majors, and Enforcers are seen defending the area from the Flood. At the time of the events of Halo 2, in the year 2552, the floor of the Index Chamber is shattered and almost completely destroyed.

Trivia

 * The Gravemind was located directly under Installation 05's Index Chamber: its tentacles came from there and the Arbiter did not die after falling into the chamber itself thanks to it.
 * In Halo: Combat Evolved, there is a glitch where you can jump to the bottom of the Index Chamber and survive.

Related Articles

 * Library
 * Index