Catherine Halsey: Difference between revisions

On [[2549#March|March 24, 2549]] Halsey made a note in which which she reminded herself to soon finish field tests experimenting with direct [[human]]-to-A.I. neural linkages.<ref name="HJ32449"/> She believed such a linkage would serve as the final necessary upgrade incumbent to Mjolnir's [[MJOLNIR Powered Assault Armor/Mark V|MARK V]] platform, as well as the last gift she had to offer her Spartans. And though she felt she had no other choice but to proceed in this direction, she did worry that in combining Spartans and A.I.s it felt as if she was losing both somehow.<ref name="HJ32449">''[[Dr. Halsey's personal journal]]'', ''March 24, 2549''</ref> On [[2549#May|May 21]] Doctor Halsey [[Flash cloning|cloned]] herself twenty times, thereby breaking civilian laws, [[UNSC Armed Forces|UNSC military]] regulations, and (far from the first time) the [[UN]] [[UN Colonial Mortal Dictata|Colonial Mortal Dictata]].<ref name="HJ52149">''[[Dr. Halsey's personal journal]]'', ''May 21, 2549''</ref><ref name="HTFOR25"/> She believed her third-generations "smart" A.I.s required better material to use as A.I. matrix seeds than that offered by the new candidates she was being presented with, which she saw as lacking both physical and intellectual agility. To create the clones she used the same equipment that had been used years prior to make the [[flash clone]]s needed for [[SPARTAN-II]]. This time, however, she enhanced their neural physiology at the expense of other biological functions. She made sure the equipment was hidden and secure from all save herself, though the cloning had been arranged by [[ONI]] at her insistence. As such, there were a few others who also knew about it, but she was confident that these particular individuals could be trusted to keep the information secret. The clones developed at a breakneck pace, for on the same day she had first began the process they were already exhibiting familiar anatomy and curling into fetal positions, malformed as they were. In her journal Halsey noted how disquieting this was to watch, grieving for them and wishing she could allay their suffering somehow.<ref name="HJ52149"/> A little over two months later, on [[2549#July|July 29]], Halsey successfully excised all of the clones' brains and transferred them to cryogenic units.<ref name="HJ72949">''[[Dr. Halsey's personal journal]]'', ''Jul7 29, 2549''</ref> All remaining organic substrates were flash-incinerated. She planned at this time to complete her [[Mind transfer|personality transfer]] seven weeks later and was still uncertain whether or not she should tell them they were clones of her.<ref name="HJ72949"/>