#when he scraps his claws across the stone and they spark?? changed my brain

[justmaghookit]

the monster design in Van Helsing 2004 rewired something in my brain because to this day it just fucks SUPREMELY

[jsmulligan]

A Not So Simple Patrol

I don’t think I will ever understand the Hive.  Quite frankly, I don’t think I want to.  The Fallen, I can understand.  I could even sympathize with them a little bit, if they weren’t always trying to shoot me in the face.  Having once been blessed by the Traveler, then being left behind; yeah, I can see trying to track it back down.  The Cabal are warriors; I can respect that.  I hear the Vex are trying to find a timeline in which they survive.  Again, fair enough, so long as that doesn’t involve taking potshots at me.  The Hive though… Biting, clawing, shrieking undead things, ancient and dark, seeking to blot out the Light?  I’ll pass.

Before you ask, I can see the irony in a Guardian being weirded out by things that should be dead but aren’t.  Contrary to whatever a Warlock might tell you, Titans do have brains.  Irony doesn’t count for much when something is leaping out of the shadows at you, and my brain is currently thankful that my helm was tougher than that Thrall’s claws and that it’s still inside my skull.  For now, at any rate.

The Thrall had thrown themselves at me almost as soon as I’d set foot in the tunnel.  They had come so quickly out of the shadows that they were on me before I had time to react.  I punched the first one as her claws raked my helmet, the stored void energy in my fist disintegrating her on contact as a force barrier sprang up around me. Bringing my shotgun to bear, the others crumbled to dust and ash, the buckshot tearing through them.  I was on the move again before all the flakes had settled to the ground.  I reloaded my weapon, the New Monarchy red glinting in the light provided by my Ghost.  The Burden of Proof might not kick as hard as some other models, but it was quick and steady, and the solar rounds were a nice bonus.  

The tracker in my HUD was not registering any movement near me, though it had somehow missed the Thrall, so I was not putting a lot of faith in that.  My Ghost, Elgan, and I travelled cautiously through the tunnel of dust and moon rock.  This crevice was one of many that had yet to be marked or explored, and Elgan seemed to enjoy that fact.  Every now and again, the path before me would go dark as he would get distracted by a mark or stone formation and turn to investigate.  A flick to his new olive green shell would bring his attention back to the matter at hand.

The lack of resistance was curious.  Maybe the Hive knew we hadn’t found this opening yet, so guarding it hadn’t seemed a priority, or maybe they didn’t even know about all the cracks they’d causes in the lunar surface with their burrowing.  A few hundred meters in, the surface beneath my feet changed.  The natural rock gave way to manufactured structure, and I found myself entering a Hive construct. Something in the rock must have been disrupting my sensors, because I was suddenly detecting a lot of movement.  Thankfully, none of it was moving toward me yet.

“I am picking up a lot of activity,” my Ghost chimed, stating the obvious.

“Thanks for pointing that out.  Any idea where should start looking?”

The Ghost floated away from my shoulder, his shell expanding as he did a quick sweep of the area.  Ever since Luna had been reopened for Guardian activities there had been a growing interest in locating anything related to The Great Disaster, the ill-fated attempt to drive the Hive from the moon.  Guardians on strike or patrol had come across broken weapons, shattered Ghost shells, and scraps of armor, much of which found its way back to the Tower for memorialization. Rumors of phantom signals and material signatures kept popping up, hinting at greater finds waiting to be brought to the surface.   We were following one of those rumors now at the request of the Vanguard.

“I am not currently detecting anything unusual at the moment, but the previously recorded sensor readings came from… this direction.”

A white waypoint marker appeared on my HUD.  I turned my head from side to side, watching it slide across my vision, making sure it was locked on target.

“Got it.  Let’s move.”

I stuck near the wall as best I could, hoping to avoid detection.  That became less of an option when we rounded a curve and the wall suddenly gave way to open space.  The Hive had hollowed out a huge section here, the bottom of which was lost to sight.

“This goes down a very long way,” Mr. Obvious chimed in again.  “What were the Hive doing here?”

“Never stopped to ask them.  I usually just punch them or shoot them.  You’d be more than welcome to try if you’d like.  I could toss you at the next knight we find, you could have a private conversation behind his shield.”

“What is it you like to say?  ‘I’ll pass.’”

“Suit yourself.”

Leaning out over the edge and looking down, I could see several more levels like the one we were on that were open to the abyss.  The marker seemed to indicate that previous signals had been detected lower than our current position.  There would be a lot of Hive along the way. If we were to start a little lower, though…

“Think I could make that jump?”

“What?”

“There are two more levels here.  The walls curves out slightly.  I think I could jump down from here, save myself a whole lot of walking.”

“If you miss, I’m not flying all the way down that hole to revive you.”

“Fair enough.”

Taking a moment to gauge the distance, I put a hand on the ledge and vaulted over.  Almost immediately, I realized I’d put a little too much force into the jump.  Thank the Traveler for Lift.  Using the Light to defy gravity and physics, I slowed my descent and pushed myself back toward the wall.  I noticed an unwary Acolyte standing in the walkway.  Angling myself toward her, I braced for impact and lowered my shoulder, crashing into her just as she started to turn.  My momentum slammed us both into the opposite wall, and a quick punch was all it took to finish her off.  Unfortunately, I hadn’t noticed the others to the left.

There were two of them, and they opened fire immediately, energy rounds from their Shredders pelting the wall and floor near me before one caught me, lowering my shields.  I leaped backwards, rolling behind a column that jutted from the floor.  Needing a little more range than my shotgun provided I switched to my Haakon’s Hatchet, looking from cover to let loose a stream of armor piercing rounds.  The first Acolyte went down in a pile of ash, but the second had taken cover. A lot of movement on the tracker now.  Apparently the firefight had caught someone’s attention.

Darting from cover, I charged the Acolyte’s position, catching her off guard.  Pulling the trigger, I stitched a line of bullets from her chest up to her head, causing yet another burst of ash as she fell apart.  Screams echoed down the hallway as a line of red dots tracked their way toward me on my HUD.  More Thrall.  Focusing on the approaching mass, I missed the other shrieking sound mixed with their cries and didn’t see the ball of starfire coming at me until the Boomer round crashed into the ground at my feet, sending me flying backward to slam into the short wall separating me from the abyss. Arc energy sparked where I’d been standing and coursed over my armor, standing in stark contrast to the darkness closing in on me.

I shook my head, trying to clear cobwebs, and scrambled to my feet.  It had been a while since I’ve had my bell rung like that.  I didn’t have much time to recover, however, as the Thrall were on me.  I’d dropped my Hatchet when I’d taken the shot from the Knight, and didn’t have time to grab my shotgun.  Fists it would have to be.

I swung as hard as I could at the Thrall as they swarmed all over me, a writhing ball of teeth and claws.  Warnings sounded as my shields fell and I felt their claws trying to dig into my armor.  My fists connected with one and then another, beating them back and pushing them off of me, until the last one crumbled.  A loud shriek pierced the air again, but this time I was ready.  Tapping into the void energy, I thrust my arms outward, placing a Ward of Dawn around me just in time to watch the arc bolt slam harmlessly against its impenetrable shell.

The Light inside the shield invigorated me, giving me a moment to gain my bearings.  I picked up my Hatchet and gave it a quick once-over. Sloppy, letting that first shot rattle me that badly.  I was just lucky no one was around to see it happen, I would never hear the end of it.  No sooner had I thought it than a voice sounded in my coms.

“You could try not getting shot.  It would be better for the both of us.” Smart-aleck Ghost.

“Yeah, well, maybe after I throw you at him one of your points of conversation can be not killing me.”

The Knight stomped into view, lowering his arms and roaring out a challenge.  I decided to be friendly and wave.  That seemed to irritate him and he pulled up his Boomer, firing off another shot that splattered harmlessly again, though this time my Ward flickered a bit.

“Looks like it might be time to make a proper introduction.”

Charging out of my bubble, I peppered him with a quick burst of auto rifle fire before dropping my left hand and drawing on the Void again. Predictably, the Knight raised his arms to bring up his shield, but it wasn’t quick enough to stop the grenade I flung at him.  It connected to his chest and attached as the wall materialized in front of him, the grenade exploding twice in rapid succession.  He staggered, and another few rounds from my Hatchet brought him down. Time to move before anyone else came to see what was causing all the noise.

Something didn’t feel right about those last few shots, so I took a moment to have Elgan transmat my Hatchet back to the ship and bring me down my Inward Lamp.  Tuned for full auto, the scout rifle would get the job done with anymore rushing mobs of Thrall.  We hadn’t made it far down the corridor when my Ghost suddenly materialized in front of me.

“I’m detecting something,” he stated, a tint of excitement in his voice. Opening up to initiate a more active scan, he darted back and forth searching for the elusive trace of whatever he had noticed.  After several moments, he let out a whispered, “I don’t believe it,” then darted suddenly down a path leading away from the main hallway we were in.  I stood in shock for a moment, completely surprised, then sprinted after him.

He was flying too fast for me to catch on foot, so I leapt, using Lift to power myself down the hallway quickly.  I caromed off a wall as the hallway curved, spinning away from it and landing in a full sprint before rocketing forward again.  I finally gained enough ground to lunge forward and grab the Ghost, pulling him to me as we fell to the ground.  He instantly dematerialized, then reappeared above me and tried to take off again.

“Would you stop, you little idiot, you’re going to get us both killed,” I shouted, catching him again.  He pulled the dematerialization trick again, but this time, hovered above me, his optic sensor opened wide.

“We have to hurry,” he said, “it’s Ghosts.”

“What do you mean?”

“The phantom signal.  It’s Ghosts.  Dozens of them.  Their light is very faint, so very faint…”

“Then let’s go,” I replied, climbing to my feet.  Elgan disappeared into my armor, and a new target point appeared on my HUD.  Throwing caution to the wind, I ran down the hallway, trying to get to the Ghosts before we lost the signal again.  Red pinpoints began showing up as well, showing several Hive near our destination.  

I prepared a grenade and then burst into the room, glancing around quickly.  The room was circular, with two large columns on either side of the door.  On the opposite side of the room, there were at least four Wizards gathered around an unfamiliar construct, seemingly performing some sort of ritual.  I heaved my grenade in their direction just as one of the Wizards turned toward me.  I ducked behind the left column, the explosion drawing a scream of pain and anger from the Wizards.  A blast of darkness pummeled the pillar behind me and I leaned out to the left to fire off a few shots before darting to the right and taking cover behind the other column, taking a few more shots with my scout rifle.

The Wizard I’d caught with the grenade floated behind the other two, trying to use them as a shield.  A few well-placed shots dropped her solar shield, and another turned her to ash.  The three remaining enemies spread out then, seeking clear lanes of fire from multiple directions.  Switching to my shotgun, I charged the one to my right, sliding underneath her and firing upward, the solar rounds ripping through her shields and killing her quickly.  Two down, two to go. Unfortunately, that move left me exposed.

Something hit me from behind, and suddenly everything became hazy.  My movements became sluggish, and it felt as if something was draining me.  I pressed forward, seeking shelter, and cleared the poisonous cloud just as both Wizards unleashed more darkness, wiping my shields and staggering me.

Finally getting one of the columns between us, I let my shields recharge and decided to change tactics.  I switched to my WF47 machine gun, the “Zombie Apocalypse”.  Stepping back into the open, I let loose a torrent of solar skip rounds, the bullets tearing through the Wizards and bringing a quick end to the fight.  No sooner were they dead than my Ghost appeared, darting quickly to the Hive machine.  I set the heavy weapon down and followed.

“The signal was coming from here,” he said, zipping toward the back of the room.  “I’m not detecting any activity any longer, though there is a very unusual light signature coming from inside.”

The Wizards had been gathered around what looked like a large, concave table.  Hanging above it was a machine I had never seen before.  It was rectangular in shape, attached to the ceiling with wire, with four nasty looking needle-like points coming from each corner. Scattered in the depression of the table were weapons, armor pieces, and a pile of Ghosts.  None showed any sign of life.

“No, no, no,” Elgan whispered, moving to scan them, frantic for any sign of activity.  “They were alive; I know they were alive…”

Gently, I lifted one of the shells and looked it over.  On a hunch, I held it toward the dangling machine.  A strange glow lit a side panel, and light flickered in the Ghosts optic for a moment before shutting down again.  The starburst shape shuddered in my palm. I pulled my hand back, then repeated the gesture with the same response.

“I don’t think they were alive.  I think the Hive were trying to reanimate them somehow with this device.  Maybe to extract information.  Or try to taint the light in some way.”

“How could they do that?  The Ghosts came from the Traveler, there is no other Light…,” my Ghost trailed off for a moment before coming to a sudden realization.  “The strange light signature.  In the machine.  Claney, rip this thing apart, find it!”

“With pleasure,” I replied, setting the dead Ghost down before grabbing the device and yanking it from the ceiling.  I hammered it with my fists until a crack appeared, then put a hand to both sides and split it open.  The machine fizzled and sparked, and something hard and white fell out of it.

My Ghost swooped down to scan it and gasped.

“It’s a piece of the Traveler!”

“How is that possible?” I asked, kneeling down to look at the object.

“Checking,” he replied.  “Not too long ago, the Speaker had sent out an alert that it was suspected the Hive had a piece of the Traveler.  It was reported that a Guardian had assaulted a Hive coven and discovered that they had been syphoning the Light.  The Guardian stopped them, and the shard was restored, but it would seem that at least a small piece remained.  They could have small pieces like this all over the moon.  Maybe that is why the Traveler hasn’t recovered?”

“Maybe. We should definitely get this to the Speaker, and the Vanguard will want to look at the rest of this.  Let’s get it back to the shi…”

I was interrupted by the sound of a bullet ricocheting off the ground beside me.  Grabbing my rifle, I whirled toward the door to the room. At first, I could see nothing, then a Hunter de-cloaked and stepped forward, a sniper rifle resting against his shoulder.  He was glad in red and white with a glowing yellow-orange sash across his chest. The letters that blazed across his faceplate and the garish cloak he wore both marked him as an adherent of the Future War Cult.

“Easy, Titan.  If I just wanted to kill you, I could have.  I would prefer to end this amicably.  It would be a shame for all your hard work to end in easily avoided tragedy.”

“Hide,” I instructed my Ghost over a private comm channel, then addressed the Hunter.  “How thoughtful of you.  Call me crazy, though, I don’t tend to be on great terms with people who shoot at me unless we’re in the Crucible.  Even then, I tend to shoot back.”

The Hunter laughed and took a couple steps forward, hanging the sniper rifle on his back.  I shifted a little, tightening my grip on my weapon.  That stopped him.

“Fair enough.  Let me state things plainly.  I want what you have, and I am going to take it.  By force, if necessary.  I had been trying to track down the source of those phantom signals as well and saw you blundering your way through the Hive warrens.  Figured I would let you clear the path, and I do appreciate your effort, but I will be relieving you of your prize.”

“This belongs with the Vanguard.”

“And it will find its way there, after the War Cult has a look at it,” he stated, his tone of voice changing.  His posture shifted subtly as well, preparing to make his move.

“No. Elgan, prepare for transmat.”

“So be it,” the Hunter replied.

With that, he lunged forward, pulling out knives as arc energy coursed over his body.  I barely managed to dodge the first strike, which left a smoking gash in the table holding the artifacts.  I peppered him with shots from my Inward Lamp, vaulting myself up into the air with Lift, trying to keep out of his reach.  He leapt after me quicker than I had anticipated, striking me across the chest.  I landed hard, staggered, my shields depleted.  Regaining my footing, I readied a grenade and threw it at him, sticking him as he charged in again.  The resulting explosion threw us both backward.

For the second time today I slammed hard against a wall, my vision going dark again.  Maybe my brain would prefer to not be in my skull after all, if this was how I was going to treat it.  Staggering to my feet as quickly as I could, I saw my Ghost racing over to me.

“Are you okay?” he asked, giving me a quick scan.

“I’ll live.  What are you doing?  You were supposed to transmat that stuff out of here.”

“I…”

“Where’s the Hunter?” I demanded, cutting off whatever reply he was going to make.  I scrambled to my feet just in time to see a mocking salute from the Bladedancer as he and all the remains disappeared.

“No! Why didn’t you get that stuff out of here?”

“Well,” the Ghost replied, sounding more than a little snippy, “as I was going to say before you interrupted me, I sent up the fragment of the Traveler and most of the Ghosts.  I was having to recharge the transmat when I saw you take that hit.”

“Oh,” I responded sheepishly.  “In that case… Nice work.  Can you get us out of here?  We need to get that stuff to the Tower, and I am going to need to repair or replace this chest-plate.  Then we can see about tracking down a certain Hunter.”

“Of course it was ‘nice work’.  I did it.  And yes, I can.  Prepare for transmat.”

“I’m ready.  Let’s go home.”

Back aboard my Comitatus class ship, Invictus, I removed my helm and chest-plate.  Elgan plotted a course back to the Tower while I took stock of the damage.  I’d been lucky.  The arc blade had cut completely through the armor, another centimeter and it would have been in my chest.  Nothing but scrap now, I it aside and had a replacement piece sent to me from storage.  Elgan flitted over to me, giving the discarded armor a quick scan and then breaking it down into its component materials.

“What do you think the War Cult wants with the remains?”

“Hard to say,” he responded, turning to me, the points of his shell whirling around.  “They have been commissioning Guardians to check old files and bring back various items for a while now.  The different bits of alien hardware make sense.  The Ghosts that we found might have had some valuable information.  The different foundries have been producing items of such a higher quality than just about anything that would have been left from the Great Disaster that I can’t see what use they would have for the old armor and weapons.”

“And our friend?  Figure out who he was yet?”

“I am still working on that as well.  I’ve got it narrowed down to a few suspects.  Unfortunately, Faction gear makes visual identifiers a little more difficult.”

“Keep on it.  I’m going to close my eyes for a moment.  If I nod off, wake me when we get to the Tower.”

...

This is the first chapter to my longer fiction.  Don’t know if I’ll share more of it here.  I was originally written as a stand alone piece,but the next idea I had immediately followed up on it, so I just continued it instead.  This is one of my favorite bits of writing.  I wish I could say the rest of it was as strong as the start, but the quality varies a bit.  Link for the whole thing if you are so enclined: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/11990180/1/A-Not-So-Simple-Patrol