[b]An Insurmountable Skullfort[/b] [i]This work of fan fiction is based on the exotic helm, An Insurmountable Skullfort. Purely fan fiction and set during the Dark Age just when Guardians first started to arrive, the last Ishtar Collective-funded facility is overrun with Vex, and only one helmet can save the surviving scientists within. It's pretty short, but I don't know if I can call this my best work. Just something I whipped up due to requests. [/i] "Those machines have already infiltrated another Ishtar Collective facility," said Warren, looking over the alerts stemming from the doomed institute. "We're like the others now. Trapped. From when Dr. Shim and his associates were holed inside the Archive so many years ago.” Jade frowned. "Vex." "What?" "They're called Vex," she repeated, her gaze distant. "Maya Sundaresh is the one who named them when she discovered their frozen forms within the Venutian caverns. After running virtual simulations using data recovered from their near-fossilized internals, her analysis of the creatures' aggressive attack patterns led her to the word, 'vex,' which as you know, means to agitate. It's a frequentative of [i]vehere[/i], which means to convey." "To convey what?" Jade shrugged. "A single purpose?" Warren waved her nonsense away. The woman was a brilliant scientist, but was prone to fits of intellectual, yet senseless chatter. He didn't care for whatever the machines were called, he just knew they were dangerous. They meant to kill. "We must be prepared to fight," said Warren, shifting his gaze to the monitors. "The machines have made it through the fourth security quadrant. More than half of our armed personnel have been killed." "Have you lost your[i]mind[/i]?" asked Jade, incredulous. "We don't know how to fight." They wouldn't have a choice. If the Vex could bring down the Academy, one of the most heavily-guarded establishments on Venus, then his quaint facility would not have a chance at holding back an armed threat. The only reason they lasted so long was because the building was hidden by thick foliage and defended by Guardians. Green-footed, yes, but Guardians. Daano, head of security, stumbled into the room. "They're in!" he said. "We've lost the facility!" "What good are you?!" cried Jade. She looked away and bit her lip. Warren sighed. The woman didn't usually act out like that, but being under siege would do that to a person. "It's no use, Jade," he said. "He wouldn't have survived out there anyways." That got a sharp look from the Titan, though the man knew his words rang true. "We have only one option left to us. It is one I was hoping I wouldn't have to use." The scientist walked to the large safe set in the the corner of the lab and keyed in his passcode, as well as hover his face over the retinal scanner. Somewhat archaic, but he didn't have a Ghost to take advantage of its finer security mechanics. The steel drawer slid open to reveal a helmet. "That's only a prototype, Warren," said Jade, dismissive. "Have you any better ideas?" Daano reloaded his auto-rifle. "What is it? "As it so happens, it is a Titan piece," said Warren, regarding the helmet with a sense of deep guilt one reserved for an offspring long abandoned. "It was part of our neuro-grade series, which was a set of helmets designed to connect to the brain in order for the integrated artificial-intelligent servant to enhance combat and regenerative capabilities. It was made for human soldiers, but I've modified it just for this opportunity. However, only one with a strong mind, a strong body, and an abundance of Light, can survive this armor piece.” “Give it here,” said Daano. “And be quick about it.” Warren handed him the helmet and he put it on without further discussion. It would take a moment for the thing to activate, so the scientist linked Daano’s vision to his array of monitors. “Are you sure about this?” asked Jade, hands trembling. “No.” The helmet flashed with a series of dotted backlights across the visor. Even further, Warren could see the veil of glowing specks like an ocean of stars. The monitors lit up and a string of words scrolled across the screens. [i]Event_Title: BRAINVAULT Sigma-ACTIUM-IX Cranial Dreadnought. [/i] The heads-up display constantly streamed information, but the concierge subsystem only gave titles to noteworthy events. Warren had never programmed it to do so—perhaps the habit was idiosyncratic to the AI that powered the helmet. [i]Sense6th::Inverse lifesign detected. Hardware Failure flagged and logged[/i]. There was no hardware failure—the sensors couldn’t interpret the truth about the Vex that arrived, and logged it as a failure. Bolts of solar energy flew into the lab, grazing Daano’s armor and blanketing the wall behind him with smoking pits. The Titan ignored the attack. Instead, he moved his assault rifle behind his back. “Is he going to use those?” asked Jade, moving for cover behind a desk. Warren lost sight of Daano as he turned towards the hallway where the Vex approached, so he looked at the monitors, looking through the Titan’s eyes. Floating, spinning sentinels swam through the air. Mechanized tendrils whipped the walls. Daano gave them no time to attack. He waved a hand and lightning incinerated the scouts with a single flash. The bipedal foot soldiers of the Vex were Daano’s next obstacle and they did not retreat, their ability to feel fear cauterized. He used the same crackling attack, striking down the machines without a second wasted. [i]13reak their 13ones of metal 13efore they logoff::flees![/i] Daano launched himself forward and out of the hallway, a tail of grey mist in his wake. His brought his fists down to unleash his storm. He ground the alien infantry, as well as the corpses of the facility’s personnel, to dust. “Amazing,” said Jade, eyes wide and entranced by the violence. Five bolts of solar energy, too fast for even the helmet to recognize, sniped into Daano. Jade jumped. Warren shot his gaze to a nearby security monitor and found the Titan ripped full of gaping holes. Blood ran down his armor. Even through the video feed, he could see [i]through[/i] the man. [i]Light::Regenerate_Error. Error. Error. Light::Regenerate_Error. Error. [/i] Daano walked forward and spread his fingers out as he gathered whatever Light he could from the enemies he had destroyed. His flesh twisted back into place and whatever armor he had lost was found. This time, the skullfort the Titan donned caught the taller machines’ maneuver. Daano rolled out of the way and unholstered his auto rifle. With precision-accuracy, the bullets hit no other except the milky sac of fluid located within the stomach of the machines. A violet explosion shook the visuals. [i]Particle decay::deadly_deadly_radiation. Av0id! [/i] “Where are those bombs coming from?” asked Warren, scanning the screens. There! Warren squinted and caught three large forms flickering in and out of Daano’s vision—walking tanks of thick burnt metal and cannons for arms. Their sharp, digital warbling was almost too much to bear. Daano dodged the following series of blasts and ran his arm through the first machine’s chest. Then, astonishingly, the helmet caught a distorted reflection against the polished wall hundreds of feet away and the Titan ducked, missing a skull-shattering blow. Daano spun, wrist out, severing the tank in half. Daano froze. The last armored Vex dropped its forearm and knocked the helmet off. The Titan crashed to the ground as errors swamped the display and static licked across the array of monitors. Warren shook his head. He knew the man hadn’t been strong enough. Daano’s once dark-skinned face was pale and desiccated. He was a husk. Brain-dead. The helmet ate his Light and whatever meager energy the man had provided. “So that’s it then?” asked Jade, eyes locked with the screaming monitors and the endless wave of automatons about to enter the lab. “Do we have any other options?” Warren brought out his particle gun. “Only one, I guess.” End [b][url=https://www.bungie.net/en/Forum/Post/100362914]DESTINY FAN FICTION ARCHIVE[/url][/b] [b][url=https://www.bungie.net/en/Clan/Forum/823422]JOIN GROUP FOR FAN FICTION UPDATES[/url][/b]