[spoiler]Act I Part 4 [url=https://www.bungie.net/en/Forum/Post/242853482/0/0]Archive[/url][/spoiler] "Scouts weren't kidding," Lee says as he peers through the scope of his rifle. "Been what? Two, three hours now? Not a peep." The Onyx Guard looks back at the cave entrance, eyes scanning the path lines outward for any sign of movement. "I don't see anything either. You sure this is the right place? Even yellow jackets have one or two outside to guard an entrance." "Yeah, those growths around the outside only pop up if it's an active hole. And for the last time, they aren't bug people." Lee gets up from the small pile of rubble he'd been sitting on and rotates his arm to loosen his shoulder. "Come on then. Let's get this over with." The two begin the short descend of a ruined building from which they'd been overlooking the entrance of the cave. They briefly stand looking into the cave's mouth, darkness blending in with the dimly lit Hive growths further down. Lee puts the rifle on his back and starts to draw a sidearm as the Gear walks over to one of the growths. "This thing safe to touch?" he asks, pointing to one of the large hardened spikes with a glowing tip. "Probably. Why?" "Light." Jackson materializes above Lee shoulder and the two exchange a brief glance before Jackson retorts with, "thought that was my job. But if you want, I'd be more than happy to find you a stick to burn for a bit." "Oh, right," the Gear said. "Forgot about the talking flashlights." "The Little guys can be pretty handy when they aren't mouthing off. This one particularly so because of the nav data stashed in it, but its terrible at conversation. Still doesn't sit right that you don't have one. You aren't dead yet, so that's something." Lee takes a step forward to enter the cave before pausing in thought. "Actually, how about you go first? I'd rather not have the chainsaw gun behind me." ...... Several moments pass as the two travel further into the cave. Their first thoughts of Hive abandonment seem more justified with each step. The path itself is unusually narrow, and the growths have expanded to block the path in some areas with the chainsaw becoming vital for progression. Despite this, no actual sign of Hive activity is seen and Lee begins to realize that he has yet to see and growths of wormspore. After working through another wall of glowing growth, Lee and the Onyx Guard find themselves in a spacious new section of the cave devoid of additional growths. Pitch black but for the organic glow behind them, Jackson materializes and begins to shine light around them. "Is this normal?" The Gear asks. "Not even close," Lee replied back. The Gear turns to look behind them, taking note of the growth's behavior. "Looks like this part of the cave makes a line that stuff won't cross. Even the spike things seem to not grow anything that sticks out beyond the line and the blob parts that go everywhere look like they're pressed up against a glass window." Lee turns around slightly to see what the Gear meant when he noticed what the glow revealed about the cave wall beside them. "Jackson, shine the light over here for a second." The ghost complies, turning to reveal an almost perfectly flat wall that stretched beyond what the light could reach further down the line. The other wall is discovered to be nearly identical, with the floor and surface above them being just as flat and all meeting at a dirt caked 90 degrees. Lee looks around at the box hallway, completely stumped to why the Hive would create such a tunnel before a new thought crosses his mind. "You got shovel." "I do, but this tunnel looks big enough as it is." "See if you can dig a bit into this wall." The Onyx Guard hands his Lancer to Lee, unfolds the small trench shovel, and begins to dig into the wall. Lee's fears seem subside slightly more each time the shovel is pressed into the wall, but his eyes shoot open and attention darts back to the wall as the shovel makes contact with a solid object. Each time the shovel entering now giving similar results as the Gear attempts to dig around what is apparently a large solid object. Handing the Lancer back the Onyx Guard, Lee grabs the shovel and begins scooping dirt downward and to the sides to remove the surface layer of dirt to reveal a solid block of metal unmarked by the scraps of the shovel having the protrusion of another solid block slightly lifted from its surface with a dim glow visible through the dirt just to the left of the hole. "Patch me to the other two," Lee quickly orderes to Jackson. "Bee, Pat, you there?" "All accounted for," Bee replies. "Having fun down there?" "Put the ship on autopilot to orbit, I need you two down here. Set out an emergency beacon on your way, and tell Pat to bring his journal and his sword."