Delta B1 Ch16: The Intelligence Part 2

Delta sighed as he activated his night vision and began his search of the area. There were several long sequences of machinery spread out through the facility, no doubt a production line. Delta wondered what the Defense could have possibly been producing. From the looks of the remains, it seemed their product was very complex. As the exo traversed the maze of machinery, he picked up several metallic parts to analyze. No one piece was recognizable but they all seemed like they fit together in a specific style. Delta decided he would find better clues at the end of the production line. There was the familiar buzzing of electricity as a few of the overhead lamps switched on, providing a workable dim light. Delta turned off night vision and quickly adjusted his optics as parts of the room became visible. “Thank you ghost.” “That wasn’t me!” the ghost answered worriedly. Delta placed a firm grasp on his MIDA as the possibility of another presence became a reality. He quickly glanced around the chamber in search of movement, but there was none. The exo cursed as he backed up into the light. There may have been lamps on, but most of the room was still obscured by shadow. “Ghost. Return to me. Quickly.” “Way ahead of you,” it responded as it flew up to him and disappeared into his armor matrices. Delta waited in the midst of the production lines, rotating slowly, trying to keep an eye on all corners of the room. “Ghost, who could have turned on the power?” “Hard to say. I found a breaker, but it was disconnected from the power system. It’s likely the power is now run internally.” “What does that mean?” “It’s possible you triggered a motion sensor.” Delta felt a small amount of relief at that thought, but something didn’t add up. “Motion sensors still need power to function. There must still be electricity running to the building. You think there’s a few solar panels hooked up somewhere?” “It’s possible,” responded the ghost. “But, they shouldn’t be working after all these centuries. If there is still an operational, sustainable power supply to this facility, that implies a maintenance crew.” Delta remained alert. None of this made sense. The facility was still operational after all these years, but how? He kept inching down the production line, and approached a mass of metal that seemed to be farther along in the construction process. He grabbed hold of the contraption and flipped it over. Delta backed away in surprise as he realized what he was looking at. The incomplete husk of a frame stared back at him, its only arm now hanging off the side of the production line. “Frames?” Delta wondered to himself. “I think we found our maintenance crew,” his ghost observed. “This makes sense. Before his full induction into the Defense, Yazan Sayyed was the inventor of the frames. This was likely one of his mass production facilities turned Defense base.” Delta nodded in understanding. This would be the ideal location for Yazan to hide away a secret or two. There must be something here. The exo stepped back up to the half automaton for a better look. Its parts were worn down, likely from centuries of decay, but its welded joints and seams were perfect… as if it were just put together yesterday. Suddenly the frame’s eyes flickered to life and its single arm lashed out, grabbing Delta by the throat. The shocked exo fell backward, dropping his MIDA, and the frame going down with him. The metallic husk landed on top of him with a deafening screech from its voice module and kept its grip on its opponent’s neck. Delta quickly rolled over, trying not to think about the Frame’s crushing grip, and grasped the robot’s arm firmly with his right hand. With his left, he formed a solid fist and punched the Frame’s arm straight through the elbow joint, severing it from the rest of the machine. The now disjoined limb loosened its grip and Delta tossed it aside. He swept up his MIDA and returned to the writhing machine. Having lost its only extremity, it could do nothing but squirm hopelessly where it now lay. Delta lifted his rifle with one hand, and shot the abomination through the head. There was a brief moment of silence as Delta gathered his thoughts. That was not normal. Something was very wrong. As if to confirm that suspicion, the room erupted into a series of clattering and scraping as incomplete frames all over the production floor came to life. Delta quickly realized there were far too many to count as the army of dismembered robots converged on his position. He grew unsettled as a frame with only its legs came dashing towards him. He lifted his MIDA and placed a speeding bullet in its head. More followed, some whole, most unfinished. They moved rigidly with moderate speed, trying their best to move their insufficient parts. Delta watched a moment more in disbelief. “They are swarming you!” his ghost exclaimed. “Take them out!” Delta shook himself from his moment of shock and opened fire. His marksmanship skills showed as he dispatched many frames, reloaded, and did so again. Unfortunately for him, the automatons were gaining ground, and more still poured in from the double doors in the back of the room. He had to move or they would tear him apart. Delta leapt onto the production line and vaulted over a one-legged frame as it lunged for him. Now on top of a large conveyer belt, he ran through the line of machinery back the way he came, shooting his MIDA into the crowd of frames. He was almost to the end when a loud whirring sound resonated through the chamber, signaling the start of heavy machinery. The conveyer belt beneath the exo suddenly jerked backward, taking his feet out from under him. He fell onto the belt face first, barely keeping a grip on his rifle. As the conveyer belt carried him back towards the frames, Delta struggled to get to his feet, but was grabbed from behind by a whole frame. The robot tried to drag him upwards, but he managed to get a foothold on the belt. Using all of his leg strength, Delta jumped backwards, pushing the frame off the belt as he landed on his back. The Warlock tried once more to get to his feet, but it was too late. The army of frames reached him and suddenly he was being grabbed from all sides by vicious robotic hands. Delta tensed up as the frames began to tear through his armor and clothing. He started to panic. He needed help. He needed… light. This situation required something new. Something he had never tried before. As he was slowly being pulled apart, Delta reached into the void and summoned what he could, but instead of channeling it through his hand like he would for a nova bomb, he let the energy fill his entire body. Little by little he pulled more power, filling himself. Filling his soul. At last the energy was bursting at the seams. Delta prepared himself for the expulsion. Just a little more… BOOM! Void energy exploded from Delta’s body and engulfed everything within twenty feet of him. The frames made a collective, gut wrenching screech as they were banished to the void. The force of the blast continued to travel, knocking down the rest of the automatons. Delta took his chance. He dropped to the other side of the production line, picked up his MIDA, then sprinted to the left side of the room. He wove between the frames as they began to recover, reaching for him as he ran, but his momentum was too great to keep a grip. The exo emerged from the sea of frames to find a massive control station with a computer monitor that was bigger than him. Delta leapt onto the slightly raised platform and analyzed the controls. “Ghost!” he called. His companion materialized immediately. “Let me guess. Shut them down?” “Of course!” Delta replied frantically, turning to face the frames that were now moving towards them. “Alright,” said the ghost, “they must all be connected to some kind of wireless linkup, which is managed by the overall network. I might be able shut them down if I crash-” “I don’t care what you do! Just do it!” “Right. Immediate danger. Almost forgot.” Delta opened fire once more into the automated army, keeping the frontlines at bay but not by much. The robots steadily progressed to the control station with relative vigor, scrambling over the bodies of the fallen. “Damnit ghost! Shut them down!” “I can’t!” “What do you mean you can’t?!” “There’s someone in the system. They are shutting me out! It’s the same code from before! Guardian, we need to run! Guardian! Delta!” The frames suddenly froze in their place and the room fell into complete silence. Delta waited a moment, then lowered his weapon. “Ghost, was that you?” “No,” his companion answered grimly. The computer screen behind Delta suddenly flashed on, bathing him in a bright blue light. The exo whirled around to lay eyes on what appeared to be a digital, robotic face, peering at him through the screen with hauntingly dull eyes. “Delta?” said a grainy female voice through the loudspeakers. “Is that really you?” [url=https://www.bungie.net/en/Groups/Post?groupId=1371758&postId=230332000&sort=0&page=0]Part 3[/url] [url=https://www.bungie.net/en/Forums/Post/224417569?page=0&sort=0&showBanned=0&path=1]The Hub[/url]