Delta B1 Ch16: The Intelligence Part 3

Delta remained motionless, but his curiosity was peaked. “You know who I am?” His ghost backed away from the monitor and disappeared while Delta waited for an answer. The female voice remained silent, the blurry face on the screen unmoving. Delta decided to try something different. “I am Delta-1, guardian of the Last City… and fourth born to the Defense.” Delta hated using his Defense title, but he suspected that small addition would get the conversation going. Sure enough, the woman spoke again. “Delta… It [i]is[/i] you. I don’t believe it. I never thought I would see you again!” Delta was very confused. “Sorry. Who are you?” “Ah yes. Of course you wouldn’t remember. They wiped your memory after all. I suppose a reintroduction is in order.” A single overhead lamp switched on to Delta’s right, dispersing the darkness to reveal a torn up leather chair, and the broken body of a blue female exo. She sat slumped in the chair, eyes dim, and a series of wires emerged from her head and ran along the floor into the computer. The sight was appalling. “This is my body,” the woman said sadly, “or what’s left of it. Look what they did to me. Those wretched scientists! Look what they did to your sister!” Something clicked in Delta’s mind. Her words, her voice, her face… he remembered. For the first time in his life as a guardian, he remembered. “Beta…” he whispered. “What did they do to you?” Beta’s makeshift face on the screen glitched as her anger grew. “[i]They[/i] ruined my life! The Defense was always so eager to try new things. They said I was smart. They said I had intellectual skill. Then, they had the bright idea of expanding my mind. Testing my limits!” Delta quickly drew the connection. “They uploaded your mind into a supercomputer.” “Yes…” Beta whispered. There was suddenly a deep sadness in her voice that he did not expect. “I’m sorry,” Delta offered. He didn’t expect his apology to mean much, but he felt bad for his sister. “It’s out of your control,” Beta admitted. “It’s out of everyone’s control. I’ve been here for too long. My body is too damaged. There’s no going back now.” Delta shivered as her voice had begun to waiver, as if she were trying to hold back tears. “I will not leave here without you,” he stated bluntly. “There has to be a way to get you out.” Beta chuckled sadly. “I appreciate your kind words. You were always so kind… Yazan refused to see it. You were his pride and joy. He couldn’t believe that his ultimate creation had a flaw. Well, depends what you count as a flaw I suppose. Last I saw you, they had shut you down forever, and stored you away in Yazan’s private vault. How did you come back?” Delta thought about his resurrection, and his journey as a guardian. It was a lot to take in. A story like that would be too hard to tell. “It’s a long, complicated story. But you should know, the Defense still lives… and I’m going to destroy it.” Beta’s digital face contorted into a makeshift smile. “You did a good thing, all those centuries ago. Your rebellion sparked something the Defense could not control. Echo broke out and was never seen again. Juliet tried to do the same. I know you never met her, but she had a kind heart. She did what she thought was right, and they killed her for it. The Defense soon realized they couldn’t control their exos anymore, so they sent Foxtrot to an unknown bunker, and they sent me here… They said I would be their bank of knowledge, but once they hooked me into this computer and ran their tests, they left. I never saw them again. I don’t know what happened to the rest of our siblings. I suspect they are dead.” Delta sighed as he wrapped his head around Beta’s words. The Defense wronged them all. He and his siblings had all suffered at their creator’s hands. Beta had it worst of all. She has been stuck in this facility for centuries, no purpose to her life, and a dysfunctional body she could not return to. Delta decided she could use some good news. “It’s clear you are no friend of the Defense, just like me. I don’t remember much, but I know you cared for your siblings. You cared for me. You should know that I found Echo. He’s a little rusty, but he’s safe.” A series of high pitched, grainy noises came through the speakers, like a mix between laughing and crying. “Thank you brother,” Beta managed. “That’s the best news I’ve heard in centuries.” Delta nodded, then glanced back at the motionless army of frames behind him. She deserved better. “I can’t leave you here,” he said again. “Then don’t.” Delta turned back to the screen, confused. “What do you mean?” Beta sighed. “I can’t live like this anymore, and I can’t get back to my body.” Delta knew where this was going immediately. “No. No! I will not allow you to die.” “Oh Delta, my hopeful little brother. I am already dead. What good am I here? Take me offline. Don’t make me suffer for another century… Please.” Delta clenched his fists, his body trembling. Why did his family have to come and go so quickly? Saying goodbye to Beta was the last thing he wanted to do. But, she was right. It would be cruel to leave her alive. She would go mad, maybe even use the frames to do the deed herself. No. He couldn’t allow that to happen. She needs his company. This was the least he could do. [url=https://www.bungie.net/en/Groups/Post?groupId=1371758&postId=230332019&sort=0&page=0]Part 4[/url] [url=https://www.bungie.net/en/Forums/Post/224417569?page=0&sort=0&showBanned=0&path=1]The Hub[/url]