It's Part 14 time! Master Post [url=http://www.bungie.net/en/Forums/Post/214044178]here[/url]. Enjoy! <Begin Recording> [i]Audio Log 00139[/i] [i]Cassandra Vasquez[/i] Mist suffused the ruins of the Davenpool Foundation. Moss and vines sprouted among the inconceivably advanced instruments resting in the ancient laboratories. A stillness had fallen upon the Golden Age institution, always with the undertone of vibrations emitted from that machine deep beneath its halls. I surveyed the ruined complex with wonder. The underground sections could just have easily been found on the surface. Wide spaces and open pavilions were connected to multitudes of laboratories by spacious hallways. The architecture was too elegant for a scientific institution. But I supposed that decadence was affordable in the Golden Age. “This is incredible,” Solm remarked. They gazed about with the same awe new Guardians exhibited upon their arrival at the Last City. I agreed. The sheer size of the complex was difficult to grasp. It could have extended for kilometers. But inevitably layered over the majesty of humanity’s peak was the curtain of its downfall. Fountains overflowed with water, spilling their contents across the slanted ground. Vegetation long since overgrown their planters sprouted from the cracks in the foundation. Statues decayed and chairs lay scattered across the forums. It was beautiful in its own way. Sorrowful, mystic, oppressive. Solm and I explored, aided by the light spilling from Solm’s Ghost. I tried not to think about my Ghost, although the time that had passed since its departure grew more worrying as it lengthened. I stayed close to Solm, the Monte Carlo at the ready. We spoke little. For the most part, speech was unnecessary. Our mission was not complex. We located a directory, posted on the wall in a flickering digital display that cast colored shadows through the mist at uneven intervals. The effect was an unsettling strobing pattern, dancing between suspended water particles. From the sign’s fractured surface we gleaned some information about the facility’s layout, and promptly headed towards the “Ve--L-b-rat---es.” The corridors stretched before us, the vaulted ceilings shrouded in fog. I felt small, a product of the intentionally imposing design. As fascinating as the secrets of the Light and Dark were, there was something equally interesting about the way simple geometry could cause complex chemical reactions in the brain upon sight. I longed for the opportunity to study what interested me. I imagined a world where humanity wasn’t under constant threat of destruction by powerful forces, sometimes beyond comprehension. Maybe I would live to see that world. Maybe I would survive for centuries, as the most powerful Guardians did. I saw myself in a facility like the one I explored now, albeit restored in all its glory. With my Ghost hovering beside me, I wore not armored robes but simple garb. Studying anything I desired and living forever… The pain I felt in picturing this idyllic future was rooted in the knowledge that it was an impossible dream. A dream dead before it could even take full form. It was a dream of small minds. With this last inexplicable thought echoing in my mind, we reached the Vex Laboratories. The door swished open after Solm’s Ghost interacted with the keypad for a couple seconds. Inside, a vast hall revealed itself. We stood at a balcony overlooking a large open floor space. A staircase descended to our left. There were a couple offices and containment chambers, but the majority of the floor was full of half-finished projects. There was what looked like an attempt to replicate a Vex timegate, a workspace cluttered with Vex machinery and dismantled frames, and many more Vex-related projects. At the far end of the room a huge inactive Vex gate was embedded in the floor, attached to various apparatus. “Where do we start?” Solm asked, obviously as awed as I was. But something was off. “Wait,” I said. “Do you feel that?” I looked around, suddenly uncomfortable. It dawned on me just as Solm said: “Feel what?” “Exactly,” I replied grimly. “The vibrations stopped.” We looked at each other, concern apparent even through our inexpressive helmets. “Ghost,” I said urgently, “do you have eyes on Vera yet?” “Yes! I’m sending the feed to you now,” my Ghost’s voice came back slightly distorted through the comms. A sluggish video feed came through and projected across my HUD. I switched opacity to full and watched. The resolution stabilized and I saw the scene unfold from high above. My Ghost was hovering towards the top of the cavern. I could see Vex clouds forming to the right. To the left, Vera vaulted over the machine and sprinted towards the incoming Vex. I barely breathed as she drew her shotgun and laid waste to the first few goblins. My chest was tight. Vera’s ferocity was awe-inspiring. She fought with such resolve and tenacity that the feed could not track her movements as she spun and leaped around the Vex forces. It was as if she was blinking with every move. I watched, elated, as she constantly whirled about. “We need to help her,” Solm said. “She can’t keep that up forever.” It was true. Even as I watched, I could see her reactions slow and her actions lose vigor. “Agreed,” I nodded. “We’ll come back here as soon as we get to her.” “Don’t move, Guardians," Ikora interjected suddenly. "She’s going to reactivate the machine.” “What if it’s too late?” I asked, already sprinting down the hallway with Solm. I relegated my Ghost’s video feed to the upper right of my HUD. Vera entered her Bladedance and began to seamlessly tear through the Vex. [i]Maybe she[/i] can [i]take them all.[/i] “A team of Redjacks is three minutes out,” Ikora said sternly. “Stay put, Vasquez! That’s a direct order!” I halted. Solm slowed down and looked back at me. “Go!” I said over the private channel. “I’ll go back to the Labs.” Solm looked at me, silent. “Vasquez, Castellan, I cannot risk the two of you as well. Get to the labs now!” Ikora commanded. Vera spun in the air, unleashing the last of her energy into the four minotaurs around her. Solm nodded and turned. They jumped into the air and began quickly boosting through the air. “Copy that, Master Rey,” I said, retreating to the laboratory. “I’ll find anything I can.” “What does Castellan think she’s doing?” Ikora demanded. “[i]They’re[/i] doing the right thing,” I corrected. I watched Vera blink over the head of a rushing minotaur. My stomach sank as it turned and caught her with a powerful blow to her chest. She skidded across the ground. [i]No.[/i] I reached the laboratory and expanded the feed. Vera audibly screamed as the minotaur crushed her hand. I tightened my jaw, sickened. The pain in her cry was all too real. Solm would not reach her in time. The other minotaurs focused their fire on the device and I clenched my fist in anger as it was torn apart. I was powerless to stop it. A kick from the minotaur sent Vera sprawling. I noticed Vera’s Ghost appear in the feed as it raced to my Ghost’s side. “You can’t help her!” my Ghost shouted to Vera’s. “We’ll come back for her.” Vera’s Ghost turned away, unable to watch as the minotaur brought its foot down on Vera’s skull with a crunch. I wanted to vomit. My Ghost flew away with Vera’s in tow as more Vex clouds appeared, heralding another wave. The feed cut out. “Solm,” I said, my voice shaking. “You can’t go in. There are too many.” Solm’s weary reply came back a few seconds later. “I know.” Their voice was dull and pained. “Stay calm, Guardians,” Ikora said. “We’ll get your friend back.” But I felt as if she didn’t truly believe the words she spoke. I clung to the balcony railing in the laboratory. My mind was reeling and the world twisted around me. There was a very real possibility that Vera wouldn’t be returning. I could not comprehend it. I could not roll with it. And at the end of the room, the massive Vex gate powered up. <End Recording>