Red vs Blue : Mirage

Horizon Finance Part 7

Scene opens to the group of soldiers running towards the closing walls.

Onyx: Don’t let them get away!

The wall closes before they can reach it.

Onyx: (bangs the wall) Nooo!!

Onyx stops banging the wall and faces his team.

Onyx: Search the place! That scientist said a key was here. If anything looked like the thing that blasted mercenary was holding bring it to me.

The soldiers saluted him and dispersed, in search of a key.

Onyx: This isn’t over. Not when we’re so close to getting what we desired.

Cut to the trio beyond the wall.

Mirage and Walters: Ho… ly… shit.

Pans over to what they’re seeing. A large room filled with all kinds of alien weaponry. From alien rifles to swords, armor, vehicles, and many other types of weapons.

Mirage: Holy fuck, is this… is this gun heaven? Or Texas?

Walters: So this is what it meant when it said ‘great arms’.

Then, a loud booming voice is heard speaking in an unknown language. The trio, startled, turned and had their backs to each other.

Mirage: O–kay, it’s that sound again.

Walters: Where is that voice coming from?

Horizon: Puzzling. The language spoken by this disembodied speaker is not registered in any of my databases.

Upon a pillar lights started to appear before they finally formed a bipedal figure. This figure looked to be a blue holographic alien.

Alien Hologram: WHO… ARE… YOU?

Mirage: The name’s Mirage, your friendly neighborhood merc with a mouth. Wait–

Horizon: Designation Horizon. Owner of Horizon Finance.

Walters: I-I’m Simon Walters, a graduate of M.I.T. and uh, researcher.

A.H.: Greetings, noble warriors.

Mirage: Who–what are you?

A.H.: I am an A.I. construct that has been tasked in guarding this temple by my creators.

Mirage: Huh, is that so? You got a name?

A.H.: I have yet to be given a designation. Though you may name me if you choose so.

Mirage: How about ‘Temple Spirit’?

Horizon: Emphatius the First.

Walters: Uh, Dan?

Mirage: Oh oh oh, wait, how… about… Docent. Y’know, as in, a guide?

Walters: Eh, it could be better.

Mirage: (sarcastic) Oh yeah? Well, how about Pixie, since he's shiny and floaty?

Walters: Um… y-yeah, nevermind. Let's just stick with Docent.

Mirage: How about the tooth fairy? Ooh, or how about Elve—

Horizon: (cuts off Mirage) Then it is settled. (to the Alien A.I.) You shall henceforth be referred to as Docent.

Docent: Acknowledge.

Mirage: So, uh, mind telling us more about what this place is?

Docent: Certainly. In a time long past my creators built many temples across the cosmos for them to house many of their technology so that it may be gifted to others they deem worthy to inherit their legacy. This place is one such temple. The Great Temple of Armaments. Here, they store their greatest weapons.

Walters: Amazing! So the forerunners left their technology so it can be discovered by future species? What other purpose do they have in doing this? You said ‘temples’, how many more are they? What else do they contain? What–

Horizon: Docent, you stated that these temples, gifts, may only be claimed by someone the Forerunners deem ‘worthy’. How exactly do they determine if someone is worthy?

Docent: To access the temples, and subsequently their gifts, one must possess a Great Key that can only be obtained by overcoming a trial that can only be passed by a noble warrior.

Horizon and Walters turn to Mirage. Mirage brings out his energy blade.

Mirage: Ahhh, so that’s why those guys wanted this sword.

Docent: Although the great key of this temple has yet to be claimed, I have determined that your key, was in fact, created by my creators. Therefore, I have deemed it acceptable.

Mirage: Great! That means tha–wait, did you say the key of this temple?

Docent: Correct. A great key was also placed here and it has yet to be claimed.

Mirage: …fuck.

Cut to Onyx and his soldiers searching through the temple. They come across a large room with a beam of light shining upwards in the middle of the room. There were also writings on the walls akin to all the others that they’ve seen.

Onyx: This looks important. Analyze the writings on the wall. I have a feeling we’re close.

Cut back to the trio in the alien armory.

Mirage: Who were those guys anyway? They don’t seem like your run of the mill alien enthusiasts.

Walters: I don’t know. They just showed up and said they’re interested in my work. I was ecstatic, of course. But then they started talking about treasures and threatening me if I didn’t find them.

Horizon: Fortunately, I know who they are.

Mirage: As always, Horizon is ahead of the curve.

Horizon: While Mirage was engaging the enemy I did a biometric scan on the unconscious soldiers. After searching databases after databases I have determined that they are a former UNSC funded organization called ‘Mythus’. Their objective was the research of ancient alien technology to assist in the war effort. Although after years of producing little to no results the UNSC cut off their funding, after which, they faded into obscurity.

Mirage: Guess they weren’t too happy to have their efforts tossed aside. That means they’re here to finish what they started. But wait, if they disappeared because they lost funding, how’d they get all of their equipment?

Walters: (raises his hand) Um, when they recruited me they said something about an employer.

Mirage: Hmmm, maybe they found substantial evidence about their research to convince a company to help them?

Walters: Mr. Docent, sir, I’d like to ask, what kind of weapons do you have here?

Docent: In this temple my creators stored a plethora of arms that are used to wage battle. But, they also store here, one of their greatest creations, the Magistrate.

Mirage: Magistrate?

Docent: It is a highly weaponized spacecraft designed for intergalactic travel. It was once used by my creators to visit other worlds and meet new species. Although, if they deem a species too dangerous to continue its existence, the Magistrate is used to purge them.

Horizon: Essentially, the eradication of an entire race of organisms.

Walters: W-wait, it’s a weapon capable of that much destruction?!

Docent: Correct. Those who wields a key will have full access to the Magistrate and can use it as they see fit.

Mirage: … double fuck.