Author's Note: This is a continuation of Please Don't Let Me Sleep... I'm going to write two versions. The Nightmare and The Pleasant Dream versions. Enjoy The Nightmare!

The dream always starts the same. It never changes for it's a constant. The Exo wakes up lying on the frozen plains of an icy moon. The stars innumberable as they light the night sky and the chilling winds biting against the metal plating of the his face. As he stands up the winds continue to blow against him and in the distance a lone spire stands call beckoning him to its embrace. He's experienced over a hundred times and every time it will be the same. No matter how close he gets. He will always somehow fail his mission to enter the lonely spire that calls his name. His name was Viper-7 and this was The Deep Stone Crypt Subroutine that he experiences.

As he takes his first step. His first obstacle always appears in front of him and is always the same. It's his ghost Aria. She floats there blocking him from moving forward. No matter what he does he can never get past her unless he does one thing specifically everytime. He stands silent as she speaks, "Welcome Back V." Even though it looks like Aria and it speaks like Aria it never feels like her. There is an emptiness in the voice no matter how much it mimics her mannerisms and vocal tics it never truly feels like Aria speaks to him and as always she says the same thing, "Your journey begins anew today. But you can't pass till you've done the most important thing. As always your weapons will be your greatest friends. The Light may guide you and it may help you in your battle to reach it. But it will not save you. So Viper...do what you must to proceed."

If he could he'd be biting his lips in frustration to the point they'd be bleeding. It was always the same. It didn't matter if he tried running past her or trying convince her otherwise to change the outcome. The end result was always constant. He would touch her gently and whisper, "I'm so sorry..." If she could smile she would and answers, "I know." In a single flash of fluid movement Aria is split in two by Viper's Quickfang Sword. A burst of light flashes from her body as the origin point as the two pieces of her ghost shell fall quietly and quickly get buried beneath the snow.

He sheathes his sword and continues forward. No matter how much he tells himself it's just a dream his body and mind can't process it as one. Eveything feels real from snow his legs trudge through, to the cold winds blowing against his face, to the feeling of his blade cleaving his ghost in two. Everything is real whether he wants it to be or not. The tower always looked so far away. He couldn't call a Sparrow to take him through the snow because Aria was dead. Not that it'd probably matter. Something would find a way to make him fail. It always did.

Further ahead he saw a campfire with a pot hanging over it with some clearly cooking inside of it and someone sitting by the fire. Their back was turned from Viper but he instantly knew who it was. The tattered black cloak with the distinct red markings. Any Hunter would know that Cloak instantly and who was wearing it. It was Cayde-6. What was the equivalent of his heart sinking into his chest was happening to him right now. No matter how many times he had this dream Cayde was always one of the first people he'd see after Aria. Today was one of the calmer encounters. His legs felt like lead weights...wait couldn't his legs possibly be made of lead? Not the point. That first step is always the worst. No matter how he approaches this Cayde will try to kill him and he will have to try and kill Cayde. The first step is taken and nothing happens. Viper inches closer and closer till Cayde finally aware of his presence turns around and says, "Took you long enough. What's wrong V? Does my breath stink?" Viper smiles and takes a seat, "So how we doing this today Cayde?"

Cayde smiles, "Pretty simple today I'd say. I'm not gonna put up a fight. But i do need you to earn your right to wear that Cloak." That sinking feeling was already getting worst, "Hunters only become Vanguard Captains one way little V. The Vanguard Dare!" Cayde gestured grandly as he began explaining everything, "And you already know what my Dare was." Viper nods and answers, "Whoever kills you becomes the next Hunter Vanguard." Cayde continues, "Ladies and gentlemen we have a winner now let's tell him what he's won!" Viper looks sullenly at Cayde, "Cayde please don't..." Cayde begins to look a little eerie and smiles as he tilts his head, "But it's what you've always wanted..." Viper shakes his head, "Not like this. When I knew what the Dare was I never wanted the position if it meant that." Cayde comes closer and places the Ace of Spades in Viper's hand, "But that's how it works. You get my cloak, you get my gun, and you get the Colonel who is happily boiling in a pot over the campfire." If color could drain from his face it would right now. He looks Cayde straight in the eyes to which the Former Hunter says, "Kill me." Cayde's hands gently help Viper position the Ace of Spades at Cayde's head, "Prove to me you've earned the right to wield my gun and wear The Vanguard Dare Cloak." Cayde begins screaming his voice distorting heavily as he yells at Viper, "DO IT! SHOOT ME! SHOW ME HOW THE VIPER KILLS ITS PREY! SHOOT ME! SHOOT ME! SHOOT ME!!!" Viper screams as he fires the gun. Firefly. Cayde's body is engulfed in Solar Light before exploding and raining down as nothing but ash.

It's always the same outcome no matter how many times he experiences it differently. It's kill or be killed in this hellscape and it was only going to get worst as he draws closer to the tower. Viper looked at the Ace of Spades and sheathed it by his side. He stood up once more and makes his way further. The winds howl and the storm begins to get worse. He knew they would start to come his way soon. He could feel the ground trembling and all along the ground weapons were scattered everywhere. This was where it would begin.

When some experience the Deep Stone Crypt Dream. Sometimes their dreams are quiet journeys to the tower and for others it was massacre. For Viper it was about to be a massacre. As he pulls out his Quickfang he looks to see his first target coming his way. It's Petra Venj aiming her Dynasty sidearm at Viper. No matter how much he didn't want to fight everything in his body was compelling him too at his hardest. His Light was at it's strongest and he could call on the powers of Solar and Void and switch between them almost seamlessly. This was not his regular Light or even the true Light it was purely his dream simulating the closest equivalent to what the real Light functioned as.

As P.V. takes aim Viper immediately drops a smoke bomb pulling off one of the oldest Hunter tactics in the book. As he vanishes in the smoke he quickly leps into the air knowing full well if he tried running she would be able to track his foot prints through the snow and as he comes crashing down he cuts down the Queen's Wrath in one blow and begins moving forward. The waves coming in full force. There were so many faces some he recognized as ordinary citizens of The Last City and some he has no recollection of. Were they spectators of his former life before he was revived by Aria? All he knew was that if he didn't do anything they'd kill him.

He leapt and flipped into the air again focusing the Void into both his hands forming two kodachi blades of Void Light. He unleashed the Spectral Blades invisible to the naked eye and began cutting everyone down in his path without remorse or a second to mourn the loss of life. As the void energy faded he found himself surrounded by six guardians aiming their auto rifles at him. He was pinned but not for long. This was a showdown and these amateurs clearly weren't ready for what made Viper one of the most dangerous sharpshooters among Hunters. He quickly draws the Ace of Spades and starts dropping to the ground as the guardians open fire he two taps the Guardian directly in front of him. Firefly procs as always and the nearby guardians get caught in the blast throwing them off. In one fluid motion he quickly gets back up by performing a kip up maneuver and as he's up he turns and quickly throws his throwing knife into the head of another Guardian killing him instantly and with his other free hand lobs a Trapwire Grenade into the face of another Guardian and as the guardian turns to look at his teammate the tripwire goes off causing the grenade to explode in both their faces. Four down two to go and the odds were still in his favor. The other two guardians were still disoriented from the Firefly blast. He quickly closes the gap unleashing a spinning hook kick to the head of one Guardian causing a loud snap to echo through the icy fields. A broken neck. The final guardian begs for mercy but Viper punches him in the neck so hard it shatters his windpipe causing the guardian to suffocate and suffer.

As the Guardians laid dead on the ground he could feel the wind picking up but it wasn't natural. He could hear the roar of an engine and looked up to see Amanda Holliday's jumpship aiming it's turrent at him. Amanda wasn't holding back. He ran as fast as could to avoid being shot. He could see some icy rocks he could get behind for cover and leapt for his life behind the cover. A bullet manages to graze his side causing him to mess up his landing. He shuffled quickly against the boulder of ice but it wasn't going to hold for very long. Solar light coursed through his body and he knew what he had to do. The ringing sound of the Golden Gun being summoned as he raised his left hand into the air echoed loudly. He quickly dived to the left and fired off the Golden Gun. First shot got the left wing, second shot pierced the right wing, and the final shot pierced right through the cockpit and the ship came crashing down into another crowd of enemies.

Viper gripped his side tightly. The bullet got him worst then he thought and he knew it wasn't over. A boisterous laughed filled the air and on top of the wreckage of the ship stood three Titan's. Shaxx, Zavala, and Saint-14. Viper looked up and sighed, "You've gotta be kidding me." The sound of The Ace of Spades being fired rang loudly and suddenly the three titans exploded in a flash of Solar Light...but that wasn't Viper who fired off another the gun.

Viper was confused till he saw one lone figure standing before him where the three mighty Titans once stood. Viper's anger began to boil over as he recognized the Awoken that stood before with the cold unfeeling golden eyes that glowed through the smoke, "ULDREN!" Viper yelled at the top of his lungs. Despite the pain he was in he tried to draw the Ace of Spades to see it wasn't on his person anymore to which Uldren held it in his hand and looked at Viper with a smile before raising his finger to his mouth and shushing Viper, "Shhh...this will all be over soon." Viper screamed as he pulled out his Quickfang and began charging blindly forward. His vision tunneled. Nothing else mattered. He didn't care anymore because what he hated most stood before him.

Uldren took aim with The Ace that glowed with the power of Memento Mori flowing through it and fired once. A bullet pierced his shoulder but his movement didn't falter. The next shot came and grazed the side of his face tearing piece of his face off but still no halt to the Exo's blind stampede. The third shot rang through the fields piercing his sternum causing him to momentarily stop from the pain. The fourth shot blew his right arm clean off but he continued moving forward, "I'll kill you Uldren! I'll finally get my revenge for what you did to him! I'll be the Hunter Vanguard when I kill you with my sword!" Uldren shakes his head in dissappointment, "Such pathetic last words from a dog who can't think for themselves." The fifth destroyed his left leg halting his movement completely and causing Viper to plummet to the ground. Uldren held off firing the last shot. He slowly walked to the struggling Viper trying to prop himself up from the ground using his sword as lverage to help pull himself up. Uldren stood in front of Viper looking down at him with a smug look of disdain on his face, "Any...REAL...last words?" He says as he gently carresses the Ace before pointing it at Viper. The Exo can't stop struggling. This is it. This is where he fails and in the worst way possible. At the hands of the one who murdered Cayde.

Viper screams one last time and pulls his sword back to thrust it into Uldren's rotten heart. But Uldren simply smiles mockingly and triumphantly before shooting Viper through the skull. Time slows. It feels like eternity as he body falls back to collapse. He failed to reach the crypt but what hurts even more is that he failed to kill Cayde's murderer. As he hits the ground he gasps loudly in fear as his body wakes from the nightmare.

"V!" Aria was right there in front of her Guardian. She never left his side for a second and she looked worried. Viper looked at his ghost to which she replied, "Welcome Back Boltbrain." Viper smiles and holds Aria in his hands despite them trembling, "Thanks Prima Donna." Aria immediately perked up, "There's that sharp snake tongue your named after." Viper laid back aginst the pilots chair of his ship, "So where to next Aria?" Aria chimed in, "Last I checked we're due for a Lunch Date with Saint and Holliday on the Tower." Viper smiles despite his hands still trembling. It's over for now...The Nightmares have gone quiet but soon they will come back to haunt the Exo's mind once more.