A/N: Inspired to write a one shot about being Taken. Yes people have done this before. Yes, I wanted to write. No, I'm not trying to steal people's ideas, not my intention. I just liked the concept. Anyways, let's go. Warning: Morbid theme.

...

After a patrol on the Dreadnought, you came back to the Tower to be checked for any lingering Taken anomalies. Being a Titan and having the bulky ass armor sucks, you think to yourself. It takes you about seven minutes to get out of it fully, because all of the plates and buckles and straps that hold everything in place. Your Ghost can't help with that, since there is no such thing as transmatting it one at a time, it's all or nothing according to him. The only upside you saw is that it is deceptively flexible. You actually had room to move in your armor. Seemed fitting to say at the time.

…

Your Ghost said you have been cooped up in your room for the past three days, granted you were working out and training, so it wasn't all bad. Your Ghost said you needed to get moving since your patrol in the EDZ was today. You had to investigate Fallen activity, since they have been getting more devious lately, and you would think, 'Why not just send a Hunter out there, it's their job.' Unfortunately, you are the Titan who breaks the mold a little bit, more of the mold has a little wiggle room. Commander Zavala said you were the best Titan to explore, rumors around the Tower you were the Hunter-esque Titan, which is kind of true. You like going out and fighting the enemies head on, in classic Titan fashion. You had only an hour to prepare and report to the shipyard and head out. You were going solo, since it was simple investigation. Your Ghost made sure you were carrying your weapons, extra ammo and even a little snack, because getting hungry on the job isn't the greatest thing to happen.

Your ship isn't much, but it gets you by. It has made it to the Moon and back in the fastest time possible, so you know it'll hold. You mount up in your ship and with a green light from the frame on the catwalk, you hit the throttle and with a sonic BOOM! and out into the sky below the Traveler you went. Flying to the EDZ was an easy flight, simple as it was, you set yourself down in the Gulch, where the supposed Fallen activity was, and even after searching the entire Gulch once or twice, about four hours later. You thought this Fallen activity was a bunch of mumbo jumbo, but a small whisper caught your ear, even though the gunfire of a small mob of Cabal, since the Red War had happened, there were some Red Legion still sticking around the Solar System. The whisper was calling out to you, 'Come see Guardian. Come see...'

"Do you hear that Ghost?" You asked, since that whisper has been getting slightly louder and louder.

"No, Guardian, I don't hear anything, and if I did, I would tell you." Your Ghost replied.

You notice off to the side, this one cave you haven't checked at all, it seems to be the source of these whispers you believe that you're hearing. You walk into the cave and the whispers are getting louder, it feels like they are in your head, yearning for your response. Then in a flash of light, you feel something swarm you, something cold, dark, and mysterious. One second you are in a cave in the EDZ. The next moment you are in some barren void, where it looks like someone just put a greyscale over everything, also its echoey. Sounds just empty of all emotion, but the whispering just is knocking on your mind. You attempt to pull out your Ghost, to only realize he's not there. Fear courses through your veins. Then a circle appears around you, and your muscles turn stiff, you can only move your neck to turn only about 90-100 degrees ish. You look in front of you and see a Wizard, but this Wizard is Taken, you realize what this is. A ritual. For what, you don't know, and you don't want to find out either. The Wizard starts to chant, and the whispers are slowly getting louder, but you are ignoring them, not showing them any weakness. You think they are trying to turn you, but that's impossible, you have the Light. But that is only with your Ghost. Your Ghost has been separated from you. That silent fear still coursing through you in going into overdrive, and the whispers get even louder, and they are getting harder to ignore

'Join us, you will be free.'

'Come see Guardian, Come and see the Truth.'

These whispers are harder to ignore, and you open your eyes, not knowing you even closed them through your helmet. Your armor seems to be intact so far. Upon opening your eyes and actually looking at your surroundings. You see a second Taken Wizard appear and continuing the chant with the first. The whispers are growing in frequency, being projected in your head even more.

'You will no longer be chained'

'You will be free; the truth will set you free…'

They say, but I will never believe them, never. They speak lies… do they?

No no no no no, this is the whispers talking. They are making you weak, and unfocused. You focus on your Ghost, attempting to reach out and maybe he can find you, but…. there is a problem. Time seems to have stopped, but that shouldn't be possible. Only the Vex have that power, granted in the Vault of Glass, it's more powerful, but The Taken shouldn't be able to stop time just like that. Then you feel an even darker presence behind you, one that makes a shiver go down your spine. This Wizard is more powerful than the other two combined and its chanting is louder, so much so, that the whispers were even louder, thundering in your mind. Clawing at your very thoughts, corrupting your mind, excited to take over. Your resolve is slowly draining, your mind is getting weaker, slowly being consumed. The chanting has gotten louder, and it seems like someone started a marching band in your mind. It has started to take over, you feel your control slip away. The chant has gotten louder and slower, to emphasize that they have you. These sadistic freaks want to watch you slip form your perch. At this point you are on your knees, even with the 'muscle dampener' as you so called it. It doesn't stop your body from falling, hoping and silently begging them to stop, but you know they won't. It would be a futile effort to even ask, and begging is below you. You can feel your light being corrupted, tainted with darkness, it seems to be making a stake at your soul. It is trying to weaken your will so you will succumb to the Darkness. You urge your Light to fight back, but without your Ghost nearby, your Light is weak, and it slowly being taken over. You think they will just get it over with and just Take you already. No, they won't. The Hive and ergo the Taken Hive are monsters, they will make you suffer, make you plead for your miserable life, but in the end; They will just kill you, or turn you into one of their experiments. The circle that once held you and the Wizards that were in front of you and behind you just floated away silently. You put your hands on your helmet and start screaming. Yelling. Pleading for it to stop. Your pleading and blood-curdling screams are responded to in silence. No one is here to help you. No one is here to save you. You are alone. Only the echoes are here to answer you, but they hold no knowledge for you. In a swift motion, you are being stood up by an unknown force. The morbid realization kicks in, you have no control of your body. Your mind remains unaffected for now, but your body and mind seem to be two separate entities. One in and one out of your control. Your body is being walked to a portal, that just appeared out of thin air, you step through and you black out, your mind at rest, but your body…. Who really knows?

…

You wake up in the same cave you were whisked away in, you take a look at your surroundings and see absolutely nothing out of the ordinary. You can move your body which is a relief, but you feel cold. Something is wrong. You remember, you can't move your body, but it is using your mind to predict your movements, to put on an act. An act. Your Ghost comes up to scan you, but the scan hurts, it burns like a thousand suns, but you show no signs of irritation or affliction. But why?

'Simple, your body has turned off all pain in your nerves, but the Light is poison to the Darkness.'

You whip your head around and you wonder where the source of the voice came from, you are thinking it is your imagination.

'You aren't imagining, you are mine to control!'

"NO!" You shout, startling your Ghost.

"Is something wrong Guardian? You passed out for a moment there, I was checking your vitals and making sure nothing happened." He said calmly.

What? You thought you were gone for hours, days, maybe even weeks. The torture you went through felt like it was going on forever, like it never even stopped. That thought alone terrifies you to no end.

Just when you think you would be fine, you grab your Ghost out of nowhere and start to crush it. You can't stop your body from this, your mind begging your body to comply, to work in sync with one another. Without warning, you pull your gun on your Ghost, your best friend, the one who brought you back form the dead, and pull the trigger on your cannon back.

"Guardian, what are you doing? Don't do this!" He pleaded.

You can barely get out, "I'm sorry! I-I-I can't control my body! Some-something happened while I was out Ghost!"

The hammer is now fully pulled back.

"Do you know what it was?" he asked

Your finger is on the trigger. Slowly pulling it, your will is not your own...

"The-the Taken! It was the TAKEN!" You shout.

The gun fired, followed by a burst of Light and the Shell that was once your friend now lies at your feet, broken, and lost forever. When you thought it was over, it wasn't…

'YES! IT IS DONE! YOU WILL SEE!'

See what? You think to yourself, not that you are alone…

The Darkness in your soul has started to take over where the Light was. You look down and notice the unmistakable Taken colors. Black with white as the eye color. It hasn't reached your eyes yet, but you have seen enough Taken to know what you will somewhat look like, and the thought alone puts the true fear of the Darkness in you. The screaming that comes next is your voice begging to be spared. To not be put through this. You want to live, not serve the Darkness. The disembodied voice you have been hearing comes back in a shadow form in front of you and says, 'You have been Taken, you serve me, your true Ruler now.'

You want to tell this 'Ruler' to fuck off and take a hike, but instead your own voice betrays you and says, "YeS, mY rUlEr." To top it all off, your body makes you tilt your head down in submission. You feel pathetic, bowing to someone who isn't what you serve.

'Rise' The voice says. You do so immediately, no hesitation.

The shadow form then moves their hand on your head and mumbles something, and as they do so, the searing pain from earlier comes back with a vengeance. You feel as if your skin is melting off, but in actuality, the Taken 'goo' is consuming your heart, soul, and mind. You are becoming one of these minions for this creature.

You think to yourself, 'WhAt Is HaPpEnInG tO mE? wHy?'

'You are mine now, you shall do as I say.' They do not wait for your reply before continuing, 'Go and attack and kill any other Light-bearing vermin you see, and I will handle the rest.'

Your last thought of your free will is, 'Go To HeLl, YoU sIcK mOtHeRfUc-'

Your thought was cut off and you turn around and disappear, to follow your new Ruler.

So many Guardians were lost in the following weeks, and no one knows why….