This was a request from someone in a forum I frequent. Finally finished and it and posted it here.
I'll be working on Escaping Umbra and Still Waters in the days to come. They are not abandoned.
And as always, I don't own anything.
Taryn-5-at least he thought that was his name, had been a "Guardian" and "back from the dead" for little over than an hour. He had awoken with no information and even now still had barely any.
Things had started bad and true to form had simply gone to hell from there. One could always count on entropy royally fucking everything up.
Dropping his head back against a rusty bulkhead the Exo paused to let his situation sink in. Barely cognizant of the world around, he let his mind wander through the series of unfortunate events following his awakening.
First on the list was the matter of his amnesia. Taryn-5 knew he had memories. Knew it in a way that resonated to his core. However, as he was pulled into wakefulness by the hovering orb, he could not remember anything before this except his name. The dichotomy of knowing there were memories of before and his inability to access them grated on the Exo. This set the tone for what would follow.
The little bundle of shapes floating in front of him started to enthusiastically chatter about how he was a "Guardian" and that it was his "Ghost". Questions and confusion raged through the war machine's mind as he wondered what in the hell was happening. As he began to speak to the little thing, the second and third adverse occurrences happened in rapid succession.
A long howl tore through the arctic wind, full hate and hunger. Unconsciously the sound made Taryn-5 reach for an instrument of war he did not yet possess. Alarm and a sense of panic flashed through him at the thought of being weaponless.
In that instant, the Exo came to a quick decision: Time to escape, retreat, and learn more about this new world. Hell, if he was lucky, he might even get an answer from that damn orb. Ignoring the rusted detritus of the past he sprinted towards a structure looming before him.
After a few moments of clattering up stairs and across gantries the Exo slid to halt. A chasm sprawled out into the darkness, and faint noises and signals crawled over Taryn-5's sensors. This pause led directly to day-ruining moment number four: the "Ghost" gave a warning about how the "Fallen" could see in the dark. Without even waiting to explain more it zipped out into the dark and promptly gave away their position.
Frustration filled the war machine as he slid beneath a slowly rising security gate. This situation was completely fucked already, and there was not much hope to make it better.
His internal rage cooled to a simmer as the Exo saw a battered rifle leaning on a crate. The weapon seemed to be waiting for him, ready for action after its lonely vigil. Taryn-5 idly noted the human bones scattered around the weapon, and wondered what had ended the person.
As he picked up the weapon his hands slid into position, in a way that felt like coming home. Without any conscious thought he slid the charging handle back and released, the gun replying with a satisfying clunk. Despite the lack of answers or memories, Taryn-5 knew that he was beginning a symphony of war once more.
With a spring to his step, the Exo began a light jog down the hallway. As he rounded a corner, his optical sensors caught a flicker of movement before it slipped behind machinery. Taryn-5 carefully leveled his rifle at the area and began a slow tactical approach. To compound his situation, the lights above had begun to flicker, ancient systems overloaded with power.
The war machine rounded the corner when the aliens finally appeared. A small slim figure hopped out of gap in the machinery while a larger alien had dropped through a vent in the ceiling. Taryn-5 paused, unwilling to be the one who initiated hostilities this time. His minded chased that though for a moment, and in that moment the two aliens acted.
A shrill war cry erupted from the smallest alien as it charged at him, a sparking blade held at the ready. Behind it the larger of the two calmly leveled its weapon at the Exo and began firing energy bolts of some kind towards him.
A faint sense of disappointment swelled for a moment, only to be washed away by visceral excitement. The ancient rifle slid up and fired at the charging alien. His first two rounds flew over the thing's shoulder before the rest slammed into its chest. With a pitiful cry the alien tumbled as if the strings holding it erect had been severed and ended up a bleeding sprawl on the ground.
Even as its companion died, the taller figure continued to relentlessly spray at the Exo. Taryn-5 swore as several round slammed into the machinery around him, and quickly dove back around the corner.
Taryn-5 landed with a harsh grunt before instantly rolling over and training his weapon down the hallway. A long, tense moment dragged by before the Exo slowly rose to his feet. Carefully, the war machine took cover against the wall and prepared for whatever would happen next.
He heard an alien barking noise and knew that it was time. Taryn-5 silently surged around the corner and began firing at his foe. The alien didn't register the threat for the barest of moments when he appeared, leading to its demise. Rounds hammered into its shoulder before stitching a gory path across its torso. As it died in agony, the alien's claws tightened on its weapon causing a spray of energy bolts to spatter across the hallway ceiling.
Taryn-5 took the sudden silence as his opportunity to reload, and warily kept an eye on the corridor as he replaced the magazine of the ancient rifle. Once he was sure that he was reloaded and ready, the Exo began to jog down the corridor, prepared for whatever happened.
The next several minutes were a familiar rhythm of violence as he charged through the ruined complex. Questions faded away and all that mattered was the delivery of death by fist or rifle. Rounds provided a soothing staccato with pleasing countering notes that came as aliens shrieked and died.
Along the anthem of destruction, the little machine showed him where a chest sat. Beneath old piles of scrap and broken technology, Taryn-5 spotted a stubby barrel. After tossing the junk across the floor, he pulled forth a new implement of death: a shotgun with a massive bore that promised to wreak havoc among his foes.
The next pitiful alien that spotted him managed to snarl before it found itself missing half its chest. Even as the thing rasped on the floor, an armored boot met its neck and finished the job. Without even pausing to consider the life he extinguished, the Exo pushed forward into the unknown. He had tried the peaceful route and it had gotten him nowhere.
Bursting into a room full of tattered alien banners, Taryn-5 breathed a sigh of relief only to swear once more as the enemy again boiled forth. He conveyed his frustration and building rage with a hail of rifle rounds, and finished his tirade with a few sharp retorts from his shotgun.
The Exo relaxed for a moment to reload and breathe. However, his lapse in vigilance was rewarded with unfortunate event number five. A pain flashed across his chest and servos stuttered. Taryn-5 snarled at the unwelcome surprise and whirled to find who dared attack him. As he did, a small alien body slammed into him and foreign chittering rang through his audio sensors.
Thrashing wildly, the revenant managed to dislodge one of the smallest aliens he had seen yet. The slight creature, a "Fallen Dreg" according to his helmet's HUD, immediately began blindly firing towards him again. Taryn-5 felt contempt seep into his mood at the Dreg's disregard for any form of cover or safety.
He hurled the shotgun with inhuman strength at his opponent, and felt a rush of savage satisfaction as something gave way with sharp snap. The war machine didn't waste time and rolled to his feet before showing the staggering Dreg how a proper tackle was done. Ignoring the long screech that grated on his sensors, Taryn-5 began to methodically beat the alien to death.
Only after the Dreg's head was crushed to a fine paste along the ancient concrete did the Exo finally pause. He tried to brush the alien fluids off his gauntlets as he stood once more, but eventually gave up the effort as futile. Glaring down at the mess of what was once a sentient being, Taryn-5 spared a pithy epitaph.
"Fucking dumbass." The Exo shook his head before deciding to see if he could finally get a few answers from that damn orb. "Hey Ghost, or whatever in the hell you're called, remind me again why I'm back from the dead."
The little cheery voice popped into his helmet. "Because you're a Guardian! Risen in the Traveler's Light to push back the Darkness!"
As he methodically reloaded his weapon and strode for the hatch in the wall, Taryn-5 had a sinking feeling that this little machine was a part of a cult. With an exasperated sigh, the Exo began walking down yet another tunnel.
"The Last City needs defenses against the Darkness, especially after Mare... Mare Imbrium." The Ghost continued before coming to an uncomfortable silence.
"So according to you, I'm a revenant of the Light, brought back to defend a mythical person and some strange-ass city?" The war machine inquired.
"I wouldn't put it like that." The little machine huffed. "To be honest, you have another opportunity to live. To exist again."
Taryn-5 didn't reply, however, as he strode out of the tunnel. The war machine was studying everything before him in morbid fascination. Without a clear and present danger, the post-apocalyptic reality finally began to set in with the Exo. Snow piled against rusted-out tank hulls, and buildings in the clearing showed the harsh effect of time's inexorable march.
Finally, Taryn-5 shook his head and started to answer his Ghost when the sky above began to shine and warp around a single point. The anomaly twisted and pulsed for only a moment before flashing. As the light died away a massive alien craft shifted into reality.
The vessel's appearance and subsequent shockwave knocked over a towering launch platform in the distance. Taryn-5 could only stare as the ancient structure crumbled beneath the force and plummeted to the ground.
"You have got to be shitting me," the war machine muttered as he sprinted towards a decrepit loading bay.
His Ghost took the moment to hover back into view and regard him. "I hate to be the bearer of bad news but there are several Fallen Skiffs approaching our location. They may have spotted us when they arrived."
Taryn-5 swore quietly at his luck. After a moment of deliberation he turned to the Ghost and spoke. "I'll tear into this old bay behind us, and we'll hide until these Fallen pass by."
"I'd hurry, though; they are definitely looking into this area," the little machine replied before disappearing once more.
Without pausing to grip once more the Exo turned to slam his gauntlet through the ancient bay door. Metal squealed in protest before giving way as he tore the initial hole wider. The war machine then silently slid around ancient shelving and hid in a shadowed alcove.
Taryn-5 barely had a moment to relax and take stock of his surroundings, completely unaware of his impending misfortune, when a tremor shook the building and a loud crash pressed against his audio sensors. He steadied himself against the wall and began to call out for the Ghost. "Gho-"
"Oh, this is bad, Guardian. Very bad. The Fallen brought along a Devil Walker for support." The orb said. "You don't have anything that can effectively hurt it at the mome-"
The rest of the sentence was lost in a thunderous explosion as one side of the bay ceased to exist. Not even taking time to swear, the Exo took off at a dead sprint back towards the tunnels. "This is fucking ridiculous."
Even as he made to hastily leave the area, large energy bolts streaked overhead before violently detonating above the tunnel. The concrete face shattered beneath the force and collapsed, blocking the Exo's escape route. Taryn-5 spared a comment for yet another unfortunate turn of events: "You have GOT TO BE SHITTING ME!"
His brief and colorful tirade about the ancestry of the Fallen was cut short by energy bolts spattering around the war machine. Growling in rage, Taryn-5 dashed behind the same tank hull as before, and then snapped for the Ghost. "Tell me there is something we can do about that fucking tank."
"You don't have any weaponry that would do damage to it, and the closest group of Guardians my sensors can find are on the other side of the Cosmodrome. Our best bet is to try and cross the clearing and disappear into the complex." The little ball replied, bobbing up and down.
Taryn-5 was not impressed with what he had heard and decided to convey that. "So, to be clear, you want me to once more leave my nice, safe cover, risk my resurrected ass to sprint past a enemy armor platform, and disappear into unknown territory. Am I missing anything?"
His companion sounded peeved when it replied. "I wouldn't put it like that, Guardian. But if that doesn't work, what is your plan? To the left are cliffs and then open tundra where the Fallen will simply blast you from their skiffs. To the right is the Rocketyards where several Guardian teams, teams mind you, have been killed."
The orb floated up to eye level, and stared directly at the war machine. "Simply put, Guardian, running past the spider tank is our best shot at escaping. Also, in the complex behind it, I've been receiving periodic data bursts from what might be a jumpship. That could be our ticket out of here."
Taryn-5 groaned before chuckling. "Figures it would take a tank to get straight answers out of you. So do you have any plans to distract the tank, or is it just run like hell and hope for the best?"
"There isn't much I can access in this area, Guardian, so unfortunately it's all up to you."
The Exo sighed at the Ghost's response. "Figures. Well here goes nothing."
He exploded into motion, hurling himself over the tank and sprinting for the temporary cover of the shelled building. The Exo's sole focus was making it back to collapsing building, and the progress it represented in escaping. The distance quickly shrank to nothing and Taryn-5 slid into cover next to the corner of the building.
He paused for a moment and analyzed the signals caught by his audio sensors. Faint alien barks of communication were interspersed with the whining machinery of the unseen tank and topped off by a faint moan from the ever present wind. Taryn-5 deliberated on what to do, and whispered to the wind, "Ghost, is there anything you can tell me about what the tank is doing?"
There was a short silence before a hushed voice replied. "The walker is still scanning in the direction of the tunnel, and the Fallen scouting party is moving up. You're going to need to move to avoid being spotted."
Taryn-5 nodded at the info before ghosting his way around the corner. Every step the Exo took added to the tense atmosphere and his healthy paranoia. As he silently slipped behind a concrete block the Ghost spoke up. "That entrance forward and to the left is what you're looking for. You'll only have a period of 3.13457 seconds before the spider tank realizes you're there and begins firing."
"Worst resurrection experience ever," the Exo deadpanned before preparing himself. "Can you tell me when it's about to fire?"
"I can Guardia- Guardian! What are you doing?!" The Ghost squawked in surprise.
Taryn-5 continued to sprint as he replied. "Less griping. More looking for enemy fire."
"Plasma bolts incoming!" The war machine didn't hesitate and instantly threw himself sideways. His body was still tossed through the air by the rapid concussive blasts as the rounds detonated. Without missing a beat, he rolled back to his feet and sprinted towards the beacon of safety.
There wasn't any warning from Ghost as hot agony punched through Taryn-5's side and arm. He stumbled and almost fell for a moment before barely regaining his balance.
The Exo continued to stagger forward, intent on reaching his target.
"Guardian, DOWN!" his Ghost frantically shouted. Taryn-5 collapsed into the snow before his mind even fully registered the words. For a moment, the world itself seemed to press down on his shoulder before the massive concrete wall before him exploded. Chunks of concrete scattered everywhere and a cloud of dust enveloped the Exo.
"Guardian, you have to get moving. The Devil Walker is overriding its normal engagement patterns. The firepower it can use while in this state would require two strike teams to contain."
Taryn-5 pushed himself back to his knees, grimacing as he felt servos in his left arm sputter and spark. He resolutely ignored the damage reports flooding his mind and pushed through the pain to stand again. The Exo grunted back to his little machine, "Thanks for the heads up"
With that, he began to sprint forward once more. His destination was within sight and he would not be stopped.
The Exo flew by more broken down vehicles, and completely ignored the shocked Fallen hiding behind them. The Guardian was focused on one thing only, and that was making it to the complex.
As the war machine approached the open bay doors, his Ghost contacted him again. "Don't look now, Guardian, but the Walker is about to use its main cannon. I'd advise skipping the fighting and go straight down the hallway instead."
As if on cue, a targeting laser appeared aimed at the center of the bay. Taryn-5 ignored the tiny sense of panic at the sight and flung himself through the bay doors and around an ancient truck. He bowled over several Fallen and paid no mind to the floating Fallen machines.
Before he could take more than three steps into the hallway, a wave of flame and force caught him and threw him the way a child might throw a toy. The Exo clattered against a wall and then finally rolled to a halt. For a long moment Taryn-5 simply laid there, system malfunctions and damage reports flooding in.
"That thing is fucking ridiculous," the Guardian groaned, slowly pushing himself up. "That much firepower in that small of a time frame is ridiculous."
"I hate to stop the pity party, Guardian, but the Fallen are going to investigate soon. They quite enjoy taking trophies back to their Kell as proof." There was a pause, and then the voice streamed through the helmet once more. "The jump ship is right up ahead. Be careful, I'm detecting Fallen transmissions."
Taryn-5 grunted in response and reached for rifle once more. He was having a hard time getting used to how the weapon simply vanished when he was done with it. The idea of an armory at his fingertips was enticing to the war machine, and he made a mental note to ask the Ghost about it.
As he checked the weapon to ensure that nothing had happened to it, his Ghost piped up once more. "You're going to have to hurry. Fallen Skiffs are on approach back to our location."
The Exo swore vehemently, but paused as he felt something around on his belt. "Ghost, would you mind telling me why a FUCKING GRENADE APPEARED ON MY BELT!" He bellowed.
The Ghost replied unperturbed at the anger. "As you destroy minions of the Darkness, so does your power over the Light increase. Due to your actions, you now have access to a rechargeable grenade."
Taryn-5 froze before muttering, "Space magic. Hell, I don't have time for this."
He started to glide down the corridor, and noted the growing sounds of alien activity. While carefully making his way through a room filled with nets of alien tech, he heard a low guttural bark. The Exo gripped the gun a little tighter and pushed forward.
Rounding the corner Taryn-5 noticed the ancient jumpship dangling through the ceiling, as well as the Fallen surrounding it. This approach did not go unnoticed and the entire group of aliens began to slowly encircle the war machine.
Taryn-5 knew the unsteady absence of violence was wavering and decided to fill the void. His hand surged to his belt and grabbed the grenade even as the Fallen struggled to react. The Exo didn't hesitate to throw the little ball of death towards his foes.
Even as the grenade soared through the air Taryn-5 began firing his rifle. Fallen bodies shuddered and danced as supersonic rounds perforated them. An instant later the grenade bounced of the ground and erupted in a brilliant pulse of light.
Despite being momentarily stunned, the Exo had enough sense to duck towards where he remembered a pillar.
"You could have mentioned my grenade was a fucking flash bang," Taryn-5 growled out in frustration. Being stunned by his own grenade had cost him the tactical momentum.
"That was an oversight of mine, Guardian. I do apologize," the Ghost replied, chastised. "Also you have less than two minutes before Fallen skiffs show up."
A nigh overpowering urge ran through the Exo to just uproariously laugh at how utterly ridiculous his day had been, but he quietly steeled himself and peeked around the pillar. Spotting a blur of movement ahead, he exchanged his rifle for the cannon masquerading as a shotgun. Weapon in hand, Taryn-5 charged around the corner and directly towards a surprised Fallen Captain.
The ancient weapon roared, and the Fallen survivor staggered. It howled in challenge and then disappeared in a blue swirl of energy. The war machine remained on edge, distrustful that his opponent was actually gone. He was rewarded with his vigilance when he noticed a glimpse of alien armor through rusted machinery.
Taryn-5 quietly glided towards his opponent, trying his best to remain silent. However, luck was still not with him as an aged tool clattered to the ground as he brushed past it. The war machine wasted no time diving for cover, barely managing to avoid crackling bolts of power. He took a moment to slam his helmet against his cover.
"Come back to life. Escape the aliens. Wait, no now kill the aliens. Never mind time to escape again. This hasn't made a fucking bit of sense," the Exo griped before leaning out of cover and firing the shotgun. "Next thing you know the Ghost going to ask me to turn into an alien."
"Not yet Gurdian," The orb replied with an amused tone. When it spoke again there was an undercurrent of urgency. "The skiffs are forty five seconds out and the Fallen walker is trying to climb to our position. We need to leave."
Without a witty retort or even a moment to pause, Taryn-5 threw himself around the corner. He charged forward, hoping to close the distance before hiss opponent reacted. Unimpressed with his gambit the alien captain simply laid down a withering storm of fire at the Exo.
Taryn-5 did his best to weave through the incoming fire, but he was inevitably hit. Energy burned against his armor before a bolt broke through and seared through his shoulder. Another punched through his cuirass, and instantly the Exo knew something was off.
"Shit." He grumbled as he crashed to the ground. The war machine tried his best to push himself to his feet, but his limbs had no energy. Darkness began clouding his sight and the last thing he saw was an alien boot speeding towards his face.
The Exo knew only the void for a moment before being spat back into reality. Taryn-5 didn't question what happened and instantly began blasting away at the enraged Captain in front of him. The alien reeled for a moment before taking a page out of the Exo's book and charged Taryn-5.
The Exo pulled the trigger intending to end the Fallen only to have the weapon click instead of roar. Before he could even swear a bloodied mass of alien slammed into him. He stumbled and fell to the floor, but instantly rolled back to his feet, grabbing an item from his belt.
The Fallen Captain swayed for a moment and then dashed at the Exo. Taryn-5 back pedaled away and dropped a flashbang on the floor. As light seared his eyes the war machine reached behind his back and grasped the materializing grip of his rifle.
Despite only seeing blurs and shadow, Taryn-5 began to spray the rifle at where he thought the alien was. He was rewarded with a pained roar that abruptly cut off. The Exo stayed vigilant as his eyesight returned but saw that the Captain was slumped on the ancient grating, white fluid leaking from his chest.
Taryn-5 changed the magazine and then proceeded to dump it all back into the slumped body before him. A slightly worried voice broke through his battle lust. " Twenty seconds Guardian. I need you to get me to that jumpship!"
The urgency from his Ghost overrode any frustration he had and the Exo sprinted towards the vessel. He slid to a halt before the vehicle and watched as the Ghost flew from him to the ship. "It hasn't weathered the centuries with grace, but it can get us home."
A low powerful thrum filled the room as the ship slowly began to rise off the floor. Wind rushed through the room as cables snapped free of the hull. The sight pulled at something in the Exo's mind but a synthetic voice interrupted his musing.
"The skiffs are here, we need to go!" His Ghost said worriedly. A pair of energy bolts slamming into the roof punctuated the statement. Taryn-5 felt himself become formless for a long moment before he was dumped onto a rusty seat. He didn't even have the chance to push himself up before acceleration slammed him into the back of the cockpit.
"Sorry Guardian! The inertial dampeners are offline, and we have bigger problems to fix." A loud explosion rang through the ship and the Exo frowned.
"What was that?" He asked, worried at the thought of being shot down.
"The Fallen walker tried to shoot us down with its cannon. Got close enough to rattle the hull," The Ghost paused and then sighed. "We should be home free."
"Don't fucking jinx it Ghost," Taryn-5 growled. He slowly pulled himself up and shimmied his way to the pilot's chair. Maybe now all this craziness would finally end. He didn't count on it though. His luck just wasn't that good.
Hope everyone enjoyed! TMF out.