Chapter 4: The Awakening Golden Gun Part 2

Back at the Tower, Otto, after replacing his helmet continued down the hallway towards the Hangar, ready to relax for the rest of the day. She should be a bit more calm, he hoped. Walking out of the hallway and into the hanger itself, he nearly dropped his helmet when he saw a familiar purple-striped silver ship pull up out of the hanger.

"She can't be serious…" Otto said shocked.

Once the ship was clear to launch, the thrusters ignited and the ship shot off into the air and continued in the set direction with no intention of turning around.

"She's completely serious…" Otto said, continuing to be shocked. He strapped his helmet on and summoned Sparkplug. "Let's move it!"

Sparkplug nodded and phasedthemselves out of the area. Moments later another ship arose from the underground hangar and quickly shot off after the ship that left.


"It's as I thought." Rubix said as Marcus headed up the staircase to an abandoned building with a giant hole blown through the wall.

"Sense something?"

"Well, like we figured this isn't going to be easy. The Fallen got to the Drive before we did."

"Okay, but this should be a piece of ca—what's that?" Marcus' train of thought was ruined by the shimmering Gold Chest that sat on the desk in the first room they entered.

"It's a Gold Chest. Legend has it that there are 20 in total, five on each of the areas the Traveler has made contact with in our solar system. Five on Earth, the Moon, Venus, and Mars. Open it and see what's inside, it might come in handy."

Marcus nodded and tapped the green button on the face of it. It shimmered as it opened, the light inside blinding. Inside was a pool of bright blue rocks and a new chip with an image of gloves on it. Rubix took the liberty of scanning it all.

"250 Glimmer and Forester 2.1 Gauntlets. Not too bad." Rubix said. He turned to Marcus and scanned Marcus' arms. The current gauntlets were switched over to the new ones. Like the chest piece, Marcus felt more freedom in these gauntlets and punched the air, feeling his arms going faster due to the lightness of them.

"I think I'm ready to do this." He nodded.

"You'd better be."

The duo continued within the ruins of the building towards where they found the ship; the area known as Dock 13.

As Marcus came down the stairs, he suddenly felt like the air changed. He felt weak and clutched the banister with all his might. He felt like throwing up. Whatever just happened within those few seconds knocked him for a loop and he wasn't liking it.

"Rubix… what's going on!?"

"This is what I was sensing. We just hit a Darkness Zone."

"A…what?"

"Basically, we're in trouble. There's a particular Fallen inside there that's so powerful it literally excretes darkness from itself. Your body will eventually build a tolerance to it, but we need to be extremely careful. One wrong move and we'll both end up dead."

"Dead…?"

Rubix nodded. "Unlike in the Tower, I don't have enough light to preserve yours if you happen to die. The Darkness Zone will swallow your light faster than I can react to it. That's why it's best to go in a Fireteam, a team of at least two Guardians into a Darkness Zone. That way if we do happen to die, we'd have more than enough light to revive the Fallen Guardian."

Marcus forced himself on both feet. "Okay then. Since I'm running this solo, I guess I just can't die then."

"Easier said than done." Rubix said.

"Won't know until we try right?" Marcus reloaded his Auto Rifle. "Let's do this."

"Right behind you."

Marcus nodded and counted. "One… Two… Three!" he charged in and saw the Fallen waiting for him. Wasting no time he aimed his gun at the Shanks and picked them out of the sky. A Vandal swung but he ducked and blocked the 2nd strike with his rifle. He kicked it back and sweep kicked a 2nd Vandal that came from behind. Looking up he shot the first Vandal and stabbed the 2nd one with his knife.

He stood up and looked at the remaining Fallen, picking up his grenade and hurling it towards the ceiling. Distracted, the Fallen didn't notice Marcus as he zipped towards them and dropped them all to the floor. As he walked away the Incendiary Grenade fell onto the ground and lit the unconscious Fallen in flames.

"Well… that was easier than I thought it'd be. Now then, where's that Drive?"

As Marcus began to look, Rubix had a sneaking suspicion that something was off.

"MARCUS THE WALL!" Rubix suddenly shouted. Marcus only had a half second to react, the new enemy, twice the size of the Vandals he took out, crawling out of the gaping hole in the room.

"That thing's massive!" Marcus stepped back, feeling the familiar fear creep back.

"It's an Archon!"

"How bad is that on a scale on a scale of 1-10?"

"If you don't move we're dead!"

The Archon resembled a tall white-armored Insectoid with four arms like a Vandal, draped with a torn red cape. In two of it's hands it grasped an odd-looking rifle with the front of the barrel illuminating with a reddish-orange color. The giant beast laughed at Marcus' fear and aimed the launcher at him.

"Move it!" Rubix said so harshly that Marcus was already flying to cover before he finished ordering him. The Gun's blunt sound when firing, sent chills down Marcus' spine. Imagining getting hit with that thing, he would've much rather have any other death. That thing sounded like they were firing rocket-powered shotgun pellets.

"How do you suppose I take that thing out?" Marcus asked, keeping his head ducked behind cover.

"One surefire way, is to activate your Super Ability."

"A Super Ability?" Marcus repeated.

"When they reach a certain level, Guardians can activate a special ability when they're granted an inextinguishable power of light. It only lasts a few seconds but the power itself is so great that it can take out most if not all enemies of the Darkness."

"What would mine be then?"

"As a Gunslinger, yours is known as the Golden Gun. A gun infused with the power of the sun that can pierce the darkness with three solar bullets. With all those enemies you took out it should be ready."

"How can I tell?"

"On your HUD, there should be a white bar. If maxed out it should be golden-yellow. That'll tell you that you have it. Only thing is that if you're a bad shot then it's a waste and in this case, we need every shot to count."

"Understood. Unfortunately I can't do anything with that trigger-happy jerk shooting still."

A screech made Marcus look up and he rolled to his left, barely dodging the Dreg's electrical bullet from getting him.

"More of these stupid things?!" Marcus said. "This is getting old!" he shot the Dreg and looked over, noticing the Archon prowling back and forth, keeping its eyesight locked on him. He looked down and saw it: the Warp Drive dangling from the Archon's waist.

"If only I can grab it…" Marcus said.

"Please don't tell me that you're thinking what I think you are."

"That's the thing. I'm not thinking." Marcus jumped through the window and charged the Archon. He reached for the drive, but the Archon picked up his foot and slammed it on the ground, sending Marcus flying back through the window and into the wall inside.

"Marcus!" Rubix popped up and saw the boy's body stay motionless on the floor. Rubix opened up, grabbing all the light it could, but he was running out of time. It wasn't enough to revive him…

"Stupid kid…" Rubix said, feeling regret. He then felt something warm touch him.

It was light. The small gray eyeball flipped over and to his surprise was a fellow Guardian. Her Red Ghost hovered next to Rubix and the two Ghost proceeded to use their gathered light to infuse it into the dead boy. Marcus coughed hard, and squirmed.

"What… happened?" he felt lightheaded.

"You idiot!" Rubix scolded. "I told you if you die here I can't revive you! Not without help at least..."

Marcus looked up and saw the familiar Warlock and her Ghost. "That makes three times I owe you, Jazz."

"Jazz…?" Rubix repeated.

"So you do remember me…?" Leary said.

"Of course I do. '0-7-1-5'—July 15th." It's the day you died." Marcus told her. "I'd never forget that day for as long as I live. It was the day I lost my best friend."

"Miss Jasmine." Her Ghost turned to her. "I feel as if the longer we converse the shorter our window of opportunity will be for us to handle Rixis."

Jasmine looked over and saw the Archon waiting patiently for them. "You're right Altair. We'll talk later Marcus." She held her hand out. "We need to finish this and get the Warp Drive."

Marcus nodded, grabbed her hand and stood up.

The Hunter and Warlock looked ahead and armed themselves with their weapons. Rixis seeing that there are two Guardians before him laughed and snapped his fingers with a free hand. From behind, a new group of Fallen crawled out of the hole he came from.

Jasmine grabbed a grenade and casted it out the window, it exploding into a purple vortex that pulled some of the Fallen into, which continued to suck them in until they dropped. Marcus followed with another incendiary grenade that lit up the remaining Fallen.

"Let's go!" Marcus shouted. The duo ran in and broke off, shooting Rixis from both sides. Slowly he took damage, flinching and unable to keep track of the Guardians that were hitting him on both sides.

But then he did something that took them by surprise: He teleported.

"He can do that!?" Marcus said shocked.

"Cadet Leary!" Rubix shouted.

Jasmine looked behind her and saw Rixis tower over her. She quickly tried to jump out of the way, but the force of his stomp flung her into the air. Her scream of pain hit Marcus, making him jump into the air and catch her before she hit the ground.

As the Archon laughed, excited that one of the Guardians was dead, Marcus on the other hand didn't find it amusing. He knew that Jasmine could be revived, but that didn't change anything. That monster killed her. And now he was going to return the favor.

Marcus stood up and clenched his fist. He focused his strength into his right hand and threw his fist up. Rixis looked surprised, seeing the power of Light pierce his Darkness. A Golden Gun formed in Marcus' hand, looking as if it was made of fire. It didn't burn him at all as it was his power; His feelings.

"This is for killing me…" Marcus aimed and took the first shot, sending Rixing writhing in pain and staggering.

"This is for killing all the Guardians that you've slain over the years!" Another shot went into Rixis, causing him to drop to his knees.

"And this last one… Is for Jasmine you bug-faced creep." The last bullet pierced Rixis' skull. The Archon cried in agony as the light incinerated the creature of Darkness, leaving nothing except the Warp Drive that remained intact.

Marcus then began to feel better, the source of the Darkness clearing up. He turned, and watched as the two Ghosts wasted no time bringing Jasmine back on her feet. She stretched her arms and removed her helmet. Marcus did the same and the two of them, face-to-face, knowing who the other was, didn't waste time to hug one another. A friendship that lasted over seven hundred years continued on at that very moment.

Unknown to the two of them, Otto finally arrived at the doorway, but hesitated to step forward. Instead of moving on, he turned back, cracking his knuckles as he walked.

"That Hunter, putting her in danger like that… He'll pay."


[Tower North, Tower]


That night Marcus, as per Rubix's request, went to the Speaker to see him; entering the Tower North, He went into a room where a long staircase curved along the left wall and where up above was, a masked man dressed in nearly all white. The Speaker descended the stairs, after noticing his visitor.

"You must have many questions Guardian." The man said in a wise voice.

"You are the Speaker, right?" Marcus asked.

"That is correct. I am the voice of the Traveler as it sleeps and recovers." He folded his arms back and looked out towards the Traveler. "We are now living in dark times Guardian. For centuries since its arrival, humanity has seen leaps and bounds in advancement, and more backtracking than ever in recorded history. With each backtrack, the Darkness grows ever stronger."

"What is the Darkness?"

"I am afraid even I do not possess such knowledge. However, what I do know is there are ones that serve the Darkness as we do the Traveler and its Light. As we speak, Ghosts are scouring Earth and beyond, searching for those with the capabilities to use whatever light that hasn't been swallowed as weapons to combat the Darkness. At the same time there are those who are using their gifts to push back the Darkness, as you have done earlier today."

Marcus scratched his head. "Well, I had some help."

"And I expect nothing less. In these dark times, allies are our greatest weapon. One candle can pierce the darkness, but a group can illuminate a wide area, so that not even a shadow can escape. Join your brethren. Fight for what's left of those who seek the warm embrace of the light. Your Ghost will guide you."

"Just so you're not surprised, the Fallen are just the beginning. Three other factions in our galaxy have made their ways here, with an unknown amount out there somewhere."

"Then let's focus on these four and work our way up." Marcus acknowledged.

"Your passion and zeal is remarkable Guardian." The Speaker noted. "I sense you will make for a remarkable Guardian someday."

Marcus nodded, appreciating the compliment. "I won't let you down."

"I'm sure that you won't."


As Marcus walked out back into the Plaza, he saw Jasmine sitting on the staircase, a book in her hand. He went towards her and sat down next to her.

"After all these years you still have a book glued to your hand." Marcus said.

She sat the book in her lap. "Some things never change. So, what happened after…"

"Well, it wasn't too long after you died that NASA discovered the Traveler on Mars. After he did what he did, conflict was building of control of the new resources being manufactured. My family moved to Russia as a result. I got into an argument with my dad, stole his car and crashed the stupid thing into a tree."

"Sounds like something you'd do." Jasmine laughed. "If only I stuck it out a while longer. Then I would've gotten the cure in time."

"Yeah… your disease was incurable; that is until the Traveler provided the materials needed. I think that's why I changed so much since you died."

"You changed?"

"I became more reckless, and obnoxious. I think losing you really made me go nuts."

"Marcus…?"

"Yeah?"

"You're doing that thing you do."

Marcus facepalmed himself, "Oh God my bad."

Jasmine laughed. "Same old Marcus, learn to choose your words better."

"Well to be honest, it's the truth. I'm sure you'd feel the same way if I died before you."

"Well of course. We're best friends and have been forever. Although, I'd probably say it differently, as in, not imply a romantic undertone."

"Okay bookworm, you can stop criticizing my way of speaking."

Jasmine smiled and looked up into the sky, towards the moon. "Have you ever wondered what the moon is like?"

"Not really, but now that you mentioned it, I kinda do."

"Well with that Warp Drive being installed, how about we do some exploring tomorrow?"

"Explore? On the moon?"

Jasmine nodded. "I'm working on a research paper and I'm taking a trip to the moon. Wanna come along and see how the Earth looks from there? It's pretty neat."

"Hmm. Yeah, sure, that sounds cool."

"Great then we'll leave first thing in the morning. You, me and Otto."

"Otto? Oh yeah that other guy. I still haven't met him."

"Don't worry, you will tomorrow."

Unknown to them, from the back the particular Guardian who was watching Marcus earlier looked down from her position. The pale-blue Guardian with sapphire-blue hair crossed her arms and smiled.

"Nysa…" A Warlock materialized behind her. He removed his helmet and revealed himself to be a steel-colored Exo with a dark orange stripe running down his face and deep red eyes.

"Time to go already, Phoenix…?" The Awoken girl looked back.

Phoenix nodded. "The Vanguards want us to look into it. With Rixis dead, the House of Devils is severely weakened. That being said, the Hive might take advantage of this. They want us to push them back."

"Alright then; A little late night alien slaying is always fun. Hopefully that new Hunter down there can stay alive long enough for me to get back."

"What's so interesting about him?"

"Oh you haven't heard? He's the one who slayed Rixis."

"Him?" Phoenix looked at her and then back down. "Now I'm interested."

"Now now, we can gawk later. Let's just take care of this."

"Right."

With that Nysa and Phoenix departed from the Tower, heading off to commence their mission.