A/N: God, I hated that Walker.
DISCLAIMER: The following is a non-profit fanfiction. Destiny is owned by Bungie, Activision and High Moon Studios. I only own Kayla, Delta and other OCs. Please support the official release.
Saga 01: Guardian Rising
Arc 01: Devils and Kings
Chapter 007: The Devil's Lair
Earth
Old Russia
Cosmodrome: Refinery
"That's a handy trick your ghost thought of," Delta said as he looted Naksis' corpse.
"I'll admit that was clever," Adam said.
"Well, three hundred years of searching gives you a lot of free time," Ghost said modestly, yet unable to hide his pride.
"Do you think they'll be anymore?" Kayla asked, not wanting another fight.
"Not if we're lucky," Delta replied, holstering his rifle. "How's it coming, Sal?"
"D-Done!" Sal answered proudly. With a quiet beep the laser trip wires deactivated, leaving an open industrial door. Kayla figured they were in some sort of supply depot judging by the wrecked trains and forklifts littering the large warehouse they were entering. She continued following Delta and Adam into a narrow corridor, crates and rusted trolleys scattered around the dimly light rooms. The splashing of water on the partially flooded floor echoed through the abandoned facility. No sign of Fallen prompted Kayla to worry.
"It's too quiet," she said.
"Yeah," Delta murmured. "I don't like it."
"Don't worry about it," Adam said casually as they came out to a large open expanse of wasteland hidden in the shadow of the old colony ship that towered above the Cosmodrome. "They've probably crawled away to die."
As they came out into the crater filled blast Kayla's eyes widened in panic at the sight of a large force of Devils guarding the entrance to the Devil's Lair proper. Behind them was a large spider-like mech covered in thick brown and red armour, and armed with a large, long turret on its back.
"Is that a...tank?" Ghost asked, squinting. In response the spider-mech fired. "It's a tank!"
"Get down!" Delta yelled. The group dived to the ground as the shell careened past their heads destroying a part of the refinery's wall.
Kayla rolled on the floor, her ears filled with a piercing ringing sound. She groaned body still in shock. Scrambling for her gun Kayla crawled behind a rusted building, her heart almost bursting out of her chest in fright.
"You alright?" Delta asked as he ran up to her.
"They have a tank!" Kayla shrieked in fear. "How do you beat a tank?!"
"Er...shoot it?" Delta suggested with a shrug.
"...I'm gonna fucking slap you in a minute."
"Just shoot the legs," Adam shouted of gunfire as he picked off the Fallen with a sniper rifle. "Once it takes enough damage it exposes its core."
"How does that...?" Kayla started, before thinking better of it and firing from a distance.
Meanwhile the Devils all scrambled for cover as the three Guardians bore down on them with gunfire. The two Captains leading the defence yelled angrily at the Vandals and Dregs to push on them, funnelling them into a place where the Walker could end them swiftly. As the Dregs were mowed by the female Guardian, one Captain, Vosik, paused in shock.
"Maskis!" he hissed to his fellow Captain
"I know," Maskis growled.
"But it's her!"
"I know!" Maskis roared over the sound of gunfire, ignoring the Vandals that fell beside them. "But if we don't stop them here Sepiks is defenceless! We cannot lose this ground, Vosik!"
"But if we do?" Vosik stressed, a hint of worry in his voice.
Maskis glowered at him. "Are you suggesting a retreat, you coward?"
"No," Vosik growled. "I know Sepiks can defend Himself, but if He gets destroyed? You know what House Guardians is like!"
Maskis frowned as the Walker collapsed, allowing the three Guardians to fire on its core. A lump formed in his throat as realization set in. The House of Devils were already weakened by the loss of Kell Solkis at the failure of the Battle of Twilight Gap but on top of this Riksis had perished at the hands of a greenhorn Guardian and, judging by the groups presence right in front of Sepiks' domain, Naksis must have failed as well. Maskis mentally cursed as the Walker whirred back into life.
"You there!" Maskis yelled at a nearby Dreg. "What's your name?"
The Dreg froze in fear, staring at the raging battle before him in the Blast before looking back at Maskis. "A-Aksis, sir," he said quietly.
"Aksis, go and warn the lair," Maskis ordered. "This isn't a matter of pride, our very House is on the line. Now-!"
A gunshot pierced through the noise and Aksis watched in horror as Maskis fell to the sniper's bullet. Vosik looked at the terrified Dreg. "He gave you and order Aksis, go! Go or I'll be the one to kill you!"
Aksis nodded and fled into the lair while Vosik rallied his troops. "You all know what's at stake here!" he roared. "Defend this spot until the last Dreg falls or, by the Great Machine, I will skin you all myself!"
The Fallen collectively roared and screeched, much to Delta's bewilderment. "It seems killing that Captain spooked them a little," he said from inside his Ward of Dawn. "The Walker's looking a bit tired too. Keep those rounds up, Adam!"
"You do ya job, I'll do mine!" Adam snapped.
From the rooftop of the only building in the area a laid down Kayla continued to fire on the Walker. She had become surprisingly focused during the battle as the adrenaline set in. Ghost watched her take out the Dregs climbing up the hill before focusing on the Walker's legs once more.
"Well...you seem to be doing well," he noted.
"I already died once," Kayla replied, reloading. "I am not dying again."
Ghost nodded in silence, watching the Walker's turret move. "That's...Kayla, we've got a problem!"
Kayla looked up from her scope, the hair on the back of her neck standing on end as the turret's aim fell on a clueless Adam.
"Adam, look out!" she screamed, but she was too late and could only watch in horror as the tank's shell fired in to him, sending his body flying through the air like a ragdoll.
Earth
Last City
Tower
Ikora looked through the intel on the Devil's Lair once more. The Vanguard was confident that the destruction of Sepiks Prime could break the House of Devils completely, but the Warlock was always the type to double and triple check the information. Guardians were a valuable commodity to the City, and with the Traveller giving off less ghosts with every passing day, the loss of just one was always a blow to the Tower's forces as well as the City's belief in their invincible defenders. Ikora glanced upwards at Zavala.
The Commander was busy sorting out a new Crucible ground with Lord Shaxx, the man in charge of training Guardians in live fire exercises. The Crucible was Shaxx's idea after the Great Disaster to ensure Guardians were always prepared for any battle, and it also worked in the Vanguard's favour. Most Crucible grounds were placed in vital positions and ensured that there were always Guardians present to defend them.
Zavala caught the faint disappointment in Ikora's eyes. Shaxx, clad as always in thick white Titan armour and single-horned helmet, shifted awkwardly. I believe we should pick this up again at another time."
As Shaxx swiftly left the Hall of Guardians, Zavala turned to Ikora. "You're mad at me, aren't you?" he sighed.
"What gave you that idea?" Ikora replied curtly.
"Is this about Kayla joining the strike against Sepiks?"
Ikora glared at him. "You know the Warlocks are in my care, not yours, don't you?"
"Careful, Zavala. I hear she bites," Cayde chuckled as he walked past.
Zavala ignored the Hunter and sat next to Ikora. There was no doubt the Vanguard's leader trusted each other completely but Zavala knew Ikora's penchant for worrying. "You trust my judgement," he said after a while. I wouldn't have sent her if I didn't believe she could handle it. She slayed Riksis after all."
"Riksis was weak for an Archon!" Ikora snapped. "It was his arrogance that made him a threat, he was no stronger than a Captain. The Devils have been weak even since Saint killed Solkis."
"Come on, Ikora," Cayde said from the long table that dominated the room. "Zavala's never let us down. Besides, I have a feeling we're gonna get a lot of good things from Kayla."
"What makes you say that?" Zavala asked.
"Hunter's intuition."
"Are you sure that's not a dodgy circuit?" Ikora smirked, making Zavala chuckle.
Earth
Old Russia
Cosmodrome, the Blast
Adam was dead! That was the only thought going through Kayla's mind as the battle raged on around her, now a cacophony of hazy noise as Kayla watched Adam's body land in a heap in the middle of the crater that dominated the battleground. A sickly feeling burned up in her stomach as flashes over her family's painful death at the hands of the Hive ran through her mind, tormenting her once more. She could hear the voice of Delta over the gunfire but couldn't make out what he was saying. She could only croak out one word.
"No..."
And the anger, rage and grief.
"No...!"
If only she could form it into something tangible to get it out of her head. Kayla felt her hands tingle, encased in purple void Light. Slowly she clenched her firsts, staring down at her bloodied, battle scarred gloves, seeing sparks of decaying Light fall from her hands. With a deep breath Kayla opened her mouth and screamed.
"No!"
Vosik watched from behind the Walker as the female, the Archon Slayer, stood up and charge the Fallen. Vosik panicked, frantically ordering his troops to focus on her. Kayla dodged as the adrenaline kept her going. She could hear Ghost screaming at her to stop as she jumped and glided above the Walker with a large orb of decaying void Light in her palms, looking like a menacing demon to the Fallen. With a mighty roar Kayla threw the orb, sending it careening into the mech. It exploded in beautifully devastating majesty, disintegrating every Fallen caught in the explosion.
Vosik, having managed to avoid it, stood up, winded but alive. He could see the female in front of him on her knees, dazed. Her panting was ragged as she took in what she had done. Vosik swallowed hard and charged the girl with his swords.
Kayla looked up, recoiling as the Captain lunged at her. The response was Delta emptying a clip of bullets into him. The Captain fell to the ground, clutching at his chest. The Titan helped a stunned Kayla up. She looked around, half in shock.
"What did I...?"
"That was your Nova Bomb," Delta explained. "Most Voidwalker Warlocks can use some variation of the attack. Never seen one used up close, though. That was pretty cool."
"I did...this?" Kayla asked, surveying the damage she'd wrought, horrified with herself.
The Fallen were all dead, either piles of dust or devoid of all life while the Walker beside the two Guardians was nothing but a flaming heap of scrap. But there was something else. Something important.
"...Adam!" Kayla cried, rushing to the fallen Exo.
The pair rushed to Adam, ripping off his mangled helmet. The Exo's right eye was dim, while both his legs were missing. Adam coughed slightly.
"Nice Nova Bomb," he said to a panicking Kayla. "Ya did good."
"Adam, you're gonna be ok," Kayla said hurriedly, cradling Adam. "We'll get you better, Guardians can be revived."
"Not this time," Adam said, holding up his smashed ghost. "Listen...take my Nihilist, Kayla." Adam patted the ground trying to find the large heavy machine gun, grasping the barrel when he found it. "As an apology for the way I acted. Give Sepiks the ol' one-two for me."
Kayla trembled as Adam's eyes went out. Holding back tears she gently laid Adam's head down. As she knelt in the dirt, memories of her family's demise on her mind, Delta put a reassuring hand on her shoulder.
"Hey," he said softly. "I know it's tough. But don't let him die for nothing.
Kayla nodded, inhaling slowly and putting the memories of that day behind the door in her mind. That day could wait. For now she had one thing on her mind: Sepiks' death.
Vosik could only watch as the pair of Guardians ran to the Devil's Lair.
Earth
Old Russia
Cosmodrome, Devil's Lair
The Devil's Lair was quiet. The old human space port, rusted beyond repair, overgrown and littered with the skulls of long dead Guardians was filled with Fallen waiting with baited breath. They knew what was coming, even if He didn't.
Above them was a large purple Servitor, hovering silently in the wing. He was layered with several sheets of purple metal and had thick, sharp spines littering His body. In the centre of the orb was a large mechanical eye.
"I...!" the Servitor announced, scaring everyone in the room. "Am great!"
The Fallen looked at each other nervously. While no would question the mighty Sepiks Prime they couldn't deny that the prime Servitor had certainly become...quirkier since Riksis' death. The Devils knew Sepiks had been arrogant but they ignored it with religious zeal. Sepiks gave them the precious ether the needed to survive. Without Him the House of Devils would collapse, especially with Riksis and Solkis defeated. This was more than a defence. This was the fight for their very existence.
Sepiks was more than content with the setup. He did not care for the House of Devils' zealousy so long as it did not prevent Him from getting what He wanted. Even the other Primes didn't understand the reasoning behind it but none of them questioned it. The Servitors were the lifeblood of the Fallen, something Sepiks was acutely aware of. However, centuries of worship and shelter had blinded the Prime to the weight of what was happening around them and Sepiks, so confident in His worshippers, wouldn't even entertain the thought of dying. It was this that had begun to worry the House of Devils as they were nowhere near as strong as they had been prior to the Battle of Twilight Gap.
Twilight Gap was a struggle between the Houses of Devils, Winter, Kings and Wolves against the City. The Wolves never made it past Mars which allowed the City's Guardians to win, the Devils suffering the most losses. Solkis was killed soon after and it had been rumoured they were now being secretly run by proxies of the Kell of Kings. This fact frightened the Devils immensely, and some had already abandoned them for the Exiled on the Moon.
The Devils heard the large steel door open with a mighty mechanical groan of hydraulics. Through the doors came the Guardians; one tall, well built male in thick dark blue and green armour, a 'Titan'; the other a slender female in slightly tattered brown robes, a 'Warlock'. Even though the third member was nowhere to be found the Devils were scared. It was only faith and desperation that kept them going now.
"Right," Delta said. "We can do this the easy way, or the fun way. Your choice."
The Dregs roared and charged in response with their tiny daggers but were mowed down by the Guardians' rifles. Delta ducke behind cover as three Vandals fired on them with wire rifles. Kayla took cover behind a crate, narrowly avoiding a sniper round.
"Delta!" Kayla yelled. "Distract them while I get in close! I don't think Sepiks has seen us."
"On it!" Delta said, firing in the Vandal trio's general direction.
With the sniper's gunfire firmly on Delta Kayla charged them, gliding up to their hiding spot and blasting them with her Scattercast, leaving the aliens gaping holes in their chests. They collapsed, dead. Only a Captain remained, duelling Delta in Sepiks' shadow.
"Sepiks will not fall!" the Captain roared, lunging at the Titan.
Delta grabbed the electrified sword, yanking it out of the Captain's hand. The Captain stumbled allowing Delta to knee him in the chin. The Captain roared in pain, the force of the attack knocking him of his feet. Delta took the opportunity to impale the creature with its own sword. The Captain let out a dying screech before going limp.
"You ok?" Kayla asked as she went up to Delta.
"Yeah," Delta nodded. "Thanks for taking care of the Vandals."
"No problem," Kayla grinned before turning to the giant floating Servitor. "So...this is Sepiks Prime?"
"I guess," Delta replied. "It's certainly...imposing."
The pair watched Sepiks float in silence. Kayla leaned slightly to Delta. "Do you think...?"
"I...!" Sepiks boomed, making the two Guardians jump back ten feet. "am ALMIGHTY!"
"Christ!" Kayla shouted, holding her heart. "Fuck me..."
Sepiks' eye moved around slightly. It looked left, noticing the corpses of the Fallen. Slowly the eye moved right. More corpses. Menacingly Sepiks' eye focused on Kayla and Delta.
"Who...are you?" Sepiks asked. "Where are my worshippers?!"
"I think its pissed," Delta noted, angering Sepiks further.
(Sepiks Prime- Destiny OST)
"Infidels!" Sepiks boomed, the full realization of what was happening finally dawning on Him. "Heretics! My Devils! Defend me!"
SEPIKS PRIME
Sepiks teleported backwards and began firing on the two Guardians with powerful mortars of void energy. The pair split up, Sepiks focusing his gaze on Kayla and firing once more.
"Oh, shit! Oh, shit! Oh, shit! Oh, shit!" Kayla shouted as tried her best to outrun the blasts. "Ghost, got any ideas?"
"Er, besides not dying?" Ghost asked as Kayla took cover in an abandoned security booth. "Uhh...gimme a sec to analyze this thing."
"Hey!" Delta bellowed. "Leave my friend alone!"
Sepiks sharply turned to Delta, inspecting him before firing on him. Delta instinctively let out Ward of Dawn to shield himself from the plasma mortars.
"He's gonna get killed!" Kayla whispered to Ghost.
"No..." Ghost replied. "He's buying us time...Quick, get me to where the Vandals were."
Kayla did as she was told and jumped up to where the gangway the snipers were stood on. Clambering over the railings and onto the gangway she tentatively held out Ghost.
"Oh, my...!" Ghost gasped in disbelief.
"What?" Kayla asked.
"It's weak point. It's got the same weak point as the lesser Servitors."
"Meaning...!" Kayla said in realization.
"Shoot the eye! Now!"
Kayla hopped down and ran to Delta, firing on Sepiks' eye with the Nihilist. Sepiks stopped and shook itself. How dare they? How dare they?
"Yeah, you don't like that, do you?" Kayla taunted.
Sepiks angrily teleported near them, hoping to attack them from behind. His renewed plasma blasts caught the pair off guard but the Guardians backed off, Delta pulling out a rocket launcher and firing at the Prime. Sepiks' body shook as he was bombarded, teleporting back to the far end of the room as Skiffs from the Cosmodrome descended.
Kayla and Delta took cover as Sepiks' reinforcements unleashed a volley of bullets on them. Kayla threw out a Vortex Grenade on the central landing zone, watching the Fallen fell into the void. Delta was busy taking out snipers with his scout rifle, trying to clear the area.
"That's it, my Devils!" Sepiks yelled. "Destroy them! Delete them!"
Kayla began firing on the Dregs and Vandals that came in close, jumping away from a grenade. Kayla switched to her machine gun and mowed down any Devil that came close. The last to rush them were the three Captains. The pair dodged the blades of the Fallen, dancing around them as the Captains continued their assault. Kayla whipped out her Scattercast and smacked one of the Captains with it. The Captain was knocked back into Delta, who floored the Captain in a single punch.
"That was unorthodox," Delta chuckled.
"Meh," Kayla shrugged, smacking the second Captain with Energy Drain.
The Captain stumbled slightly as his strength was sapped by void Light. While the Captain was stunned Kayla fired on him with her Pulsar. With a final headshot the Captain fell to the floor, swiftly followed by the third that Delta suplexed and threw.
Sepiks roared in anger a teleported up to Kayla and hovered over her, His eye glowing a deep red. "I will not be silenced by humans!" Sepiks raged as he snared Kayla in a white light. Kayla screamed in pain as she felt her light get drained by the Prime Servitor, ripping away from her body while the Servitor merely laughed at her agony. Delta looked on, quickly reloaded his rocket launcher and firing on Sepiks. Sepiks whirred in frustration, angrily dropping Kayla and firing void blasts at Delta.
Kayla took the chance to move to cover, pulling out the Nihilist and firing on Sepiks. Sepiks teleported away from them, hovering over an exposed sewer line and firing on them yet again.
"You cannot defeat me!" Sepiks shrieked. "I am a god!"
Kayla scoffed and fired on Sepiks with her Pulsar. "You're just a life support system, nothing more!"
Delta mercilessly fired on Sepiks' eye with his sniper rifle, cracks finally starting to show in the machine. Sepiks screeched and teleported in front of them, charging up another shot. Kayla took the chance and barrelled towards the giant Servitor, her right palm filled with void energy. With a powerful scream Kayla hurled a deadly Nova Bomb at Sepiks. The Prime took the full brunt of the attack as the Bomb exploded, cracking His shell on the upper right side of His body. Sepiks teleported away from them, spinning uncontrollable when it reappeared. Sepiks looked around in panic as the ether inside it began to leak out of the various cracks in His shell. With an almighty boom Sepiks exploded, His debris landed on the rusted floors of the Devils' Lair.
(End Sepiks Prime)
Kayla stood, panting. Taking off her helmet she surveyed the destruction the battle brought. So many Fallen had died for this machine and it made Kayla wonder what caused them to act that way. She sighed, deciding to leave that question for another day.
"Let's go," she said to Delta.
The Titan nodded and the pair headed for the exit, only to be stopped by the sound of a gun being cocked. Kayla slowly turned, stunned to see a lone Dreg holding a shock rifle. It was trembling and its four eyes were wide with fear.
"I-I won't let you go!" he stammered, shaking before the Guardians.
Delta made for his scout rifle but was stopped by Kayla. At first the Titan was confused as his friend made her way up to the Dreg. The lonely Dreg took shaky step back, nearly dropping the rifle.
"I'll do it!" the Dreg rasped, the pitch of his voice making Kayla realize he was only young. "Don't think I won't!"
"I've been here long enough to know that if you meant you'd have done it by now," Kayla said, picking up a red glyphed banner that had fallen down during the fight. Calmly she walked up to the Dreg, glancing at the banner. "This is the mark of the House of Devils, isn't it?" The Dreg whimpered in response. "What's your name? You must have one. Mine's Kayla."
The Dreg remained silent, keeping an eye on the man at the back. Kayla sighed and handed the banner to him. "I'm sorry it came to this," she said solemnly before heading back to Delta.
The Dreg looked at the female, Kayla. She'd murdered his god. And then spared a mongrel like him! What was the meaning behind that? Why him? Why did he have to be spared?! The Dreg looked at the Devil symbol in his hands. The symbol used to mean something but now, with the god proven to be nothing more than a machine, it was empty and hollow of all meaning.
The Dreg, acting on impulse, screamed at the top of his lungs. "I will achieve perfection! I will make House Devil great again!"
Kayla glanced back at the Dreg, eying him. "What's your name?"
The Dreg, unable to control himself, yelled through tears, his voice ringing throughout the silent Cosmodrome. "I will remove our weaknesses! I will save us! I will murder every last stinking Guardian on this planet!"
"What's your name?" Kayla asked, shocked and horrified by the Dreg's outburst. Delta moved in, but was stopped by Kayla again. "He's only a child," she said, half apologizingly.
The Dreg watched on as a hurricane of anger and shame churned inside him. "AKSIS!" he screeched, collapsing to his knees. "My name is Aksis," he repeated weakly, crying. "Remember that."
Kayla stared at Aksis in shock before leaving. Delta looked at Aksis then quickly followed Kayla back to the Blast. "You can't be seriously leaving him?" he asked in disbelief. "Not after that!"
"We came to kill Sepiks," Kayla snapped. "That's what we did. I'll meet you back at the Tower."
Before Delta could say anything Kayla had teleported back to the ship, leaving a slightly bewildered Delta in the Blast.
Earth
City skies
Kayla's ship flew over the City walls, Kayla herself biting her lip hard. Ghost looked over her, concerned. "Are you ok?" he asked finally. "That...Aksis seems to have struck her nerve."
Kayla chuckled bitterly. "Something like that."
She shook her head as the image of her brother played on her mind. Somehow, Aksis had made her wonder what made the Guardians any better than the Fallen in some respects and, coupled with what Rahn had said about the Traveller, she couldn't help but feel guilt about what she had done today. Weirdly enough it gave her some comfort. It meant she was still human. Kayla ran a hand through her black hair before turning to Ghost. "He was a child. I couldn't do it."
Ghost looked at his Guardian. "He reminds you of your brother, doesn't he?"
"I just took everything from him!" Kayla said. "Just like the Hive did to me. Aksis had already lost enough, I couldn't kill him too. I just couldn't. That'd make me no better than the Hive."
Ghost sighed but nodded. "I understand. Still, you should be proud of yourself. Sepiks Prime is dead. If I could high-five you, I would. So...just...imagine it, I suppose. Zavala will be pleased. But if this comes back to bite us I won't be happy."
"Sepiks, Riksis and Solkis are dead," Kayla replied as the ship docked in the Tower's hangar. "What can the House of Devils do now?"
Earth
The City
Tower
Later that evening...
"Sepiks Prime cast a great shadow over our City," Zavala announced to the two Guardians that stood before him. "With Solkis, Riksis and Sepiks gone the House of Devils should be weakened beyond repair, giving our City some much needed breathing room. And we have the pair of you to thank for that. You should both be proud of what you have achieved today."
"I don't feel it," Kayla said, sadly glancing at Adam's Nihilist that lay alone on the table.
"Ah, yes...loss is something we have all felt," Zavala said comfortingly. "But do not let it blind you to your accomplishments."
Kayla felt Delta put a gentle hand on her shoulder. They had defeated a god, dismantled the House of Devils' leadership in the space of a month. And yet...seeing Adam die made her suddenly aware of her own vulnerability. Being invulnerable was not the same as being immortal.
Cayde looked at Ikora and Zavala then the Nihilist. He grabbed the gun and presented it to Kayla. She moved the bangs of her fridge out of her eyes and looked at him.
"When a Hunter takes up a fallen Hunter's cloak they make a vow," he said. "Now, neither you or Adam were Hunters but I feel you having his gun would work the same way."
Kayla nodded and took the gun, silently vowing to protect her comrades and honour the dead. "Thank you," she said quietly.
"Great!" Cayde said with a smirk, or rather what Exos classed as a smirk. "Now go get out there and celebrate!" Delta and Kayla looked at each other as Cayde pushed them out of the Hall of Guardians. "Go on! Shoo!"
It was quiet in the City and Kayla was sat alone with Ghost at a café table in one of the City's many food districts. Despite being the middle of summer there was a chill night air. Kayla glanced up at the sky seeing nothing but the moon shining down on them, a chill running up her spine as she remembered Ghost's words about the Hive.
Kayla sighed and looked at the music options for her table. She wasn't overly fond of the modern music and looked into the classical playlist, finding a mix of music from the late 20th Century to the 25th Century, settling on an old rock band named Guns 'n' Roses. Ghost was busy inspecting the lights, towering buildings, plants and general hustle bustle around them.
"You know, I never came here before I met you," he said, floating up to a bush."Look at these roses! They're beautiful."
Kayla chuckled. "I didn't take you for a florist."
Ghost laughed, only to be grabbed by a small hand "Argh! Kayla, help! We're under attack!"
Kayla laughed as she watched a little boy no more than eight inspect Ghost with awe. The child shook Ghost hard until a woman, presumably his mother, helped free Ghost. Kayla was in bits as the now dizzy Ghost floated awkwardly to her.
"I'm so sorry," the woman said apologetically. "Dax gets a little excited about Guardians."
"It's fine," Kayla smiled. "Ghost's fine, aren't you?"
"I see two Travellers..." he said quietly.
"He'll be fine," Kayla grinned as Dax hugged her leg. "Oh...hello."
"Thank you!" Dax said loudly.
"...For what?"
"For keeping us safe from the monsters," he said indignantly. "When I grow up I want to be just like you."
Kayla couldn't help but smile. 'At least there's still some hope,' she thought.
"Having fun there?" Delta asked with a laugh as he walked up to Kayla, Sal hovering over his shoulder.
The little boy gasped at the sight of Sal, who quickly hid behind Delta's head, peeking out slightly. The boy grinned and turned to his mother. "Can I be a Guardian when I grow up? Please?"
Kayla looked at his mum. She was obviously reluctant to say yes and, with Adam's death fresh in her mind, Kayla couldn't blame her. Delta sensed the reluctance and knelt before Dax.
"Hey, kid," he said softly. "Maybe becoming a Guardian isn't such a good idea."
"Why?" the boy pouted.
"If you're out there, who'll protect your mom?"
Dax gave a small gasp and looked up at his mum. Kayla joined Delta. "Yeah," she said. "If one day we can't help you, someone needs to protect her."
Dax nodded confidently and ran back to his mother, hugging her leg. She crouched down and picked him up, holding him close. "Come on, let's go see that movie you wanted to see. Have a good evening you two."
The pair of Guardians waved in response and sat down at their table. They sat in silence for a moment before Delta spoke.
"You look nice," he said.
"Er..." Kayla looked down at her grey tank top, short shorts and black leggings. "Thanks. Feels good to be out of that armour and just be able to relax. I don't look that great anyway."
"Better than me," the Awoken laughed motioning to his jeans and plain black t-shirt, offset by a single chain around his left pocket.
The pair chatted throughout the night about what they had done in their careers so far. Delta was from the Reef but was exiled due to being able to wield Light, something that frightened the Reef's queen. After some discussion, Kayla realized that 'the Reef' was actually the Asteroid Belt between Mars and Jupiter and was currently the furthest edge of the Traveller's influence, anything beyond was governed by a mysterious group known as 'the Nine'. Kayla asked multiple questions about the Traveller and the Darkness but Delta didn't seem to know much about the last couple of hundred years. In the end they talked about nonsense, from music to food to favourite shows.
"There was this TV show about an alien man who travelled through time in a big blue box, saving the world from evil monsters," Kayla said, taking another drink of her wine. "It was awesome!"
Delta laughed. "You don't think the writers knew what was coming, do you? Haha, you know, for a dead girl, you seem to remember more than most Guardians."
"That's...good, I guess?" Kayla laughed.
"Yeah," Delta nodded. "Hang on to it."
Kayla smiled and took a drink of her own, glancing at the empty seat next to them. Delta stared at it too before raising his glass. "To fallen friends," he said.
"To fallen friends," Kayla repeated, knocking her glass against his.
