A/N: Just to be on the safe side, decided to bump the rating up to Fiction-M.

Houses At War

The Moon's eerie calm was unsettling to Bill as he stood watch over his friends. Several hours had passed, and there had been no activity in their area since their arrival. Bill sighed, staring out into the distance. Even through his suit, he could feel the cold washing over him. Part of him wished they had heeded the words of the Vanguard, and avoided this place altogether. But whatever their objective was, it was close by. He had to see this through.

"Need some company?" Dak's voice came from behind him. He glanced over his shoulder at his old friend.

"Trouble sleeping?" He asked sarcastically.

"Yeah, no. Still not grasping the whole 'I'm a robot' concept yet?"

"I'm sure I'll figure it out eventually. But if you're up for a chat, I'm all ears."

Dak took a seat on a rock across from the stone column Bill leaned against.

"Actually, there's something I've always wanted to ask of you: what is it you used to do? You know, before re-birth? We both know Kahlee's story, and I can't remember anything of my past lives, but we never got your tale."

Bill folded his arms across his chest. "Well, none of us ever really know the whole story. That's the catch to being a Guardian, you have to leave everything behind."

"You must remember something. How you died? Where you lived? How long ago?"

"I'm not exactly sure about what I did, but I must have been a soldier of some kind. I remember a battle. A really big battle. I don't know against who, those details are fuzzy. But I can remember where I was. I was in the Northeastern region of what used to be the United States. Most likely during the Collapse, everything around us was long decayed and crumbling."

"Do you know where you were exactly?"

"I can't remember the name of the city, but I was in an old sports stadium. Whatever kind of field it was, it had long since been torn up and ravaged by war. The last thing I remember were waves of enemies, pouring over the massive green wall to my left. They were humanoid, I remember that much. There was a blinding flash, and a searing pain in my chest, and then the next thing I know, Cee is floating above me, telling me to wake up."

As if on cue, Cee moved into view. "I searched a long time for you. There were many other bodies in that park, but you were the only one the Light called out to."

"Well, despite everything you got me into, I'm glad you found me, buddy."

"Anytime, Guardian."

Kahlee roused from her light sleep during the conversation, and walked over to join her friends.

"Well, seeing as we're all awake, what's the next move?" She asked.

"I don't quite know, but I'm still certain of the fact that something-or someone- is watching us."

"And let me guess, you don't like it." Dak said.

Bill nodded. "Right on the money."

"Hold up, do you hear that?" Val asked.

"No," Kahlee replied.

"Not you guys," Val turned to his fellow Ghosts. "You. Do you hear it?"

Cee looked around several times, fluttering and spinning his shell. "Hear what?"

Val flew off in a direction away from the camp. "This way. I hear something through the static. It sounds like French, it's some kind of automated message. It's too garbled to make out."

"Wait, if you can pick that up, is it possible the Fallen have heard it too?"

"It wouldn't be outside the realm of possibility." Val admitted.

"Oh no…"

No sooner had Bill finished speaking, two Devil skiffs came flying over the horizon and dumped troops down to the surface. The Fallen started to fan out and search the area. The three Guardians ducked out of sight.

"Dammit, what do we do now? Ammo is limited, and we're outnumbered." Kahlee said, drawing her pistol.

"We've got bigger problems." Vera said.

"Hit me."

"I've just picked up an energy surge at this location. The pattern can only be one thing: A Fallen transmat zone." Within seconds, the ground beneath their feet glowed blue, forcing the Guardians to scatter as Exiles materialized in their shelter, firing as they exited the lair.

Bill jumped clear of a Captain charging at him, though he noticed the Exiles seemed to be more focused on the Devils than the Guardians. The leader of the Devils caught sight of their rival House, and bellowed orders to his minions. And in a matter of seconds, a massive battle raged around the three Guardians.

Bill switched his rifle to Focused Fire mode to conserve what little ammo he had been able to recover from the French complex, and began to line up shots on the Fallen all around him.

Dak tackled a Vandal as it rushed toward him, sword raised. He drove a knife into its throat before pulling it out and throwing at another melee Vandal, striking it between the eyes. He spun 180 degrees, drawing his hand cannon as his cloak furrowed around him. Snapping the hammer back, he fired a shot that struck the head of a Dreg, and the round exploded, killing two more Dregs unfortunate enough to be close by. He backpedaled towards his teammates, firing a few more shots.

The battle continued to rage around the three Guardians, and while the two factions seemed content to kill each other, the team did not feel ignored. They took cover behind a large crop of rocks as more Devil Skiffs flew into the area.

"If two Fallen Houses decided to have a good ol' fashioned beat 'em up on my doorstep, I probably would have noticed by now!" Dak said, motioning toward the Hellmouth pit. "Whatever that ancient evil is, it's a heavy sleeper!"

"Either way, I'd rather not be around if it decides to get us off its lawn! We need to get out of here!" Bill shouted, emptying the mag on his rifle.

Kahlee flinched as a shock bolt shattered a chunk of their rock barricade just inches from her head. "How?! We're pinned down!"

As Bill contemplated their situation, a jarring explosion shook the area, sending Fallen bodies flying, and forcing the survivors to leap for cover. Looking to his right, he saw a female figure standing on the cliff above them, an explosives detonator in her hand. She hit the button again, and another explosion rocked the land. She jumped from the cliff in a somersault, and as she landed, a strange yellow rifle appeared in her hands from out of nowhere. She ran towards the staggered Fallen, firing as she ran. A Captain tried to cut her off, but she swiftly tripped him up with a sweep of her leg and dispatched him.

The three Guardians were stunned by how fast she moved, and she carved through the Fallen ranks with ease. She tossed a small disc that stuck to the helmet of another Captain, and it unleashed a web of lightning that left the large Fallen howling in pain as it crumpled to the ground.

Turning to the three, they saw her face from under her tattered hood. An Exo, with a white face and blue eyes. She pointed to the small crack that led to the French facility.

"Guardians! What you seek is behind a bunker door in Building Three! GO! I will hold off this rabble!" She pulled the detonator from her cloak again, and blew the narrow pass wide open, enough for the three of them to fit through with ease.

"Seal the door behind you, so they cannot follow!"

"Who are you?" Bill asked.

"There's no time! You need to get to her before they do!"

"Get to who?!" Bill asked again as they turned to run.

"RUN!" The strange woman yelled as a Skiff dropped an assault Walker into the area. Bill sprinted through the gap, and they searched frantically for Building Three.

"Cee! Where do we go?"

"There! That one, on the ridge! The door is unlocked, let's go!"

As the Guardians made it inside, the three Ghosts worked together to decipher the codes needed to seal the door, as per the Exo's orders.

"Well… now what?" Val asked once the door panel turned green.

Bill activated his light and began walking down the corridor. "We complete our mission."