Chapter 8 - The Law of the Jungle

The stairwell didn't descend more than perhaps one story, and was mercifully clear of vegetation. "Why is it," Coyote-3 asked as they made their way downstairs, "That we're always heading into the basements of these places? Did people just keep everything underground before the Collapse?"

"We did find the Thunder Child underground," Virna replied.

"Yeah! What's the deal with that? It's a ship!"

Nobody had an answer for him. The staircase ended in a basement. Aside from a simple terminal on the far side of the room, a handful half-empty racks and shelving units, and a few doors lining the walls, it was empty. Walker-17 and Matthias made their way over to the terminal, followed closely by Virna. Coyote-3 strolled over to the racks to see what he could find. Evoksis stood at the foot of the stairs, and stayed there.

"Well, if we're going to find any information worth finding," Matthias said as Walker-17 stood by the desk, leaning over and bracing his hands on it, "it's going to be here, I'll wager."

"You know what to do," Walker-17 replied. He set his helmet down on the desk and, after a moment's consideration, un-slung his sword and did the same with it.

Matthias got to work. A bright blue beam of light flickered between his optic and the computer, and within a few moments the display came up. "Here, you can look through these manually. I need to—Flicker! You're better at pulling large quantities of data than I am. Lend a hand?"

Flicker obligingly zipped over and the Ghosts began to chatter back and forth, working in tandem. Walker-17 tapped at the keyboard interface, sifting through the various directories and sub-directories that Matthias had pulled up.

Virna leaned in over his shoulder, peering at the screen. "That's… a hell of a lot to go through."

"You're not kidding." Walker-17 shook his head. "We're going to need to do some serious cross-referencing."

"Might as well start now." Flicker swiveled to face him. "Ready when you are!"

"Let's start simple. Pull everything for me that references the keywords 'Thunder Child.'" There was a surprising wealth of results. As Walker-17 pored over what they'd found, a few things became apparent to him, the first of which was… "It was made here," he said excitedly, looking momentarily at Virna. "The Thunder Child was built on Venus."

"Do they say what it was for?" Virna asked.

"Mmm… no, I don't have anything more illuminating that repair reports and a few equipment manifests." He shook his head and got back to work. "And it looks like there are a lot of them."

"Try looking for the last reports. Maybe we can find out why they sent it away?"

"Good idea. Flicker?"

"On it."

The last few reports were mostly more of the same, but the final report was a little more intriguing than a servicing log. "Says here that something was… removed," Walker-17 murmured as he scrolled through the text. "it doesn't say what, though. There's some intentionally cagey wording here."

"More skullduggery?" Virna asked. Walker-17 nodded.

Matthias had floated back slightly to give Flicker room to work, and now turned to face Walker-17. "Could it be the Thunder Child's missing component?"

"I don't know. Let's see… the whole thing was handled by one Dr. Ada. Funny, I didn't see that name on any of the other reports. And apparently… apparently this item was scheduled to be destroyed," Walker-17 sighed. "That's the last I've got on it. Not even anything telling me when they destroyed it."

"Maybe they didn't." Virna suggested. "Hmm… do you have access to any personal missives? Anything that was sent researcher-to-researcher?"

"I can look," Flicker said, and after a moment, he went on, "Yep. Not a lot, though, and nothing from outside this building. If there was a wider complex out there, by the falls, it doesn't look like a lot of messages came through to here."

"It's still a start. You got anything sent by our new friend, Dr. Ada?"

He did. The files were heavily corrupted, and most of them were simple requests and reports. The last message was formatted in a significantly less formal fashion, though, and it was much, much shorter. Virna put her hand on Walker-17's shoulder and leaned in eagerly.

"I think we can all agree that the Conjuration project was a complete mistake, but we can't afford to throw everything we worked for away, just like that. You're not the only one saying this is for the best. Obviously, at least one other person did, or we wouldn't be in this mess. The fact is, we might need to go and get him someday, and there's no way to do that unless we can put everything back together again.

If they're not able to pull what they need out of our courier, this is the only way we're ever going to find him.

Don't make me write up a formal reprimand, Lee. This goes all the way to the Director."

Walker-17 had gone very still. Matthias drifted over to his free shoulder. "Walker…"

"I saw."

Virna looked between the screen and Walker-17. "What?"

Walker-17 continued to stare at the screen for a moment before he cycled another sigh and straightened. Virna released his shoulder and backed off. "A few nights ago, I had a dream."

Coyote-3 had, up until this point, been turning over some gleaming metal device of indeterminate scientific function. He perked up at Walker-17's words, set the device down, and hurried over. "Wait—a dream?"

Walker-17 nodded. "Exo aren't supposed to dream," he explained. Even Evoksis seemed interested now, though he didn't leave his post at the foot of the stairs. "And until now, I've never done it. But in the dream they… they mentioned something called the Conjuration Protocol." He went on to explain the dream in more detail, though a lot of it had since left his mind. Mostly, he just remembered the feelings that went along with it: the fear, the confusion.

Coyote-3 simulated a whistle. "That's some pretty wild stuff, man."

"You think you were involved in this Conjuration project they mentioned?" Virna asked.

"I had to be, in some capacity. I'm guessing the project itself involved developing the Conjuration Protocol I heard about, but I don't know what the Protocol was. And… who the 'he' was they mentioned." Walker-17 looked down at his hands. One of them was still un-gloved. "Or how the Thunder Child is involved in it."

"Well, only cure for that is to dig for more info," Coyote-3 said. "Now, you said that something was taken off the ship, and was supposed to be destroyed? But wasn't?" When Walker-17 nodded, Coyote-3 gave him a thumbs-up and began to walk backwards. "Then it's probably here. Let's see if we can find it."

"I'll keep looking for more relevant information," Flicker said.

"I will help," Evoksis rasped.

The group split up. Virna made quick work of the few things stored on the shelving units, appraising them with a critical eye. Matthias flitted about between everyone scanning each offering to see whether or not it was in any way compatible with the Thunder Child's systems. It was soon apparent that whatever they were looking for wasn't in the main room.

"Hmm." Coyote-3 prowled about the edges of the room, inspecting the doors. "I'm guessing that if they were trying to keep something valuable locked up… it'd be here." He stopped before sturdy door that had been secured with both an electronic and physical lock. Coyote-3 pulled a slim leather bundle from one of the pockets in his armor and unrolled it, revealing a small set of gleaming metal tools. "Matthias, can you lend me a hand?"

Matthias made short work of the electronic lock while Coyote-3 worked on the other. "Are those lock picks?" Virna asked, peering over his shoulder. "Honest-to-God lock picks?"

"Yep," Coyote-3 said, "believe it or not, this isn't the first time I've needed them."

Evoksis made a soft, clicking laugh.

Coyote-3's helm snapped back to regard him. "You better not be about to She'lot me."

"I would never," Evoksis replied, still quite obviously amused.

"Where did you even find something like that?" Virna asked.

"They were on him when I brought him back," Flicker called from the computer. "Hey, when you guys are done there, I've got a question."

"And now…" Coyote-3 murmured, "open, says me." He dispatched with the lock briskly and efficiently, stepping away and gesturing grandly for Walker-17 to enter. The room was small and lined with sturdy-looking clear cases that had been sealed away against the elements.

One of them was notably larger than the rest. A mass of circuits and wires secured to a rust-brown casing was sitting inside. "Matthias?" Walker-17 asked, crouching in front of it. Virna peered over his shoulder. There was a vague familiarity in the aesthetics of the device, even stripped to its bare circuitry. It looked like it might have belonged to the ship.

A quick scan confirmed it. Matthias bobbed a nod. "This is what we're looking for." Once they'd liberated the object, Walker-17 carefully lifted it for Matthias to stow away. A shimmer of light briefly streaked over the surface of the object, and then it was gone.

"Excellent! Let's grab all this stuff and pop the other doors, too. Might be something valuable in there." Coyote-3 said.

"We should make sure there isn't anything else here that belongs on the Thunder Child," Walker-17 replied, "but I don't think we really need anything else here."

"Doesn't mean it's not worth a look!"

Flicker made an exaggeratedly loud, simulated throat-clearing noise from across the room. Evoksis had, by that point, joined him, but he was the only one. "Guys?" The rest of the group made their way over, and he continued. "So, I found something… a little weird." He swiveled back to the screen and the directory text vanished to be replaced by a single report. "This report here talks about sister facilities. Apparently, whatever these people were working on was sort of scattered around the system."

Walker-17 leaned forward, eagerly raking his eyes over the text. "Does it say where they are?"

"I don't have locations, but I think I can find them if I dig a little more. But the really strange thing, see, isn't the facilities themselves." The report scrolled all the way to the bottom. It was signed by the familiar name of Dr. Ada as well as a symbol in the lower-right corner: a stylized CB, comprised of a single arc and two rounded triangles.

Walker-17 straightened in disbelief. "Clovis Bray? This is Ishtar territory. This is an Ishtar facility. What does Clovis Bray have to do with this?"

Coyote-3 looked at the screen, then at Walker-17, and then back at the screen. "It sounds familiar, but, uh, what's Clovis Bray?"

"Golden Age company," Virna supplied briskly. "Behind some pretty hefty scientific advances. Back in their heyday, they were what you'd call bleeding edge."

"Huh. …never heard of him."

"That made you, Coyote," Walker-17 said, turning away from the screen to look at his friend. "And me, too. Clovis Bray was in charge of the Exo program. They were also involved in the construction of the Warminds, colonization efforts—even Engrams. Those things you take back to Rahool? Someone in Clovis Bray invented them. They were the most powerful faction in all of Freehold, back before the Collapse. So much of what we think of as Golden Age technology came from them."

"Look," Coyote-3 held his hands up in a gesture of surrender, "I've been at this for only two years—"

"Three," Flicker supplied.

"Three years, and I don't know a damn thing about basically anything. And I'm not gonna pretend like I do."

"I should ask you to put that in writing," Walker-17 said, with a hint of humor in his voice. "All right… well. That complicates things. Flicker, were you able to find out anything more concrete about the sister facilities?"

"Not yet, but I'm pretty sure I can find them. Give me a second."

Evoksis had been gradually drifting away from the console as they spoke, edging back to his place at the base of the stares. Virna watched him out of the corner of her eye. He was clearly tense—was he about to bolt? He could have easily done so while they were searching for their missing component, if he'd wanted to. Watching him would be more useful than directly confronting him, so she didn't say anything or draw attention to him.

Coyote-3 did, though. "You've been a little tense ever since we got down here, Evo. What's wrong?"

He began to speak, but caught himself in the middle of it, narrowing his eyes and staring at Coyote-3. "'Evo?'"

"Nickname," Coyote-3 replied. He tilted his head. "Yes? No...?"

Evoksis seemed to consider it for a moment before he gave a sharp trill and said, "Go ahead. But I am fine." He returned his attention to the staircase. "Bad feeling."

On the heels of that statement the air filled with a single, low bass note; it hit them all almost like a physical force, and the emergency lights around them momentarily dimmed nearly to total darkness. The crow, which had been perched on the desk, fluttered to Virna's shoulder in a startled flurry of feathers. Virna only had time to exclaim, "What the-!?" Before the note faded and the lights returned.

"Sorry! Sorry. That was me." Flicker said. "Er. Ambiguous wording, here. In the system. I was looking for those facilities. I think I just... sent them a signal, somehow?"

"That was a big signal," Matthias said doubtfully.

"Yes. Apparently those facilities are... off-planet." Flicker's optic was blinking rapidly, and he sounded quite sheepish. "Anyway, I'm just going to pull everything I can from here. If we've got what we came for, we can go over this on the ship."

"Good idea. I, too, will pull everything I can," Coyote-3 said, trotting over to one of the as-yet-unlocked doors.

"Maybe we should—" Virna began.

She didn't get to finish her sentence, because in the next moment two brilliant points of light materialized in the air of the basement. Evoksis hissed something vehemently in his native tongue and skittered away from them, drawing his pistol. Walker-17, Virna, and Coyote-3 likewise scrambled to get themselves ready.

"Oh dear," Flicker cried, "I think that was my fault!"

Walker-17 had just enough time to grab his helmet and jam it on before the lights swelled to a blinding brilliance, and when the flash had subsided, six Vex Goblins were standing in the room. In the next instant, the air was full of fire, and the two Guardians surged forward to meet their foe. It was the first time the entire group had been tested in a situation where they had to fight, or die.

It was nearly a disaster.

Virna had leaped to the other side of the terminal and drawn her sidearm, and from there she could see it all. There was absolutely no cohesion; Coyote-3 and Walker-17 were formidable foes, shrugging off the fiery bolts from the Goblins' slap rifles, but they weren't covering each other, at all with each leaving the other vulnerable.

Neither of them were nearly as vulnerable as Evoksis, though; the Vex had appeared between him and the bulk of the group, which left him alone and without cover. Nevertheless, he fired gamely at the nearest Goblin, which turned to him as if the arc-blasts from his shock pistol were no more than an annoyance. They probably weren't. He leaped out of the way as the Goblin began to fire, came down hard on his side and gave a burbling croak of pain. Evoksis's injuries from the moon still hadn't fully healed.

Virna immediately leveled her sidearm and began firing, trying to draw its attention away while Evoksis recovered. The Goblin turned to face her, and Virna dispatched it with three rapid-fire shots to the belly.

The first wave was gone. "Form up, guys, form up!" She yelled, vaulting over the terminal. "Evoksis, you all right?" He nodded. "Okay, let's get the hell out of here. Flicker, do you have everything?"

The little Ghost hadn't abandoned the terminal even once during the fight. "Yes! I've got it. I'm sorry—I think the signal drew their attention." He zipped back over to Coyote-3, who was snatching up Walker-17's forgotten sword and slinging it over one shoulder. Flicker stayed close to him as the group turned and began to bolt up the stairs. "Which means we probably—"

They reached the top of the stairs just in time to be blinded by the flash of a fresh wave of Vex arriving. Virna immediately dove for cover once again, using the vine-choked remains of what might have been a desk. Coyote-3 also leaped, but into the fray, his hand cannon already firing. "Walker, cover him!" Virna shouted, reloading her gun. "You've got more range and a bigger clip."

Walker-17 didn't question her, he simply nodded and held his position further away, picking off the enemies with his scout rifle.

"Evoksis, here," she waved him to her cover. "We'll alternate. Pick your targets; we'll need to handle the stragglers."

The second wave was much more formidable than the first: six Goblins and two Minotaurs. Virna and Evoksis settled into a rhythm, never letting up their barrage of fire. Coyote remained close, while Walker held the line; Virna occasionally called out a warning or directed them as was needed to keep up a consistent rate of fire. "That Minotaur's going to rush us, get ready-!"

Moments after her warning the sparking, heavily damaged machine charged. Walker-17 took a step back and thrust an open palm at it. Hungry claws of lightning raked through the air, ripping the Minotaur apart. For a moment they all stopped to catch their breath.

Round two had gone much better. "Okay," Virna said, "let's get the hell out of here." They ran for the entrance and burst into the jungle. Virna's crow soared high above their heads, black wings pumping as it flew. "How soon can the Thunder Child be here?"

"It's on its way," Walker-17 said. "We need—"

More points of light began to shimmer in the air—a lot more. Wordlessly, they turned down the clearest path before them. "We can head for the river," Coyote-3 called, "and then down towards the falls. Probably an easier extraction point."

"Sounds good!" Virna called. They made it a few more paces before a handful of Vex appeared in front of them, cutting off their escape and forcing another confrontation. "Dammit. Stick with the plan!"

This time the group moved like a machine. Evoksis barked something at Virna in his native tongue (apparently not realizing he'd slipped into it in the heat of the moment), and then dove off the path into the thick jungle. Superior cover, his native terrain—good thinking. The sheer ferocity of Walker-17 and Coyote-3's assault provided suitable cover for Virna, and Evoksis was able to pick off one of the Goblins without even being seen.

They were fighting well, but the advance party had done its job, which was slow them, and soon they had reinforcements coming at them from behind. Virna took a knee and barely managed to avoid getting hit square in the chest with a Sol-bolt. "We've got company, you guys!"

The front shifted; Walker-17 had seen the near miss and very quickly interposed himself between the Vex and Virna. Coyote-3 came around her left side, and Evoksis emerged on her right, each of them firing in almost perfect tandem—right up until Evoksis's shock pistol jammed. He chattered what sounded like a curse and stepped back, and as Virna covered him, yet another contingent of Vex appeared, boxing them in once more.

"We're going to have to push through!" She called. "Get ready to charge!"

Coyote-3 finished off the second group with a well-thrown grenade and the travelers turned on their heels, charging straight for the contingent of Vex between them and the river. Evoksis tried to fire his pistol a few more times, but it seemed well and truly done; he cursed again and held one hand over his knife's handle. "My weapon is down!"

"Here!" Coyote-3 tossed him Walker-17's sword.

Evoksis almost didn't catch it, and nearly dropped it. "What is this!?"

"It's a sword!"

"I know it's a sword!" But the very short window they had for chatter was done, and Evoksis, with a curse, unsheathed the blade and leaped forward, swinging it in a sparking arc. It forced the Goblin in front of him to step back a few paces. His swipes were clumsy and slow, but he managed to get under the Goblin's guard and drive the sword directly through its belly, sending white fluid bursting in all directions.

"See! You've got it!" Coyote-3 crowed over the retort of his gun. The group was running again.

"Oh, yes, thank you," he snapped back, "now I am the most powerful Dreg in the system." He slung the sword over his shoulder and saved his breath for running, after that. They sprinted on, expecting another wave of Vex to come for them with each step, but they reached the river without incident. Virna called for a quick stop, and everyone paused to catch their breath.

"They broke off that chase pretty quickly," Walker-17 said, "I wonder why?"

"There's not very many of us," Virna said with a shrug. "Maybe we're not worth the resources."

"Quick thinking, back there," Coyote-3 said. It took Virna a moment to realize what he meant. "Not really used to fighting in formation—much less a formation that can lose half of its people."

Virna nodded to him. She hadn't had time to examine her actions closely during the fight, but she'd taken charge back there. Neither Coyote-3 nor Walker-17 seemed rankled by it, and they had no reason to be; it had worked out for the better. "We're not a bad team."

Evoksis nodded. "We should hurry. Try and get to the waterfall."

They moved along the river, watching the woods tensely. Everyone was on high alert, but the Vex seemed to have broken off their pursuit for the moment. Evoksis was still trying to figure out what had gone wrong with his shock pistol, and, seeing this, Matthias floated over to him and offered to do a scan. Somewhat surprised, Evoksis accepted.

"It's busted. Burnt out completely. This is an old gun," Matthias said, flicking his optic up to look at Evoksis. "Probably older than you."

Evoksis made a low trilling sound of amusement. "Probably."

They moved along for another five minutes quietly. The quality of silence was the first hint that something was wrong. Evoksis peered into the tree line. The lack of noise was something he expected, close to the facility and the sounds of the fight, but the stillness had followed them this far. Were the Vex still lurking in the woods? "Something is wrong."

Walker-17 looked to him. "What is it?"

"Too quiet. Another bad feeling."

"Your last one was spot-on," Virna said, "so I'm inclined to trust you. You think the Vex are following us?"

"Would have heard them. Seen the flashes."

Coyote-3 shrugged. "Maybe it's just... quiet?" Evoksis shook his head slowly. "Well. I guess we should pick up the pace, then. We can probably outrun whatever-it-is, if we're lucky."

They weren't lucky. A shrill, bone-chilling cry filled the air and once again, a point of light appeared in front of them... but this one wasn't the same size and conformation as the portals the Vex used. Evoksis froze in horror as another opened, and then yet another. For a moment he wasn't there in the rainforest: he was back on the moon, staring at the abandoned outpost, and all around him were...

"Taken!" Virna cried. For the first time since the fighting began, she sounded unnerved. A flash of darkness swept through the area, and three groups of three Goblins, their hulls blackened and shimmering with starlight, appeared on the shore. "Walker! Coyote! You've fought these guys; what's the plan?"

"Split them up!" Walker-17 called back, "they'll shield each other if they bunch up!"

Virna nodded and began firing. Evoksis scurried up to her side, drew his shock dagger, and sent it flying straight for the glowing orb that hovered over where the Goblin's face had been.

It went down. Virna gave a brittle laugh over the sound of her gun, "Coyote was right about you!"

A spark of pride ignited somewhere in him, below the layers of horror and fear. It blossomed, and Evoksis focused on it, drawing himself from his stunned state. He wanted to fight these beings. He wanted to kill these beings. These monsters, these abominations—he still had the sword, but it wouldn't do to get too close to them. "Weapon!" He called.

This time, it was Walker-17 who passed him a weapon. Evoksis caught the pulse rifle, braced it against his shoulder, and began firing into the Taken, gritting his teeth as he did. When the group he and Virna had been focusing on went down, he vaulted over the rock she'd been using for cover and quickly retrieved his knife. Shrieking a challenge, he turned the rifle on another group.

He'd gotten a few bursts in when a sudden wave of dizziness hit him. Evoksis stumbled back, confused. Had he been hit? Was he losing blood? Fear thrilled in the back of his mind, and he tried to move away, but his legs felt heavy and ungainly, and he only stumbled again. Get away, his instincts were screaming at him, but his body was sluggish to obey. Get away!

"Fuck!" That was Coyote-3's voice, coming as if from a great distance. The next instant the Hunter crashed into him, knocking him to the ground. Coyote-3 crouched over him, holding Evoksis there with one hand braced on his chest as he looked up, away from him, at the sky—

-a writhing sliver of darkness and starlight was folding in on itself, rapidly disappearing, burned away by the presence of the Guardian's Light. Cold horror swept through Evoksis. That thing had been the retreating will of Oryx, and it almost claimed him. He'd almost been snatched right up into that fissure. Coyote-3 looked down to him and clambered off, hauling Evoksis up. "You all right?"

He nodded dumbly and hefted his rifle again. "Walker!" Coyote-3 called. "We've gotta get out of here! We're protected, but Evo and Virna aren't!"

Virna looked across the battlefield towards him, her eyes wide. Clearly, she hadn't thought about the possibility of being Taken. It was still questionable whether or not it was possible for an Awoken, but she didn't look as if she wanted to find out. She turned and helped Walker-17 finish off the last of the first wave and rose to her feet.

"Matthias, get the ship ready," Walker-17 said as he turned on his heel. As one, they ran. Evoksis was of two minds in that moment. The tiny spark of pride and fury in his heart had blossomed to a hungry flame, and he wanted to stay and fight these abominations. They'd stolen so much from him, they'd hurt him, and he wanted to hurt them back. At the same time, he couldn't get the memory of that horrible moment out of his head, that dreadful, disconnected feeling.

As they pounded on, the roar of the waterfall grew louder. Groups of Taken began to materialize along the path, but the group plunged on, taking potshots when they could. The dark figures followed them in fits and starts, filling the air with sizzling bolts of energy. The travelers didn't slow.

And then, before them, the river curved sharply to the right, the trees thinned to a wasteland of slick, rocky ground, and the open sky appeared before them. Hovering in it, starkly rusty-brown against the sky, was the Thunder Child. "Almost there!" Virna called. They leaped off the riverbank and onto the rocks at the fringe of the forest.

The shriek of a Taken portal opening almost drowned out her words, and after the flash there was... nothing. Evoksis stared at the space where something should have appeared, confused for a moment, before the faintest hint of electricity traced itself over an invisible form. He tried to call a warning, but the enormous creature barreled straight into them, scattering the group with an effortless swing of one arm.

Evoksis was knocked straight into one of the jutting rocks. The breath left his lungs in a rush of pain. He forced himself to get up. He brought his rifle to bear, firing at where he thought the Taken Minotaur had been, but the bolts whistled harmlessly through the air.

Taken Goblins were beginning to close in. He saw Virna pushing herself out of the water, coughing and firing her sidearm at the same time. Walker-17 and Coyote-3 seemed to have likewise recovered. He had to reach them. They needed to regroup, needed to continue pressing forward...

The invisible Minotaur fired again, this time at Virna. She rolled out of the way, missing the brunt of the blow, and Evoksis immediately swung the pulse rifle in the direction he'd seen the shot come from, firing in short, angry bursts. With each successive hit, the Minotaur stumbled back, and its form became more and more distinct.

Evoksis could see the shapes of other Taken shifting endlessly out of the corner of his eyes, but he ignored them. He just advanced on the Minotaur, moving sure-footed over the treacherous terrain. This was my home, once, he thought to himself, this is my native ground. You can't possibly Take me here.

He tried to fire again, but the rifle only clicked. Evoksis had no Ghost to synthesize ammunition, and he'd spent the only magazine he had. That left only his knife and, of course, the re ridiculous sword Coyote-3 had lent him.

The ridiculous sword would have to do. Evoksis put the rifle away and unsheathed it. His comrades were firing away once again as the Taken drew closer. A sudden crack-and-rumble of thunder filled the air, and Walker-17 thrust an arm forward, sending a miniature storm scattering in front of him, lashing his foes with lightning. Coyote-3 threw his knife, and when it struck home, devouring flames tore at the dark forms of the Taken. Virna dispatched three in a row with three devastatingly accurate shots from her sidearm. They were nearly surrounded, but the efforts of his comrades kept the shadowy hordes at bay. One by one, the Taken around them were falling.

It felt good. Despite the breathtaking pain in his side, despite the terror of having come so close to being Taken, despite the sharp memory of everything he'd lost, it still felt good to be there, in that moment, part of the war machine the four of them formed. Evoksis saw the water part and splash in a way that was unnatural, directly towards him. He rolled out of the way and felt the wind of the Minotaur's passing.

And I do not fight you alone. Evoksis lashed out with the sword, and electricity seethed along the blade, momentarily tracing the Minotaur's shape as the blow struck home. The creature stumbled forward. You won't take me, he thought to himself as he rolled to his feet again, advancing and screeching a battle-cry, or anything else from me. Because you have already taken everything.

The Minotaur lunged surged back at him, this time catching Evoksis with a glancing blow. The Dreg went sprawling, but used the momentum to roll himself to his feet. And as long as I live, I will pay you back, Oryx. He charged again. Rage thundered through Evoksis, poured strength into his muscles, as potent as the finest Ether. Pain, fatigue, and fear could not reach him here. The blade sizzled through the air and pumped another strike's worth of Arc into the Minotaur, which seized in momentary agony. I will pay you back until I have killed all of your servants-

Another blow, another burst of sparks. The Minotaur stumbled back. Its invisibility flickered, and then failed, and the Minotaur fell one knee, all darkness and starlight. Evoksis was startled by the amount of damage that he'd done to it. That he'd done. On his own. With this sword, this weapon worthy of a Captain. The Minotaur tried to rise, and Evoksis snapped back to the moment.

He unsheathed his knife and flung it forward, directly into the heart of the creature's form. -or seen your kingdom burned to the ground.

Streamers of darkness erupted from the Minotaur as it died. Evoksis leaped forward, gathering his dagger and looking to his comrades. Coyote-3 was helping Virna up, and Walker-17 skidded to a halt, having apparently been running towards him. Seeing Evoksis look up, the Warlock nodded once.

Evoksis nodded back, sheathed his knife, and scurried after him. They'd cleared the field for the moment, but yet more Taken were appearing all around them.

They ran, ignoring the encroachments of the Taken, heedless of the slick rock and the tugging water. The crow swooped down and flew alongside them, wings beating a heavy rhythm. They ran along the edge of the cliff, through the spray, and the Thunder Child pivoted in midair to follow their progress, edging closer, closer—

-behind them the Taken advanced jerkily towards them, their claws outstretched, hungry—

-they ran, despite the screaming of their overtired bodies, as the ship matched their stride, sliding closer and closer—

-the deep, unmistakable bellow of a Knight could be heard somewhere behind them, a massive and deadly foe—

-and then a sweeping flash of blue light swept over them, lifting them. For a moment, they were weightless, and in the next they were all dumped unceremoniously into the Thunder Child's cockpit. The ship was already shifting away from the battlefield and they had to scramble for something to hold onto as it shot away, leaving the forest and the Taken far behind.

For a few long moments, nobody spoke. The only sounds in the cockpit were Virna and Evoksis's harsh panting and the soft whirr of Walker-17 and Coyote-3's ventilation systems. Flicker, who had taken shelter during the battle, reappeared and floated above the travelers. "Well!" he said, after a moment, "that went better than I thought it would."

Virna's crow flapped its way to the headrest of the pilot's chair and began to fastidiously preen under one wing. Despite the frenetic violence of the battle, it seemed no worse for the wear. "That," Coyote-3 said, standing slowly, "is a damned lucky bird."

Walker-17 pulled himself upright, gripping onto one of the seats for support. "Did the Thunder Child take any damage?"

Matthias was floating over the central controls. "No. She's fine."

Walker-17 nodded and looked to his companions. Virna was already on her feet, still breathing heavily. His attention immediately went to her arm, which she was holding. "Is it broken?"

She flexed her fingers experimentally. Her face momentarily tightened with pain and she shook her head. "Nope." Virna removed her hand and Walker-17 saw, aghast, that her palm was covered in blood. "Cut me up pretty good, though. Evoksis? How're you holding up?"

He raised his head and blinked blearily up at her. "I am fine."

Walker-17 stared at him. He was, simply put, impressed with how well Evoksis had handled himself. Walker-17 had lost track of him during the fight, only to see him squaring off, alone, against the Taken Minotaur. He'd tried to reach Evoksis, to assist, but it had turned out to be unnecessary in the end.

Virna nodded, but stopped mid-gesture and stepped towards the Dreg, kneeling. "You're bleeding again."

Evoksis looked down. Reddish-purple blood had soaked through the cloth parts of his battered armor and stained his entire side. "Ah."

"Here, both of you take a load off," Coyote-3 said. "I'll go get the medical supplies. Where're they stashed, anyway?"

Virna told him, and Coyote-3 trotted off to fetch them. She hauled herself up into one of the cockpit chairs and, slowly, wincing all the while, Evoksis did the same. Walker-17 simply stood nearby, staring at them. He felt curiously at a loss. This wasn't really something he had to deal with very often. Guardians on a whole were a lot sturdier than non-Guardians. They still sustained injury, but his typical companions hadn't seemed nearly as affected as Virna and Evoksis clearly were.

Before he could mull on it too deeply, Coyote-3 returned. "All right, you're going to have to guide me a little here, because I'm obviously not used to this. Being a robot and all."

"You're an Exo, not a robot," Flicker said exasperatedly.

"Same difference." Coyote-3 set the kit down and waved Walker-17 over. "All right. Your nurses are ready."

Virna couldn't help but smile at that. Coyote-3 and Walker-17 helped bandage their comrades up, and checked them for injuries that might not be immediately aware of. Coyote-3 went to work on cleaning the gash in Virna's arm. He was a dexterous sort of fellow, with a light touch, and Walker-17 could see from the faint surprise on Virna's face that she hadn't expected him to be so gentle. The very next moment, her expression shifted to something more thoughtful. She's trying to figure him out, Walker-17 realized, faintly amused.

Walker-17 turned to lean over Evoksis somewhat awkwardly, but thankfully Evoksis didn't protest or make his job difficult. The Dreg's movements were sluggish, and he was curiously pliant. He must be exhausted, Walker-17 thought as he finished winding the bandage around his side. He paused for a moment. There was a definite tremor under his fingertips. "Evoksis? Are you all right?"

"Yes. I said so."

"You're trembling."

Evoksis blinked widely again, and looked down at himself. He seemed completely surprised to see that Walker-17 was right. "I... well. Yes."

"It was a close call out there," Coyote-3 said as he tied off Virna's bandage. "Sorry for tackling you, pal. I hope I didn't make that whole 'bleeding' situation worse."

Evoksis waved him off. "I would rather bleed than be Taken." Walker-17 looked between them. Taken? Had he missed something on the battlefield? "I think I came close," Evoksis explained. "There was a fissure. And I felt... something. Something pulling me away."

Under his fingers, Walker-17 felt the trembling grow.

"It was a hell of a thing," Coyote-3 added helpfully.

Evoksis titled his head at him. "What did you see?"

"Well. The fissure, first of all. And then a sort of shimmer, like... it looked like a light was wrapping around you. That's when I ran over. I had to do something."

"Knocked me away," Evoksis said.

"Actually," Flicker added, "I think it was more than that." All eyes turned to him. "The fissure shriveled up and died when we were near. Getting you away from it probably helped, but I think it was the Light that protected you, Evoksis. Something to keep in mind for the future."

Walker-17 nodded and looked to Virna. She was staring back at him. "Absolutely," he said. "We'll stick close to you both, if we run into the Taken again."

"Let's hope we don't," Virna replied. Coyote-3 had finished with her, and she stood. "All right. I think... we got what we came for, right? We've got some kind of computer component and a lot of information. We'll need the first installed and the second analyzed."

Walker-17 nodded. "The first, we could have done at the Tower."

Virna began to cross her arms, winced, and then finished the gesture gingerly. "They'll let us all on the Tower?"

"Of course."

"All of us, Walker?"

He stared at her for a moment before he realized what she meant. "Oh." Slowly, somewhat sheepishly, Walker-17 looked to Evoksis. "There... might be an issue."

"He could just stay on the ship," Coyote-3 suggested.

"They'll need to come onto the ship to install the component, though. Ah, look... first thing's first. We need rest. All of us. We can come down near the City, and figure out what to do from there." Walker-17 looked to each of them in turn. "Your ship is still following us, right, Virna?"

"Mm-hmm."

"We can swap back and forth later if we need to. In the meantime, I, at least, am going to get some recharging done. And when I'm up, we can go through everything we pulled, if you're up for it, Flicker?"

"Absolutely!" The Ghost bobbed enthusiastically.

"All right. Just pick whichever room you'd like, I suppose." It would be their first time actually sleeping on the Thunder Child. The vessel was built for a live-in crew, so the amenities were in place. "And if there's anything you need, either of you, let me know?"

Virna gave him a thumbs-up. Evoksis was fixing Walker-17 with a bright, quizzical stare, his head tilted slightly. "I will have a room, here?"

Walker-17 was taken aback by the question. "I... of course, Evoksis. Why wouldn't you?"

"It is..." he paused. Once again, Evoksis didn't seem to be able to put exactly what he meant into words Walker-17 would understand. "Not customary."

"You've never had a room all your own?" Coyote-3 asked.

"No. Why would I?" he asked, looking genuinely confused.

Walker-17 considered him for a moment. He couldn't quite let go of his misgivings regarding Evoksis entirely, but the Eliksni had already come a long way towards proving himself. Evoksis had fought well, stuck with the group, and had proven to be a reliable guide. Walker-17 had never thought that the Fallen could be so agreeable and easy to work with, but Evoksis's plain surprise at having something as basic as his own private space sent a flash of realization through Walker-17's mind.

Maybe some of it had to do with the fact that, for what had to be the first time in his life, Evoksis was being treated with the barest hint of basic decency.

"Well," Coyote-3 said, breaking through his thoughts, "your roomless days are behind you, Evo. When you roll with us, you roll in style." He strolled over and plopped down in the copilot's chair. "You guys go and pick out your rooms. I'm gonna be up for a little longer. Flicker and I can get a head-start on everything we pulled."

Matthias, who was still hovering over the ship's controls, swiveled to face him. "You should get some rest, too, Coyote."

"I will! I'm just too wired to sleep right now."

Walker-17 shook his head with a slight smile and turned away from the cockpit. When he reached the hallway, he lingered, staring at his door uncertainly. Matthias hovered silently nearby. He knew his Ghost could sense his apprehension, and as such said nothing. He'd recharged only once since his last dream, and it had been mercifully quiet, but he didn't know what sort of visions might pop into his head after all the revelations of the day.

"You good, Walker?"

He turned to see Virna, who had paused in front of her own door. Her jacket was bundled up and held under one arm. "Ah. Yes. Sorry," he said, "Just... thinking."

She tilted his head, and after a moment, said, "Worried about the dream?"

Clearly, he thought to himself, with a note of amusement, I'll have to be more evasive than that if I want to escape her notice. "Yes. Not just the dream I had. I'm mostly... not sure if I want to live through all of that again. On one hand, if these sorts of dreams keep happening it'll certainly be very useful, especially in terms of getting more information and making sense of what we already have, but..." His voice trailed off. Virna watched him patiently. "There's a lot in the dreams I don't understand, but I can still feel everything that I must have felt in the memory."

He raised his eyes to meet hers. "I was afraid, in that dream. There was a real sense of... of dread. Aside from just being an unpleasant experience, I'm not too thrilled about the implications."

She nodded slowly. "Well," she said, after she'd gathered her thoughts, "if the first dream came to you after finding the Thunder Child, then I'd say odds are pretty good you might go through another one. We've spent the last day digging all this stuff up."

"Yes," he murmured in response, "that's precisely what I'm afraid of." Virna's expression softened somewhat and took on a hint of concern, and Walker-17 scrambled to reassure her. "Wait, I—I don't mean afraid, per se, I'm not frightened. I'm just..." He sighed and crossed his arms. "Disconcerted. Unsure."

There was another pause. "You remember when I told you, back before we left the Reef, about the Awoken and visions?" Virna asked, "I know they can be a lot to deal with. Our... our Queen had visions." For just an instant, her voice faltered. "Some of the corsairs say Commander Venj has them. Now, I wouldn't necessarily call a memory a vision, but it's not too dissimilar, wouldn't you say?"

"I suppose."

"Our visions come from the Void, which can be intimidating, but it's not the same thing as the Darkness. Not by a long shot. It's not something to be afraid of."

Walker-17 cycled a long sigh. "I'm... I'm not. It took me a long time to assume the mantle of Stormcaller. I began my training as a Voidwalker. I became very well-acquainted with those powers, in that time." He raised one hand, and after a moment it was sheathed in a dark ripple of purplish light. Walker-17 regarded it thoughtfully. Even now, deep in his training as a Stormcaller, the Void remembered him. It came when he called. "It was one of the very first things I ever knew, in this world."

"Then these dreams you're having make a good deal of sense, to me," she replied, "Regardless of whether or not you're remembering these things by virtue of your..." A pause. For the first time since he'd met her, Virna looked genuinely and truly confused. "B-brain?"

Despite himself, Walker-17 gave a little laugh. He relaxed his fingers, and the dark ripples faded away. "Brain's close enough."

"Right. Regardless of whether they're coming from you or the Void, it's not like you're going to have to chase them down alone." Virna gestured to the cockpit, and then, after a moment, finished it up with another, shorter one towards herself. "We're not a bad squad, all things considered."

"No. We're not." Walker-17 nodded. "I... thank you, Virna. I really appreciate it. You always seem to catch me when I'm brooding. I promise I'm not usually so moody."

She chuckled and fixed him with a single finger-gun. "I know, Walker."

"Thank you again. I really mean it."

"Anytime."

They parted ways, and Walker-17 stepped into the cabin. It had been constructed in the same elegant style as the rest of the ship, but was still quite bare. As Walker-17 began to remove his armor and robes, he felt the fatigue of the past few days settling in. Matthias, who had remained quietly at his side all the while, did something that he rarely had the opportunity to any longer. He surprised Walker-17.

"I'm glad we ran into her," Matthias said simple.

Walker-17 blinked at him, taken aback by the suddenness of the statement. "Well. Yes. Me, too, Matthias."

He bobbed in midair. "I'll be here when you wake, Walker. Dreams or no dreams."

"I know," Walker-17 replied softly, fondly. He finished preparing for sleep and laid down on the cabin's bed (which was startlingly plusher than he'd been expecting), staring up at the ceiling through the gloom. Exo didn't usually have a hard time falling asleep, but Walker-17 lay there in silence for a long time before recharge finally took him, wondering whether or not he would wake tomorrow with some new memory, rattling around in his head and adding to the general confusion of his entire situation.

He would.