BOOK TWO: 'The Light Below'
"This is a new level of stubborn, even for you," said Ghost, but Ayane refused to take the bait. She carefully shifted from sitting to kneeling and leaned forward to look over the ledge and down into the Hellmouth.
"I still can't see anything, how much longer?" She said.
"If the climb down doesn't get any easier, it's probably another couple of hours before you can risk a jump to the bottom. But stop changing the subject. "
"I told you," she said, "it's a secret."
"You can't have secrets from me, we're neuropathically linked," he said.
"Then you tell me where we're going?" She felt Ghost bristle in the air behind her.
"I've changed my mind, jump whenever you like," he said.
Ayane unslung her rifle and scoped the cliff wall further down.
"It's too dark now," she said, "scope's useless from here on."
Ghost floated down from the ledge and searched the rockface with his light.
"What about that one?" Her voice was a loud whisper.
"Nope, I've seen how well you jump, remember?" He continued scanning and decided on a jagged finger of rock, almost directly below her, but it was a considerable drop. "How about this one?" he called up, but she was already falling. She used her light to slow herself, but still hit the ledge pretty hard and hugged the smooth wall to avoid falling again.
"OK, next one," she said.
"Stubborn and reckless." He headed down and began searching again. "You know, I'm beginning to wonder if maybe there's been some kind of terrible mix-up. And that somewhere out there, a disciplined and thoughtful guardian is suffering under the care of some woefully inadequate Ghost," he said.
A blinding flash of green light tore through the centre of the chasm and startled Ayane. Without anything for her hands to grasp, the sudden stiffening of her muscles sent her pitching backward from her perch. As she tumbled, she tried to use her lift, but simply launched herself into the shaft of light. Her mind flashed back to being trapped in the tractor beam of the Fallen ketch on Venus, but this was different. Her fall began to slow enough for her to right herself. She managed to pull her feet underneath her, then without warning, she struck the ground hard.
She could see others nearby, Fallen and Hive just a few feet away, but the impact had stunned her and it was all she could do to simply stand and recover. She'd cried out when she'd hit the ground, but the creatures seemed oblivious and were moving away. A line of Fallen shuffled slowly into the gloom. Hive thralls clamoured around them in numbers, but for some reason they weren't attacking. Ayane bent forward to catch her breath, trying not to lose sight of the creatures.
Crystal torches lit the platform where they had landed, but the rest of the cavern was shrouded in darkness. The procession headed toward a huge pallid lamp, set between the rocks in the distance. She slipped into the shadows to her left. "There are hundreds of things in here," said Ghost, "and it's getting harder to reach the ship, the further we move away from the light". The lamp grew more brightly in the distance. The horde had grown considerably and if the Fallen were still alive, they were nowhere to be seen.
The lamp dimmed again as the throng moved away from it, she unslung her rifle and tracked them, but the cavern floor wasn't at all flat and she would lose them soon.
As she moved out from her hiding spot, a thrall lurched forward to face her. She sidestepped it, pulled her dagger and spun to strike it with torque. At the last possible moment she pulled her blow and froze. The thrall hadn't moved, in fact, it didn't seem to notice her at all. She kept the blade close to its head and turned to take a closer look. The eyeless creature heaved as it breathed and slowly turned its head from side to side, but it didn't know she was there. She backed away slowly and continued after the group, moving from rock to rock, cover to cover.
As she approached the lamp it started to brighten again. She could see there were thrall scattered all around her, although they didn't seem to see her, the light seemed to agitate them. She drifted further away from it and continued creeping through the rocks, parallel to the path. The lamp dimmed and soon she was plunged into almost total darkness.
"Can we review this plan?" Ghost whispered in her mind. He was right, it was hard to see how this would end well, but what else could she do? This terrible place may well be the end of her, but right now, the Darkness inside her scared her more than whatever might lay ahead.
The Hive horde appeared again further along the path, silhouetted against a second lamp on the horizon. "Stop!" Ghost yelled. Ayane almost cried out in surprise. "Don't move." She was desperate to ask why, but daren't make a sound. "Big hole," he said. She looked at the ground in front of her, but it was too dark to see.
She dropped to her knees and felt for the edge of the hole. As she searched, an eerie glow quickly rose from the bottom of the pit. A group of cursed thrall were scrambling up the sides of the shaft toward her. She shied back and caught herself with her hands behind her. At the opposite side of the pit one of the creatures clambered out and began sniffing the air. She was transfixed by the sight, but another brightly glowing skull sprang up suddenly, right in front of her. Startled, she instinctively kicked out and slammed her heel into its forehead. "No!" Ghost cried, but he was too late. The creature erupted into a bright cloud of vapour with a loud crack. The hissing gas stung her painfully and her leg fell completely numb as an intense cold gripped her. A wave of shrieks rolled around the Hellmouth, closely followed by the sound of hundreds of chitinous feet, clattering over the rocks and closing in on her.
Ayane refused to panic. She tried to crab-walk away from the pit, but the cavern floor was craggy and her limp leg was heavy enough to make it a struggle. Several more cursed thrall climbed from the pit and gathered around where the one had exploded. Their keening unnerved her, but she fought her instinct to scurry and instead slowly crept backward until she was pressed against rock. The host of thrall began to arrive. There seemed to be hundreds of them, peering out of the dark all around her, their features limned by the cursed gloom.
"I'm sorry Andav," said Cayde, "all I can say is, it's an important mission and her location is strictly need to know. Now, if you'll excuse me-"
"Are you in a bar?" Said Andav.
"It's Vanguard business." Cayde's voice grew hushed and exasperated all at once. "Just..hang tight," he hissed, looking over his shoulder, "I'll let you know when I can." He hung up the call unceremoniously and finished his drink in one long draw.
"Hey, boss." Shiro-4 eased onto the stool next to Cayde. "What are we drinking?"
"Anything?" Said Cayde.
"Nope." Shiro drummed lightly on the bar in anticipation.
"Where the hell is she?"
"Beats me," said Shiro. "Like I said, last known: Hellmouth 06:42 local, then..nothing."
"You don't think.." Cayde couldn't quite bring himself to finish the thought, instead he called the bartender over and motioned to his empty glass with one efficient hand movement. Shiro edged forward in his seat. "Not you kid, you're driving." The Vanguard dismounted from his stool and swept up his drink.
"Boss." Shiro pleaded. Cayde ignored him and walked around the end of the bar and through a bead curtain. The backroom was dimly lit, except for a makeshift table in the corner where a hanger mechanic and New Monarchy goon were trying to cheat some civvies at cards. Cayde ignored them and walked up to an old jukebox on the opposite side of the room. He took a sip of his drink and punched some buttons without even looking down. As the music played, he heard one of the card players' chairs scrape back harshly. Cayde turned around and faced them. Hideo's enforcer was standing, but quickly retreated into his seat after recognizing him.
"This one's on me boys." Said Cayde. Shiro stepped through the curtain and Cayde led him to a door in the back of the room. They walked into what had been a closet, but thanks to a couple of crates and a wooden pallet, was now the go to spot for more private card games.
"Do we really have to do this?" Shiro shut the door behind them and paused. "You only just got back, I'm sure people are starting to suspect."
"Who?" Said Cayde.
"Well, Ikora."
"Ikora suspects everyone," Cayde pulled a deck of cards from his pocket and put them on the table. "It's kinda her thing."
"Zavala."
"Zavala is way too disappointed in me to pay attention," Cayde summoned his ghost and Shiro followed suit, "unless I'm blowing stuff up. Besides, I'm not gonna be around for ever and what better way to get your feet wet, huh?"
Cayde picked up the cards and started to deal them onto the table. "You two," he said to the ghosts, "I want you to look very carefully at these cards." He laid nine cards in a grid and as he deliberately placed the final one both ghosts suddenly lost power and dropped from the air into their guardian's hands. Almost in unison, the Hunters each pulled a tiny chip card from their boot tops and inserted them delicately into a compartment in the rear of their ghost.
"57 seconds," said Shiro.
"I'm sorry," said Cayde, "but one of us has to go into the Hellmouth, and even I'm not that much of an asshole."
"What is it about this girl?"
"Look, I'll even let you shoot me in the face this time, eh?" Cayde drew his pistol and cocked it.
"20 seconds." Shiro drew his sidearm and pointed it at Cayde's face. "One day your hack isn't going to work and then we'll be-"
"5," Cayde started to countdown, pressing his barrel into Shiro's temple. "4, 3, 2, thanks buddy." Then they both pulled their triggers.