Tormented

Get Out

Here's the first of the double update! Took a lot longer than I thought lol (couldn't even play Destiny, especially when I have work on the side -w-;;). Anyway, the other half of the double update will be up soon, shouldn't be long!

Mantic65, flamingmence, zantilis - Thanks for understanding you guys! Really appreciate it!

"Do you think Angel is alright?"

Turning her crimson hues away from the entrance, Aleeza focused her attention onto her twin, only give him a look of concern when she saw Akiva lean his shoulder against the wall, his breath heaving.

"He can take care of himself," The female Warlock responded as she approached the human Titan, "You however, need to sit down."

Immediately, Akiva shook his head, "No, not until we secure this location and ensure that the Taken are cleared from the bunker."

Hearing her twin's words, Aleeza couldn't help but let out a frown behind her helmet, her crimson hues glancing back and forth between the Titan and the Ward around Rasputin's power core, "You are fighting against enemies while as keeping a Ward up this entire time; a feat, which I heard, is considered insane by even veteran Defenders."

A tired chuckle emitted from the male Guardian, "Well, that makes me crazy then, right?"

If there was humor in his words, Aleeza didn't find it amusing, "Akiva, you need to rest. You know what happens if a Guardian overworks themselves."

That's when the female Warlock saw her twin pause, as if contemplating on her words. It was widely known throughout older Guardians that using up majority of their light is a risk. True, they can easily rejuvenate later but during combat, where enemies are constant and no sign of proper cover, there is a chance that if they are killed, their Ghost will be unable to bring them back. As such, many Guardians are warned to be careful out in the field; you will never know when such thing will occur. And right now, Aleeza can easily tell Akiva was pushing it, sensing his exhaustion and the way the Ward will consistently flicker during the one of many waves of Taken trying to get in. She wasn't going to risk losing someone, especially a biological family member.

"One more wave." Aleeza narrowed her eyes at her twin, "One more wave and I will not only sit down but I'll take the Ward down so I can rest easy."

Momentarily keeping her glare on her twin, Aleeza finally shook her head as she let out a sigh, "Fine, promise?"

She waited until the Titan nodded, "Good." Her attention then snapped back to the entrances as the familiar screeching echoed through the air, causing her to sheath her pulse rifle onto her back and to take out her shotgun, "Get ready."

Having faced only Taken Thralls, Psions, and Acolytes, Aleeza had closed in the distance between herself and the Orb of Darkness, half excepting the smaller troops to stand around the ring of darkness as soon as the flash of light vanished from her sight. A tactical error. Instead of a Psion or even a Thrall, Aleeza found herself facing a Taken Phalanx, the latter of which let out a low gurgle before lifting upon one of its shields. Startled and unprepared, the female Warlock found herself pulling the trigger on her weapon, feeling the recoil in her hands forcing her gun upwards as the pellets fired out of the barrel and uselessly penetrated onto the shield's surface. It was not long after this, that the familiar humming of the shield rang in her ears.

Now Aleeza had seen her brother encounter the Phalanx and then saw how he was easily flung across the room after its beam impacted into his chest. Knowing her twin, it had taken a lot of force to toss him across the hall like that and as such, when she saw the shield powering up in her sight, Aleeza couldn't help but clench her teeth and prepare herself for the worst.

That was before a whoop and holler echoed in her ears.

Just as soon as she thought the Taken Phalanx was to release the beam on his shield, a black and green blur slammed into the Taken Cabal, causing it to let out a scream of surprise before the sound of a shotgun followed, silencing its cries. Watching the body of the Taken disappear in a mass of black and white, Aleeza turned her wide crimson eyes towards her savior, a Titan clad in black and green armor, the latter of which twirled a shot gun in his hands before he turned out and called out, "Malik! Let it rain!"

Almost immediately, three solar bullets flew from the entrance, taking out both orbs of Darkness and another unfortunate Taken Cabal. It was then a Hunter clad in gold armor and brown leather, rolled into the room, a side arm in his grasp as he fired any Taken surrounding his proximity. This was followed by the echoes of the Titan's shotgun, the Guardian consistently cocking and firing his weapon into any unfortunate Taken wandering too close.

Her eyes still wide, Aleeza slowly turned her attention towards her twin, the latter of which also stood in place, his weapon lowered, and if his helmet was absent, his jaw hanging open. Hearing gunfire slowly fade from her ears, the female Warlock then refocused her attention onto the two Guardians and it was only then a single question popped into her mind: How did they get here?

"What? Like what you see?"

The voice of the Hunter snapped Aleeza out of her reverie and just in time to see the gold and leather clad Guardian blowing her a kiss through his helmet, only for the male Guardian to laugh as his Titan comrade reached over and gave him a good shove.

"Excuse my comrade for his 'behavior'," The Titan spoke, his voice synthetic. An Exo, "The name's Praxis-16, just Praxis. The Hunter" He gestured towards the Hunter, who waved, "Is Malik ibn Tahir."

"Although you can just call me Malik," Aleeza then saw the Hunter lean in and somehow, she can imagine him giving her a wink through his visor. When the Exo Titan once more reached over and shoved Malik who laughed, this seems to only strengthen the female Warlock's theory.

"Aleeza Wahl." The female Awoken then nodded her head back to her twin, "The Titan is my brother, Akiva." She then nodded her head in thanks to the two Guardians, "We thank for you for coming in when you did." Aleeza then hesitated, "Although I am curious as how you were able to find us, let alone know that we were in trouble."

That's when the female Warlock noticed the pair glance at each other and the way their hands gripped their weapons tightly. A chill running down the length of her spine, Aleeza also gripped her shot gun tightly, taking slow steps back as the two Guardians' gaze locked back onto the Warlock. However, before she can raise her weapon, a resounding 'thunk' echo through the room and Aleeza snapped her gaze towards her twin.

"Akiva!" She cried out as she saw the human Titan on the floor, the Guardian let out a groan before the Ward around the Core flickered away, leaving the buzzing power source exposed. Her thoughts on Praxis and Malik long gone, Aleeza rushed towards her twin's side, kneeling and pressing a hand against his shoulder, "Akiva?"

When the female Warlock gained no response, panic arose in her chest before she dropped her weapon, hearing it clatter next to the floor next to her as she shook the Titan, "Akiva!"

A shift in the air caused the Awoken Guardian to reel back, landing on her bottom as the familiar white and yellow Ghost materialized into view, "Will you stop that! He's light exhausted! Waking him up is the last thing you want to do!"

Recoiling from the Ghost's words, Aleeza only let out a nod as Lex returned his focus on his Guardian letting out streams of light around the Titan before he added, "Akiva's done. Even if he wakes up, he is in no condition to fight." He then turned his single optic towards the female Warlock, "We need to get him to a safe place."

"What?" Aleeza glanced back and forth between the Ghost and the Guardian, "But we promised Sun and Gaia –"

"Wait a minute? Sun? Sun as the late leader of Clan Galaxy?"

That's when Aleeza's heart sank, slowly turning her gaze towards Praxis and Malik, both of who had their guns lowered. She had momentarily forgotten about the two.

"Answer my friend's question if you do not mind," It was Praxis who spoke, the Titan gesturing towards the Hunter with his shotgun before he added, "Is Sun the leader of the Galaxy Clan alive?"

Glancing back and forth between her unconscious brother and the two Guardian's, Aleeza's shoulders slumped in defeat, "…Yes."

"Is that the secret your team have been hiding then?" Praxis questioned, the Exo Titan slowly raising his weapon, causing the female Warlock to go rigid, her crimson eyes eyeing her fallen shotgun near her side, "Hiding the survival of an infamous Guardian? Now why would-" That's when the Titan came to an abrupt halt, and from the intensity of his gaze, Aleeza knew what he was going to say next, "They are a Rogue? They no longer want to protect the City?"

That's when Aleeza's crimson gaze narrowed at the Titan, "Now that's not the reason why Sun-"

"Hostiles! Incoming!" It was Malik's voice that interrupted the pair, causing the Titan and Warlock to snap their attention to their surroundings, the familiar void of darkness swirling around them.

Hearing Praxis silently curse under his breath, Aleeza took the opportunity to pick up her fallen Shotgun before raising it and firing it into the face of an approaching Taken Thrall, the latter of which let out a scream before disappearing into a swirl of black and white, "I will explain everything later, but for now, help me protect my brother 'and' this core, do you understand?"

"And why would we do that?" Praxis hissed out, his shotgun easily penetrating through the shield of an incoming Taken Phalanx before reaching out and punching said Taken in the face, sending it back to the void.

Aleeza could feel her frustration boil within her chest, "Because 'that' core is Rasputin's life line. If the Taken gets to it, who knows what can happen." Her expression then turned dark as she added, "And if 'any' harm comes to my brother, it will 'not' be pretty."

It was just a split second, but the female Warlock could see both the Hunter and the Titan glance at each other once more, reading each other's thoughts before Malik turned to Aleeza and quipped, "Just promise us that you keep your end of the bargain and we will have a deal."

Her pale features softening, Aleeza nodded once, gaining a two-fingered salute from the Hunter before Malik ducked from a Taken Vandal's swipe, taking the opportunity to raise his side arm and fire it underneath its jaws, killing it instantly. Focusing her attention onto the Titan, Aleeza could still see the signs of doubt, from the way the Exo kept glancing back at her from every kill, ensuring that the female Warlock was still within eyesight as they cleared out the Taken. Although this did not bother the Awoken Guardian in the very least; as long as Akiva is safe and their mission is accomplished, she doesn't care what others think. As such, placing her body between Akiva's Ghost and the Taken, Aleeza started firing at any who wandered too close.

Xxxxx

It was strange to Carina how Sun can easily summon hammers repeatedly, throwing them at any Taken that wanders into their proximity, while she herself can hardly gather enough energy to currently even perform a Fist of Havoc. She had previous used it twice and already she could feel the Darkness gather around her shoulders, hindering her light rejuvenation as she fired her auto rifle into the Taken. Although she shouldn't be complaining, as the thrown hammers easily obliterate smaller enemies and those who survive are unfortunate enough to be burned by the pyres left behind. But the waves kept coming and even Carina had the common sense to know that not even Sun can keep it up forever.

As such, the female Exo ducked behind some consoles, hearing it shake behind her as she holstered her primary weapon and took out her rocket launcher.

{"Please do be careful with that. The last time you used it you were just a 'tad' bit too close to an enemy."}

"Pfft, I'll be fine," Smiling at the sigh she heard emitting through her helmet, Carina lifted herself into the air and turned, aiming her rocket launcher at the first enemies in sight: a clustered group of Taken Cabal. Squeezing the trigger, the Exo couldn't help but let out a loud laugh as the shell exploded, sending out shrapnel at any unfortunate Taken that survived the initial blast. Then as soon as she let go of the trigger, blasts of fire erupted from the barrel of the weapon, spewing canisters of fire and latching onto any surrounding Taken. Hearing the enemies' screams reaching her auditory sensors, Carina released her lift, letting herself fall to the ground with a heavy 'clunk', putting herself back into cover. She then took this opportunity to press her hand on the front of the weapon, the pressure causing the front to unattached itself from the back, revealing the empty chamber.

"Only if this weapon can hold more than one canister," Carina grumbled to herself before she held out her hand, a sign for Spears to materialize the familiar warhead into her grasp before the Guardian shoved it into the chamber and slid the front back. Hearing the familiar 'click' resound through her auditory sensors, the female Exo couldn't help but let out another smile as she stood up, bending her needs in preparation for another lift. That's when she heard a snarl to her left. Jumping, the Exo Titan twirled to her left only to let out a yelp as she leaned back in time to barely dodge a sword swipe, the familiar encrusted plating of a Taken Knight appearing in her vision. Feeling her weapon go lax in her grasp, Carina stumbled back several steps before she heard 'clanks' fall to the ground and it was then the female Exo took the opportunity to glance downward. Immediately, rage built up in within her at the sight of her rocket launcher in pieces, having taken most of the Taken Knight's hit when she had turned.

Although grateful that her weapon had saved her life, Carina couldn't help but let arc energy build up around her fists as she lifted her gaze and narrowed them at the Taken Knight, "Do you know how long it took me to get that weapon?" With that she charged, ducking another sword swipe from the Taken Hive before leaped up and slammed her arc filled fist into its face, sending it reeling, "Months!"

She then leaped up and swung her other fist, sending the Taken Knight reeling once more before she brought her leg forward and slammed her foot into its chest, sending it flying over her cover and into a mass of Taken Acolytes. Feeling Arc light flicker around her wrists, Carina took the opportunity to rush forward and leap with her fists in the air. Then as she landed, the female Exo slammed her fists into the ground and immediately arc light blasted around her, disintegrating any Taken within the vicinity of her Fist of Havoc.

"Who's next!?" She growled as she stood up, her violet optics scanning around her.

"That's enough," Carina turned around and her gaze locked onto the orange Exo, the latter of which leaned against one of the many consoles as they added, "We've cleared the room." They then sighed, "For now."

Glancing around only to see the truth in the orange Exo's words, Carina took it as an opportunity to leap over the consoles and duck behind it once more, using it as cover as she seated herself, "They're coming back, aren't they?" She let out a groan at the nod from the Ex-Guardian, "I know I said I wanted a challenge but this? This is ridiculous. Constant flow of enemies, hardly any time to rest, and not to mention the suffocating Darkness around here."

Sun's chuckling caused Carina to turn her attention back onto the orange Exo, "What's so funny?"

"Nothing, nothing," The Ex-Guardian shrugged it off with a wave of a hand before they approached the younger Exo and took a seat next to her, "Although I am curious about one thing though." Carina blinked as Sun asked, "You say that you are just a few years old, correct?"

"If you count on how long I've been resurrected for?" Carina saw Sun nod once, "Then yes."

The female Exo then watch Sun cross their arms as they let out a hum, "Interesting."

The Exo Guardian gave the orange Exo a bewildered look, "What?"

"You hold potential, young one," Sun stated, earning another bewildered look from Carina, "You already mastered your Arc light and on your way on mastering the Void."

The female Exo couldn't help but let pride swell within her chest, "Well, I can't take all the credit. I had some pretty good teachers." She puffed out her chest as she boasted, "Although I did learn how to wield Arc light on my own."

"And the Void?"

"You know that human Titan that was earlier with us? Akiva?" Carina ignored the sour look on Sun's metallic features, "Well he's the one who's teaching me at the moment, although he would claim that he is just giving me 'pointers', that humble sack of muscle."

Carina watched the orange Exo's yellow optics narrow, "He does not try to claim credit?"

The female Exo blinked at the other Exo, "For what? Is there bragging rights on training other Guardians?"

"In a way, yes," Carina gave the Ex-Guardian a blank look, "Back when I lived at the Tower, the more Guardians you train, the more of a notoriety you gain." The female Exo then watch Sun shake their head before letting out a single snort, "How else do you think Neptune is widely known amongst the Warlocks? He pretty much taught 'all' of the ones who were born right before…" That's when Carina heard Sun's voice fade, a distant look fading into the older Exo's optics before they shook their head, their gaze turning serious as they refocused their attention back onto the younger Exo, "I am just a bit baffled that someone who is giving you 'tips' isn't boasting aloud of his 'mentorship'."

Blinking several times at the older Guardian, it was Carina's turn to laugh at her fellow Guardian, the latter of which sank lower into their seat as they silently grumbled under their breath.

"How long as it been since you have last been to the Tower?" Carina breathed out, taking in steady breaths before she continued, "Or at least left this bunker?"

That's when the room went quiet, letting the silently buzzing of the power within the room echo around the pair as Sun turned and gave the younger Exo a blank look. Momentarily silent, Carina blinked several times before it suddenly clicked, "Wait a minute, don't tell me you have been in here since you found Rasputin?"

"Ding, ding, ding, give the young light a prize, she guessed correctly," Carina gave Sun a blank look, the latter of which let out a smirk as they straighten their posture, "Yes, I haven't left Rasputin's Bunker when several of my clan mates and I found him."

"Hermit much?" Carina blurted, earning a narrowed look from the older Exo, "I mean come on, don't tell me you haven't been curious on what was happening 'outside', right?"

The female Exo watched Sun give her another blank stare before they sighed, "I had told the others to tell everyone at the Tower that I was dead. What better way to keep hidden than to let everyone think that you are deceased?" Carina remained silent at their words, "However in order to ensure that the secret of my survival is kept hidden, I had to stay 'inside'." The female Exo then watch them roll their optics, "That is until a 'Newborn' discovered Rasputin's survival and now, Guardians are flooding in expecting an easy prize."

"Wait, what?"

"Why else do you think Guardians come here? To make initial contact with Rasputin to build an alliance with the Tower?" Sun let out a scoff, "No, most Guardians come here just for the Golden Age tech and data within the bunker. Hoping that whatever they find in here, will make them a 'hero' in the eyes of those back at the Tower." Shaking their head once more, Sun added, "It is very rare to find 'honest' Guardians, those who simply wish to find that 'one' thing to help others."

"How many of those types of Guardians come through?" Carina asked.

"None so far." Carina couldn't but let her jaw drop open at the older Exo's words, "None!? How the fuck there are none!? There has to be at least one?!"

"Hey, don't look at me, I may be the one who tries to keep intruders out but Rasputin gets the final say," Sun frowned at the younger Exo, "So don't blame me on those who 'fail'."

"All those Guardians, how many of them died here?" Carina asked.

That's when the female Exo saw the Ex-Guardian's metallic features unreadable, the blank slate of their expression sending a chill down the younger Exo's spine, "Just how many did you kill?"

"We should probably prepare ourselves for the Taken," Sun abruptly stood up, "More than likely they will discover our weakness and make another attack if we rest for too long."

"Hey!" Carina pushed herself back onto her feet, her violet optics glaring at the back of the older Exo as they started walking away, "I asked you a question!"

"A question that I am not comfortable answering," Sun snapped, turning around to give the younger Exo a glare, "So if you do not mind, shut your mouth and -"

Both Titans immediately went silent, turning their optics towards the front entrance, the very entrance that Sun had broken through earlier. With the door blasted open, there was nothing to hinder the movements of their enemies pouring into the room and as such, the pair had kept a keen sense on it compared to the other entrances to Rasputin's Core. As such, the unmistakable soft 'pat pat pat' of approaching footsteps did not go unheard by the two Exo and immediately, Carina had already removed her auto rifle from her back, watching Sun do the same from the corner of her vision. Aiming her weapon at the broken entrance, Carina took in a deep breath as her finger twitched on the trigger as her optics finally spotted movement. As soon as the figure entered the room, Carina immediately pressed her finger on the trigger; only to let out a shout as her gaze recognizes the silver and white armor of Angel. Seeing the cloak billow around her comrade as he came to a pause, Carina opened her mouth to let out another shout only to find her words stuck in her throat when Angel suddenly disappeared in violet smoke, only for his form to suddenly reappear moments later as soon as the bullets pelted where he had just stood moments before. Watching Angel roll onto his back, Carina lowered her weapon and jumped over her cover.

"Angel!" She skidded to a stop next to her comrade before bending down and grabbing him by the shoulders, lifting him up easily the female Exo shouted, "What the fuck was that!?" The Exo Titan then started to shake him, "That was amazing!"

"S-Shade step." The Hunter stuttered out, "a-and p-please stop. H-headache."

"Sorry!" Carina immediately dropped the human Guardian, receiving an 'oof' as Angel collapsed into a heap, "I guess you haven't mastered Nightstalker yet?" A thumb up from the Hunter was enough to answer the female Exo's question, "Traveler, a simple dodge takes that much out of you?"

"I need practice." Angel let out a groan as Carina chuckled.

"What in the Traveler's name are you doing here!?"

The furiousness in Sun's voice immediately caught the attention of the younger Guardians, only for Carina to immediately place herself between Angel and the orange Exo. Solar light had immediately engulfed the Ex-Guardian's body, leaving only a burning figure in flames as they approached. Now if the flames were tinted in green and Sun's optics were once again the eerie yellow, Carina would have opted to pick up Angel and run. However, the Solar light was the familiar red and orange flames she recognizes from her time in the Crucible and Sun's yellow optics were flared up in rage.

"I thought I told you to protect Rasputin's Power Core." Sun snarled as they came to a pause just short of the two Guardians, Carina feeling their optics passing over her shoulders and glaring intensely at Angel, "What the fuck are you doing here!?"

Hearing the human Guardian gulp behind her, Carina took the opportunity to intervene, "Calm down and give him time to explain." The female Exo saw Sun's gaze snap towards her and it was only then Carina noticed the heat, feeling it easily as though her armor was absent, "He must have a good reason on being here."

"And I do!"

The female Titan had to turn around for that, especially after hearing Angel squeak out the words, having to bite back the laughter building up in her throat; after this mission, she will never let the Hunter down for the high pitched squeal that emitted from his throat. Nonetheless, the amused look on her silver features were quickly replaced by one of surprise when the human Guardian held out a hand and Gaia materialized into view, the gold and crimson Ghost twirling their back fins once before their gaze looked over the female Exo's shoulder.

"Sun!" Watching the Ghost barrel over her shoulder, Carina once more had to twirl around to witness the orange Exo hold out their hand, their optics wide as the gold and crimson Ghost nestled into their palm, "Gaia? What are you doing with an organic?"

"I ran into some…trouble on the way back," The female Titan can see Gaia's parts droop slightly, their parts scrunching together against their core before they relaxed, "But the Hunter, Angel, came to my rescue. He even offered himself to ensure that I was safe on our way here."

Blinking once, Carina once again turned her gaze back towards Angel, the latter of which shrugged as he kept his seat on the ground, "The three of us got worried is all, we just thought that one of us should keep an eye on Gaia in case, you know? They were to bump into any Taken along the way here?"

That's when a smile creeped onto Carina's features, "Don't tell me. You were the one who brought up the idea to Aleeza and Akiva?"

In response to Carina's question, Angel twiddled his thumbs, "Well, the bunker is filled with enemies we never faced before. And I thought, you know, maybe since Gaia hadn't exactly know much about these 'Taken' as well, I thought, well, they need protection." The female Exo then watched Angel turned his gaze downwards and immediately, she could tell he was flustered, from the way his fingers continued to twiddle against each other and the muttering under his breath a sign that he was speaking to Hope, the latter of which most likely teasing the young Hunter.

"You always did have a soft spot for others," Carina teased, earning a glance from the human Hunter, "Come on, it's alright be selfish every now and again."

"B-but they needed help," Angel stuttered out, staggering as he pushed himself onto his feet, "I-I just couldn't leave them alone knowing that they could get hurt with the Taken around!"

"Softie," Carina chuckled as once again, the human Hunter turned flustered, his words lost to the female Exo as she turned her attention to the Ex-Guardian behind her. From there, she watched Sun cover their hand over Gaia's back fins, watching their lips move silently as the Ex-Guardian and Ghost spoke, whispering to the point where their words were inaudible. Finally, a sigh escaped Sun's lips before the orange Exo turned their yellow optics turned towards the younger Guardians.

"Hunter," The female Exo could hear Angel choke behind her, "You protected Gaia?"

"Yes," Carina stifled back at the Hunter's squeak, "I-I can-"

"I. Thank you, Hunter."

That's when both Angel and Carina came to a pause, both their gaze wide as Sun continued, "If it hadn't been for you, then it was a… possibility that Gaia wouldn't have made it here safely. As such, I… Thank you for protecting them."

"I-It-it's n-no – You're welcome," Carina heard Angel manage to stutter out before Sun held out their hand, a sign for Gaia to hover in place before the Ex-Guardian turned around and headed back towards the consoles for cover.

Waiting momentarily until Sun turned and started talking to Gaia once more, Carina turned around and focused her attention onto Angel, "Did they just thank you?"

"I-I think so?" The Hunter's response sounded more like a question than an answer, "I'm, not imagining things, am I?"

"No I heard it too," Carina hissed out, glancing back at the orange Exo who had turned their focus back onto the younger Guardians, "Do you think that means that they're –"

"If you two have time to stand around and chat," Angel and Carina turned their gaze towards Sun, the latter of which had their arms crossed, their optics narrowed, "then you also have time to prep yourselves for the next wave of Taken."

Glancing back at Angel who returned the gaze, Carina let out a sheepish shrug before motioning for the Hunter to follow and heading up to the consoles, "What's the plan?"

Seeing Sun drop their arms back to their sides, the Ex-Guardian heaved out a sigh, "Just keep doing what we were doing earlier: keep the Taken at bay and pray that somehow they will just give in and leave."

Carina couldn't help but sputter at the orange Exo's words, "You do know that could take 'days', weeks even."

Sun blinked at the younger Guardian, "And?"

That is when the female Titan gave the older Guardian a blank look, "We haven't exactly told the Vanguard the reason 'why' we headed here."

"…What did you tell them?"

Seeing the narrowed glance of the older Ex-Guardian, Carina couldn't help but hesitate slightly, "That we were going on a 'patrol'. Just a 'simple' one."

Receiving only a blank stare from the older Exo, the female Titan held in her breath, her hands clenching her weapon tightly as she waited; only to let out her breath when Sun heaved out a sigh, pinching the bridge of their nose as they shook their head, "That's the weakest excuse I have ever heard. 'Especially' for a cause like this."

"Hey," Carina's optics narrowed defensively, "We knew that you wanted help but how are we supposed to know that fighting this 'Taken' would take 'days'?"

"Common fucking sense, young one!" Once again, Carina had to take a step back from the orange Exo, "These are enemies that we have 'never' faced before! How else are you supposed to learn of your enemies!?" Watching Sun shake their head and narrow their yellow optics at her, rage flared within the female Exo when she heard the Ex-Guardians next words, "You spend too much time with organics. They have messed with your head."

"Well excuse me!" Carina shouted, earning a glare from the older, "I know the fuck exactly what I am talking about 'Know-it-all" because I was a 'war machine' back in the Golden Age! I know exactly when there is a tactical retreat or when the enemy is weak that we can charge ahead!"

"Then why the Darkness didn't you think when you try to come up with an 'excuse' when coming here." Sun snarled, "An important target? Fluctuations of enemy numbers? Not a simple 'patrol'!"

"At least we came up with an excuse to save your ass!" The female Exo retorted, her violet optics flared up with rage, "My team and I risked our status as Guardians to ensure that we come here! If the Vanguard figured out we lied to their faces then my entire team can be marked as 'Rogues' and hunted down!" With this, Carina marched forward and pressed her face against the older Exo, glaring into their optics as she added, "So stop insulting my friends and at least pretend to be grateful, you broken piece of shit! I'm surprised that the Darkness hasn't eaten your ass yet with all these years down here alone!" Pressing her face even further against Sun's, she added, "And don't forget, if the Darkness turns you into a 'machine', that the first you will kill won't be Rasputin. It will be Gaia."

No sooner had the Ghost's name left her lips when Carina felt pressure against her chest and the next thing she knew she was sent flying, landing painfully near the entrance of the Power Core.

"Get out!" Sun's voice echoed through the room, "Get the fuck out! Grab your team and get out!"

"But-" Angel didn't even get to finish.

The Hunter leaped back as bullets pelted the area he was just standing, leaping towards Carina's side as the orange Exo yelled out, "Get out!"

Pushing herself back onto her feet, Carina gave the Ex-Guardian another glare behind her helmet before she tenderly reached out and placed a hand on Angel's shoulder, immediately earning his attention, "Let's get out of here."

Giving Sun once last glance, Carina hefted her weapon in her arms and walked out the door, hearing Angel's footsteps following behind her.

"Do you think we should leave them like this?"

Hearing the Hunter walk up next to her, Carina took it as an opportunity to turn and give Angel a blank stare behind her helmet, "After they shoved me across the room and yelled at us to leave? I think it's a good idea."

"Why do you agree to leave so easily?" The female Exo sighed at the human Guardian's question, "Perhaps they are just angry. Maybe if we give them a few minutes alone, then perhaps-"

"They keep blaming organics, more specifically 'you'." Carina snapped, watching her comrade reel back at her words, "Didn't you hear them just now? Or earlier? They keep insulting you and yet you are still on their side? How can you even think that?"

Seeing Angel come to a slow pause, Carina slowed down her pace, coming to a slow halt as she continued, "Come on Angel, that Psycho can handle things themselves."

"But one of them against a whole army of Taken…" The female Exo glared at Angel and the Hunter must have felt the intensity of her gaze as he halted, although this doesn't stop him from gently drum his fingers together, "They are the infamous 'Sun-7', the leader of the Clan Galaxy and a member of the Sunbreakers, they can take care of themselves."

With that, Carina marched forward as she finished, "And what do I care if that psycho dies?"

Praxis -16 and Malik belongs to Krimzonguard Bites BaronP

Not sure if I got them in character, did my best ,

Anyways, the next chapter should be up soon! :D