Tormented

Seeking Help

Heads up, this chapter is going to be short compared to the other chapters. Why? Because if I put in the next part of the story, it's going to be a lot more than just 6k-7k words. As such, please enjoy this short chapter lol.

Thanks to Guest, Lazypersons, TheIronNightstalker, and AAA for the reviews!

Guest - Pffft, pretty much lol. Almost C:

Lazpersons - Okay, good, I was trying to make it that way when I approached your Guardian with the mention of Charley lol. I honestly do believe that relationships between Guardians and Ghosts are much more than just being 'partners' and I want to approach it as losing a family member, not just a 'tool', which I see alot in some of the Destiny fanfictions I've read on here. Anyways, thanks! Honestly, I wanted a mix of light and ark in my stories, especially in a setting like Destiny - in a war setting, there has to be some dark parts lol.

AAA - Thank you! ^_^


"Remember little one, stay by my side."

He cannot understand why his mother would always say this. He always stayed by her side since he first started coming here and not once had he wandered off. Nonetheless, the way his mother would turn her hazel hues towards him, her eyes filled with concern and worry, the child would simply pull his hood closer over his eyes, wrap his hand around hers, and follow his mother to her lab.

"Good day, Doctor Anand."

The familiar greetings rang in the child's ears as he pressed closer to his mother's side, their green eyes eyeing the surrounding scientists warily as they turned, smiled, and waved at the child, prompting the latter to let out a nervous smile and return a wave of his own.

When the child then felt his mother come to a pause, he then gripped his mother's hand even further as he watched her press some buttons on a panel next to a door before pressing her hand on it. Watching as a light shifted up and down around her palm before the door shifted open, it was then as they stepped inside and the entrance slid close behind them, the child then felt his mother slip her grip out of his hands and state, "It is safe now, Angel."

Hearing the cue that all is safe, the little one reached up and pulled his hood down to his shoulders, his green eyes beaming as he rushed towards the console in the middle of the room and leaned against it, his gaze signaling he was readying to learn and ready to go. However, that was before the doors slid open again, causing the child to abruptly turn towards the entrance.

"Doctor Shim."

The familiar name rang in the child's ears as he watched his mother approach the man that he had come to know through his short life, watching her come to a short pause as she came to a slow halt near her fellow doctor.

"Doctor Anand."

The male doctor returned her greeting but, just like before, silence permeated between the two, causing the child to tilt his head in bewilderment as he witnesses the same event for a countless time. Then, just as the child predicted, Doctor Shim nodded his head once, a sign that he was taking his leave, turned his eyes towards the child, gave him a nod as a small gesture of goodbye, before exiting the room. Crossovers

Silence momentarily permeating through the lab, the child's mother finally turned and smiled at him, "You ready for the lesson for today, Angel?"

The child nodded excitedly.

Today, he learned of the hidden passageway in the back of the lab.

Xxxxx

He was older. Less naïve. More aware.

He notices the way Doctor Shim's eyes glazes over his mother's face, the familiar sign of affection clear in his hues. The same goes for his mother, the way her hazel eyes gives him glances of longing, occasionally reaching out with her hands and intertwining her fingers around Doctor Shim's.

Angel knows that their daily ritual is something more than a simple greeting.

Brushing his thoughts to the side, he instead attempted to pay attention to his mother's lesson.

Today, he learned how to input the controls on how to cleanse the memory banks of Exo.

Xxxxx

The same green hues and black strands, the same olive skin. From these clues, he knows that his mother and Doctor Shim had spent several nights together, at least, before his birth.

As such, he knows why his mother was so adamant of keeping him near her side when he was a child, keeping a hood tightly over his eyes to hide his features when he was naïve to the world. It was widely known throughout the scientific system that Doctor Shim was a married man and an expecting father. His reputation would be marred if anyone knew of his mistress. And his bastard child.

When he confronted his mother of his conclusion, she instead evaded the question and continued on with his lesson.

Today, he learns how to speed up the cleansing process.

Xxxxx

Doctor Shim was dead.

The doctor had ventured too far into his research with the Vex and it had not only taken his life but the life of his team as well.

Despite his insistence, his mother made it clear that they were not going to attend the funeral; he knows that she is too fearful of their secret being uncovered, despite her denial.

Instead, he learned how to program data for newly created Exo.

Xxxxx

His mother was furious.

He had taken DNA samples between himself and Doctor Shim's and compared the two. It had been a perfect match.

The tears in her eyes as she screamed, shouted, denying the results, exclaiming they were lies before falling into a pit of acceptance, that her child knows the truth that she had denied for years.

He comforted her that day.

Xxxxx

She still loved him.

He can tell from the way his mother would stare blankly outside when they would use the tracks back to their home, the dazed look in her eyes clear she was living in the past. Even when he would tentatively touch her would, she wouldn't respond, only when their ride would pause at their stop would she turned and smile at him.

"What do you want for dinner?" she would ask.

He spends dinner with his mother that night.

Xxxxx

His mother was losing grip on reality.

"Is that you, Doctor Shim?"

He would have to shake her repeatedly to convince her that he was not the doctor that she had loved. But each time, he would see the hurt and loss in her eyes whenever she would snap back into reality. However, he was not Doctor Shim. He was not his father.

He watched over her that day.

Xxxxx

The darkness was here.

He had wanted to escape but his mother refused to leave.

"His work is here. I cannot abandon it."

He relented, up until the creatures with the glowing eyes appeared at their door. It was then he had tried dragging her to escape but by then, it was too late. The monsters latched onto both him and his mother and the last thing he recalls was his mother's screams.

He died that day.

Xxxxx

Spears can't believe that Carina convinced him to squeeze through the gap in the rubble. Alone. And without aid. And surrounded by enemies. Well, maybe surrounded by enemies. No, 'most' likely surrounded by enemies.

Letting out a groan, Spears continued to shine his light down the dark passageway, weaving past crumbling stones and debris. He must admit, time wasn't very kind to this part of the passageway. Something or 'someone' collapsed part of the tunnel intentionally, an attempt to cut off something that was chasing them down, if Spears had to guess. And as such, as time passed, the passageway slowly turned more unstable, the only think keeping the passageway from completely caving in on itself are the thick wall of moss and vines. Guess it was the right decision to send the smallest of their group through the gap for help.

Wedging himself between pieces of stone, it was then Spears spied a small ray of sunshine beaming between cracks. Twirling his back fins excitedly, the violet and green Ghost glided over to the exit, coming to a halt as he sighted familiar crumbling buildings and wet marsh lands. Recognizing the overgrown trees and mounds in his sight, Spears quickly went to work. Gliding just above the marsh, the male Ghost turned his violet optic wildly to his surroundings in an attempt to sight the familiar heavy armored form of Titans, the caped form of a Hunter, or a cloaked form of a Warlock. Anyone to help his Guardian and the others escape the underground prison.

Moments later, he spotted movement amongst a clear marshland.

He spotted the familiar cloaked form of a Warlock patrolling nearby, his dark colored coat ensuring that he blended in with the Venus landscape. It almost caused Spears to miss them. Upon closer inspection as he closed the distance between himself and the Warlock, he was male and wore armor based off of the infamous Iron Lords. In other words, if Ianos saw said Warlock, he would throw a fit. Nonetheless, Spears glided over to the Guardian, his back fins twirling in agitation. If Ianos mutters out his frustration, so be it, but Spears would rather listen to the Awoken Warlock vent than letting his Guardian die in the underground. At least, that was before the Warlock turned and aimed his weapon at the small Ghost.

Letting out a small squeak, Spears shifted his parts closer to his core, backing away slightly as the Warlock suddenly reeled back, his expression hidden by his visor as the familiar star shaped form of his Ghost materialized over his shoulder.

"What in the Traveler – What is a Ghost doing out here out in the open!?" The violet and green Ghost watched as the Warlock lowered their weapon, glancing around his surroundings before adding, "And where is your Guardian, Ghost? Or do you even have one?"

Spears gave the Warlock a blank stare, {"If you think I didn't have a Guardian, wouldn't you expect me to be searching instead of coming to you, you dolt?"}

"Hey now," The male Ghost turned his optic towards the Ghost hovering above the Warlock's shoulder, "That's not very nice."

"You were able to understand it?" The Warlock turned his gaze towards his Ghost, "What did it say?"

"…Nothing important, Fin."

Letting out a snort at his fellow Ghost's reaction, Spears then watched as Fin leaned forward, as if to inspect the violet and green Ghost, "You have a Guardian. I can tell from your light." The Warlock then leaned back, tilting his head in bewilderment, "What are you doing here? And where is your Guardian?"

{"That is exactly why I came to you."} Spears deadpanned, {"My Guardian and several others have gotten trapped underground. They need assistance from the outside in order to free themselves."}

"What?" Fin turned his gaze towards his Ghost, the latter of which relayed Spear's message before the former returned his attention back onto Spears, "They can't break themselves out?"

Another blank stare from Spears, {"Well they can, if they want to be buried alive."}

Listening to Fin's Ghost relay the message to him, Spears then suddenly saw the Warlock lift his weapon, the black and white pattern on it quite recognizable as Fin checked the clip. Then sensing Fin's gaze back on him, Spears waited until the Warlock gave him a nod and stated, "Lead the way."

Blinking once, Spears then bobbed once before turning around and attempted to lead the way. That was before a buzzing but familiar sensation brushed against the back of his shell.

"Fallen!"

Hearing Fin's Ghost let out a shout, Spears abruptly turned in time to see his fellow Ghost materialize back into the safety of their Guardian's armor while as the latter let out a few slurs of curses.

"Stay behind me!" The violet and green Ghost heard Fin shout, "I think your Guardian and the others might have to wait!"

Xxxxx

Spears was taking a while and Aleeza can tell that Carina was getting agitated because of this. She can feel the female Titan's grip squeeze around her fingers on occasion and the way she would keep glancing towards the small gap that said Ghost had escaped through, hoping to sight the familiar violet and green shell to reappear back into her sight. Aleeza just hopes that the male Ghost will return soon and with help.

Shifting comfortably against Carina's side, Aleeza then felt the female Titan lean her head against her shoulder, prompting the female Warlock to then place her head on top of the female Exo's as her gaze shifted towards the rest of their team.

Not much time had passed since Spears left to seek help but nonetheless, the team had taken the opportunity to rest. And think.

Angel was farthest away from the group, hidden in a corner of debris with his knees up to his chest and his face buried into his knees, his hands gripping his head. Aleeza can see Hope hovering just above his shoulders, her light blinking steadily as a sign that she was easing his pain. The human Hunter was regaining his memories and from what the female Warlock can tell, they were none too pleasant; his quiet sobs had echoed through the passageway moments earlier. But now, he was silent, the sound of Hope humming softly the only sound in the darkness.

Spirit had taken refuge on the wall opposing to Aleeza and Carina, Esther's prone form lying in his lap. Aleeza can tell he was anxious as well, from the way he was picking away at the hood of the female Hunter's cloak and his gaze constantly shifting back and forth from the rubble and down the passageway. The female Warlock knows that Spirit was wary of the Vex attacking them at any point and in honesty, Aleeza doesn't blame him. The machine race is known for their ability to teleport and the female Awoken does not doubt that they can easily make their way down here.

Ace had made themselves comfortable in another part of the hall, snuggling into a crook of some debris as they muttered to themselves, most likely talking to Ianos. What they were talking about, Aleeza was unsure but considering that time had passed and they still were carrying the corrupted light of their Guardian, the female Warlock wouldn't be surprised if they're slightly uneasy. She had invited them over to lay next to her and Carina but the black and orange Ghost had refused and had opted for the area they are currently laying in now.

Finally, both Aleeza and Carina had cuddled together on one side of the passageway, intertwined with each other while Aleeza keeps Prime close in her grip, the Golden AI have long ago powered down, proven from the way their white optic blinked steadily as the group waited.

"Do you think Spears is alright?"

Aleeza blinked behind her visor at Carina's question, lifting her head from her lover's and shifted her gaze towards the female Exo as she asked, "Why do you ask?"

"You have admit, it has been a while," The female Warlock heard Carina let out a heavy sigh, "If he had found help, he would have returned by now."

Smiling behind her visor, Aleeza leaned in and tapped the front of her helmet on top of Carina's head, an attempt to mimic a kiss, "You know how Venus can be. It maybe small but the area is known for its treacherous terrain, especially for Guardians. Who knows, he may had found help but Spears may have found it in an area that is not easily accessible."

Feeling Carina sink lower into her side, the female Warlock waited until she felt the female Exo nod against her shoulder, "Perhaps you're right." Aleeza cannot help but sense doubt in her lover's words.

"Okay, what's taking him so long?"

It was Ace who broke the silence, all eyes turning towards the black and orange Ghost as the latter hovered out of their spot, spinning their back fins in agitation. Apparently, Carina wasn't the only one who noticed Spears' long absence.

"He should have been back by now." Aleeza watched as Ace started to glide back and forth in the passageway, "shouldn't he be back by now if he had taken this long? Spears is the quickest out of all of us."

"Be patient," It was Spirit who spoke next, "he should be back soon." The female Warlock then heard him hesitate, "Hopefully."

That's when Aleeza sensed the dark stare the Ghost gave the Exo Warlock, "Be patient? I can't afford to be patient! Especially now!" Ace's parts fidgeted against their core as they continued to pace, "I can only keep the Darkness at bay for so long! The longer we stay here! The more of a chance 'I' will get corrupted!"

"Can you not just resurrect him then?" The glare the Ghost had given the male Exo darkened even further, "If I did, then he would have woken up in agony. That system on his back is what is keeping him alive 'and' keeping the pain at bay. With it damaged, neither function is currently doings its work and as such, resurrecting him is the last thing I want to do."

"But you just said yourself the longer you keep him inside you like that, the higher of a chance that you get corrupted," Spirit retorted, "can you not just resurrect him and then when you two regain your strength or at least some of it, Ianos can just kill himself again and you take in his light again."

"How dare you even incite that!?" The anger in Ace's voice resounded through the dark passageway, causing everyone present to reel back; even Angel lifted his head just slightly to fixate his gaze onto the black and orange Ghost, "It might be easy for you to eat a bullet but for a murder victim like Ianos, that is not an easy feat!"

"Excuse me?" Carina's question echoed throughout the passageway, "Murder victim?"

"…. Well fuck," Aleeza watched as Ace scrunched their parts closer to their core, "forget you heard me even mention that."

"But Ianos? A murder victim?" The female Warlock felt Carina's head move from her shoulders, "He remembered something and he only told you?"

"It was something very traumatic and personal alright," Aleeza heard Ace snap, "He didn't want to burden you with something like that."

"But a murder victim?" The female Warlock can hear the black and orange Ghost let out a groan at Carina's repetitiveness, "and he remembers his death?" The female Titan paused, "Is that why he is so disoriented whenever he gets back up on his feet? Because he was a murder victim?"

A heavy sigh escaped Ace; a sign of defeat from the Ghost, "That's the theory but as before, we just believe that tolerance of 'dying' still differs between each individual." A scoff then escaped the Ghost, "The two of us still are in disbelief that all of you are able to easily get back on your feet and rush back into the fray when it takes Ianos several minutes to regain his bearings."

In response to the Ghost's words, Aleeza let out a snort, "You sure about that? Every time we go on missions and on those very rare occasions where he dies and you bring him back on his feet, he seems to be alright."

"You mean tossing a Nova bomb immediately after resurrection followed by blindly rushing in with nothing but his sidearm?" The female Warlock pondered on Ace's words, "No, that's him being both disoriented and pissed off at the thing that killed him. That is not being 'alright'."

Aleeza sheepishly smiled at the black and orange Ghost's words, "Nonetheless, I don't think we want to resurrect him only for him to use his light in here just because he has yet to regain his bearings. I don't think this passageway is stable enough to handle something like that."

A snort escaped the female Exo next to her side, "Yeah, and I don't think I want to experience being buried alive, 'especially' without my Ghost here."

Hearing Carina mention her Ghost once more, Aleeza gave her hand a comforting squeeze, prompting her partner to do the same, "I guess this means we have no other choice but to continue to wait."

Watching the black and orange Ghost return to their spot amongst a pile of debris while grumbling, Aleeza then fixated her gaze back onto the small gap amongst the rubble that blocked off their exit. She then silently prays that Spears will return soon. For both their team and Carina's sake.

Xxxx

{"I'm in a happy place! I'm in a happy place!"}

"Can you be quiet!? You're distracting me here!"

In any other circumstance, Spears would have easily let out a retort, snapping back at the Warlock for his words. But right now, amongst enemy fire with the Guardian, his living shield, constantly moving around, Spears had no choice but to reluctantly comply as he followed the male Warlock like a shadow. Keeping his optic out towards enemies behind Fin in case any of the Fallen tried to be sneaky, Spears had to repeatedly force the habit of materializing into the Warlock's armor for protection.

Now he knows that it is possible for multiple Ghosts to materialize into a single Guardian's armor but for the Guardian themselves, it wouldn't be a pleasant experience. Not only would they sense a light that is 'different' from theirs residing within them, but also the fact that two different information would be blinking on their visor. Spears maybe separated from Carina currently but he still holds the stats and amount of supplies she has in her vault and as such, her information would be exposed on Fin's visor alongside with his own. As such, in a gunfight, it would be a disaster. So, despite that there is gunfire everywhere, Spears opted to shadow the Guardian until the Warlock clears out the area and hopefully soon, especially since they're out in the open. Which adds into the next fact that they're not in a safe area.

Of all the places Spears had to find Fin, it had to be an area clear of any cover, which includes mounds and trees, and it doesn't help that the Fallen had enclosed around the Guardian, signaling that they had been tracking the Warlock down for some time. For what reason, Spears is unsure but he wouldn't be surprised if it's for the reason that they were after his gear and if possible, his Ghost; nothing is more treasured amongst the Fallen than finding a Ghost intact. Now that he thinks about it, perhaps the reason why the Fallen are more aggressive is for the reason that there are now 'two' Ghosts on the line and with this in thought, Spears couldn't help but let out a groan.

{"Traveler, please let us make it out of here alive."}

That's when Spears felt Fin stumble back and let out a grunt, prompting the violet and green Ghost to glance back, just in time to see the Warlock's shields flicker and ripple before shimmering back into stability.

"Okay! That's it! I'm done playing it easy!"

At first bewildered by the Warlock's words, it was only when Spears saw the familiar sparks of arc energy spring to life around Fin's shoulders that he finally understood; as such, he slid behind Fin's collar to gain a better grip. Within seconds, Spears felt Fin spring forward, his movements faster and felt him gliding as arc energy surged through his arms. Awed as arc light easily lashed out towards any unfortunate Fallen that gets into range, devouring them into nothing but energy, Spears felt a small spark of hope; perhaps there is a chance that they will get out of here and get to the others on time.

Feeling Fin's arc energy slowly die soon after, Spears took the opportunity to glide out of the Warlock's collar, just in time to witness the Guardian land back on his feet and his weapon back in his hands. That's when the familiar sound of a wire rifle echoed through the air.

The sniper shot easily shattered through Fin's shields, searing through his helmet and his head as his body lurched back to follow through with the shot, his weapon dropping from his arms as his body went limp, teetered back and forth, and then finally, fell forward. No long after, the familiar from of his Ghost materialized into view.

His optic wide, Spears glanced back at the Fallen and then back at Fin's Ghost, the latter of which already had spread out their parts to resurrect their Guardian, exposing their core as their light swirled around them. Watching his fellow Ghost prep their Guardian for revival, Spears spun their back fins in agitation as he glided closer, keeping his parts close to his core as he watched the Fallen close in, their tongue echoing through the marsh as they closed the distance.

{"Can't you resurrect him faster?"}

Spears can sense the annoyance from Fin's Ghost, the latter of which spun their parts quickly over their core but nonetheless, said nothing, their focus entirely on resurrecting their fallen Guardian. Agitated, Spears focused their optic onto the incoming Fallen once more, only to freeze.

From his perspective, Spears can easily see a Fallen Vandal aim their wire rifle at Fin's Ghost, the familiar light of energy building up at the point of their rifle, signaling they're preparing to fire. Why the Vandal decided to destroy a Ghost was beyond Spears' understanding, he guesses that one Ghost is enough of a treasure, plus, if he recalls correctly from one of Angel's lectures, that killing a Guardian is a sure enough way of ranking up through the Fallen Hierarchy. So, gaining a Ghost 'and' killing a Guardian, he guesses that's one of the best circumstances for a low ranking Fallen to gain leeway through the ranks.

The thought of a fellow Ghost dying in front of him glazing through his mind, Spears couldn't help but flinch as old memories flowed. It had taken him years to find Carina and during those years, he had bumped into several other Ghosts along the way. Some of which, he had witness being taken down by rivaling Warlords or allies of the Darkness. Now here, where not only a Ghost but a Guardian is potentially going to lose their life, Spears couldn't handle the thought. As such, right when the familiar shot of the wire rifle rang through the air, Spears glided right in front of Fin's Ghost, seeing the wide-eyed look in their optic as he felt the shot make contact.

It wasn't the first-time Spears had been hit by enemy fire. After all, he had lost his voice to a Fallen attack before. Nonetheless, the pain was still agonizing, the heated shot bursting through his shell and he felt it graze against his core. Then, just as soon as the pain diminished, darkness overwhelmed him.


Short chapter ends at a cliffhanger! See you next week! :D

Fin belongs to Fin The Demi God

Fin - Sorry if your character seems out of character but you didn't really give me much to go on and as such, I tried my best.