I'm alive... sort of. But really, I'm truly sorry that it took me almost two months to give a chapter. College gave me 3 midterms, a 3d model project, and a written report all due in a span of 2 and a half weeks. My mind was exhausted when all was done. I couldn't finish this chapter as I intended at the beginning of this month but I managed to finish it anyway.

On another note, the story has surpassed a 100 views, so thank you my readers. So without further ado, let's get started.

Answers to Reviews:

Trenton: Yeah, I try to put little screw ups to show that James is no Guardian yet. Right now he's just a normal person that has power and a Ghost to help him. Without him, James's story would've ended there. There are many mistakes he's going to make and he will have to work on that. The real Guardians will make sure of that.

Read and review to your heart's content.

Disclaimer: Destiny and everything concerning it are copyright of Bungie. I only own the characters which are my own creation.

Arc 1: New Beginnings

Chapter 4 - The Cosmodrome

Earth, Location: The Cosmodrome, North of Caspian Sea, Date: Unknown

The gentle waves shimmered with the sunlight as they crashed against the shore, a tender breeze aiding the tide. The sky, a clear soft blue, was adorned with puffy clouds of pure white that gently moved with the wind. The sand, soft and warm, dazzled with its gentle hue of gold as it was kissed by the sun's rays. Trees lined up just behind the shoreline, a line of healthy, vibrant green stretching throughout most of the beach as a few leaves blew by, the wind carrying them here and there. All was beautiful to James's eyes.

He stood there, wearing a suit of strange design. He looked it over. It armored padding indicated it was meant to take damage, but why he had it on himself, James could not say. Its greenish, brown and white colors clashed slightly with the vibrant colors of the beach. It looked nice, though he definitely stuck out like a sore thumb, if there was anyone to begin with.

The beach was deserted, with no one in sight. There were no animals, no people, just an empty beach with nothing but the soothing sound of the waves gently crashing.

Something was wrong, a place like this was meant to have life, or something… right?

James lifted his hands, inspecting the strange armored gloves that clothed them.

Something was off.

Why was he wearing this?

James watched his own hands, his mind deep in thought. He was trying to make sese of this.

He knew it was important, whatever it was. Why can't he remember?

Taking a look around, James saw nothing that could give him the answers that he needed. As such, he opted to simply walk around the beach.

He travelled aimlessly, his armored boots leaving footprints in the sand, and had James looked back, he would've noticed the footprints slowly disappear until nothing but smooth sand remained.

James continued to walk throughout the shore until he spotted a rock formation in the distance. He stood there eyeing strangely. He tried to walk back, tried to turn his head, tried closing his eyes. But for some reason, his gaze was drawn to that place. Something about those rocks was familiar. Something about those rocks was important. The feeling never left, no matter what he did. It was important, but for the love of all good things, he couldn't remember.

Now having his full attention, James began to walk toward the rocks.

The wind was picking up.

He looked around, there was still no one.

He reached the rock formation and climbed on it. He began to walk towards the edge that was further into the sea. For some reason, it felt very familiar. But why? With these thoughts in mind, James nearly fell as he tripped over the rocks, but managed to find his footing almost instantly.

It wasn't long before James reached the edge. He saw the ocean before him.

The wind became stronger.

He doesn't understand. There's nothing here. There should be something here.

The wind turned powerful. The waves turned choppy.

The clear sky was turning gray, the wind was no longer gentle, the waves had become restless.

All this was nothing compared to the growing dread that found its way into James's heart. It was as if terror itself stabbed its icy claws into his heart. He couldn't explain it nor understand it. He didn't understand anything.

James looked down onto the waves, the sick feeling becoming something else. Fear, terror, pain, all this he felt when gazing at the water below. The stronger the waves became, the more powerful the feeling of dread.

It reached a crescendo when James felt something. A silent whisper, hidden in the wind. A small caress of unspoken words reached his ear. It was nothing and everything. It spoke a single warning.

Behind you.

The wind howled. The waves turned violent.

Turning around in a desperate motion, James saw… he saw nothing. There was nothing.

He didn't understand. There should be something.

James brought his gaze back to the ocean, the waves crashing fiercely against one another. This place was important, but why? What happened here?

'Guardian'

Why can't he remember?

'Wake up'

He looked to the ocean. The feeling of dread was not completely gone.

'Guardian, wake up'

He needs to remember.

"Guardian, wake up!"

The voice woke James from his sleep. He rubbed his eyes only to stop when he felt an unfamiliar texture touching his face, instead of skin.

Confused, James brought his hands up and beheld the gloves. Inspecting himself, he saw he was wearing the same suit as in the dream. He found himself at a loss for words.

"Guardian." His Ghost caught his attention. "We're arriving at the Cosmodrome."

… Oh right, he died.

Suddenly remembering everything, it took all of James's willpower not to cry again. The pain hadn't lessened at all.

"How long was I asleep?" He asked, looking for anything that could distract him. It wasn't working very well.

"About four hours."

So, they made it in four hours. For a ship that was on the verge of breakdown, it was fast. James would give it that. He sat from his previous sleeping position and looked around the cockpit. Multiple lights were flashing and he could see the ship on the map. Seems the nearby storms were still there.

"Brace for landing. It's going to be a rough."

Why would it be rough… Shit! The engine!

Suddenly remembering what occurred just as they were leaving the spaceport, James brought his gaze outside to the engine. It was smoking a lot more now, and James was worried to see small flames licking the sides of the engine and the wing. But again, the fact that the ship lasted like this for hours impressed James.

"Get ready Guardian!" His Ghost called out. Looking back to the front, James could see the place riddled with cars and overgrown vegetation, but most noticeably, the huge wall that encompassed the area.

Taking a deep breath, James braced for impact.

"Transmatting."

Transma-what now?

Before he could utter a word, James felt something.

One moment he was inside the ship, next he's standing in the ground.

He stumbled as he regained his balance. James would have freaked out for this happening a second time had the ship not flown by, its left engine caught in fire, as it descended further into the small valley further away from them. It crashed, exploding on impact, sending a small shockwave that James felt, even from a distance. The sound was as loud as he expected.

"Okay" Ghost said, "There's no way the Fallen didn't hear that. We need to move, now."

As his Ghost disappeared, James began to run through the surprisingly long line of abandoned cars, following the waypoint that led further ahead. So far, there was nothing but the occasional sound of birds, but that could change very quickly. James already learned that the hard way.

However, James's mind was still in turmoil over the fact that he was apparently teleporting from land to ship to land again. Not only was that freaking him out, but it was also getting on his nerves. He would rather ask questions before he forgot again.

"What was that?" James asked as he ran, "The teleporting thing back at the ship, I mean."

'It was a simple transmat.'

"And that is?"

'It's basically matter-transport. A vast comm network known as the Orbital Grid allows Ghost to transmat Guardians across long distances. Oh, objects too.'

"Well, warn me next time, will you? It's kinda weird."

'But I did?' His Ghost questioned, confident that he had warned his Guardian before transmatting him.

"T-That's not, I mean, I just-." James stuttered as looked for an excuse. He didn't have one. Maybe he should pay more attention to him from now on.

The sun had begun to set, painting the sky a warm orange color as he continued running through the dirt path, his eyes scanning anything and everything. The cars and dried vegetation were the only things he could see so far, but James still looked all around him. It seemed safe but James couldn't get rid of the strong sense of paranoia that had taken over him. Better to be considered crazy than walking into another ambush.

Minutes went by and James still hadn't seen anything, but that did not stop him from admiring the Cosmodrome's Wall, if only for a moment. The best thing he could compare it to would be the Wall of China, and that's because he hadn't seen anything else like it. The only thing he could say was that the Wall was incredibly tall and there was no end in sight. Although it was almost damaged enough to be called ruins, the wall still gave an image of strength. It was impressive. He could only imagine what laid inside.

A few more seconds of running and James noticed a gateway in the distance, old and run-down. Following the tracker, he began to make his way before a familiar roar was heard from the distance. James stopped in his tracks at the well-acquainted sound before it was followed by other roars and howls.

'Guardian, get inside now!'

James was already running, weaving through abandoned cars left and right as he sought to reach the gate before it was too late, adrenaline and fear pumping through his veins once more.

He neared the entrance only to get spooked by a small flock of birds flying off nearby. It was so unexpected that James fell onto his side, giving a startled yell, thinking it was the Fallen all over again. Seeing as nothing happened except the birds flying into the distance, James got back onto his feet and continued towards the gate at the urging of his Ghost and the continuing howls of the Fallen.

He reached the entrance and quickly ran through the broken doorway inside, only to pause at a distant roar. He quickly looked back to the outside before running up the stairs as fast as he could. It sounded like he had a head start but that won't last for long.

'Okay, I really need to find you a weapon before the Fallen find us.'

Easier said than done. So far, they had found nothing that could be used to defend themselves. Everything was either beyond repair or not useful at all.

James exited the stairs and walked into a sort of corridor that led further inside. The dim orange light from outside barely pierced through the tinted windows, casting shadows and illuminating the corridor just lightly.

James walked through the walkway, keeping his eyes open for anything that could come out of the shadows. As he walked through the dark corridor, James could hear nothing but his own breath and it was starting to unnerve him. He didn't know what was worse: an actual attack or the fear of one.

Voices called out.

James halted in his tracks hearing the alien voices echoing all around him.

'Quiet! They're right above us!' Whispered his Ghost quietly in his mind.

Not daring to move a muscle, James listened as the voices grew farther away until silence returned once more. He still waited a few seconds before moving again.

This was a bad idea.

With fear rearing its ugly head again, James carefully made his way across the dark hallway, taking great care on his steps, trying to make as little noise as possible.

He stopped when he reached a part that was so dark, he couldn't see anything anymore. All of a sudden, a light appeared before he could even utter a word, illuminating the walkway. Looking to his right, James saw his Ghost, his lone eye emitting a powerful light.

Looking back, James swallowed a lump on his throat before continuing forward.

A sound echoed in the corridor.

James froze in his tracks yet again.

Looking forward, he saw a flash of red on an exposed pipe inside the wall before it vanished. James almost missed it but he knew he didn't imagine it when the tracker lit up red momentarily.

Now James was scared but at the urging of his Ghost he moved forward.

Going up another set of stairs, James existed to a vast area inside the wall but it was so dark, he couldn't see anything.

His Ghost materialized before him, "Hang tight. Fallen thrive in the dark. We won't. We need more light… I'll see what I can do."

His Ghost flew further inside, his light briefly illuminated something before it scampered out of view. Or so James thought. It was so dark he couldn't make it out. It put him unease either way.

The Ghost began to hover over an area above in the distance, his blue scans seen clearly in the dark.

"Another one of these hardened military systems… and a few centuries of entropy working against me." He disappeared behind a structure.

Seconds went by before the lights came back up, illuminating the entire area. The interior of the wall became visible… and the Fallen that were hidden in the shadows.

James's eyes widened as he saw the infestation of alien beings all over the place. The roof, the support columns, the ground. They were like cockroaches, moving around everywhere.

Just as the Fallen started to move, his Ghost came back with 2 Shanks on his tail.

"They're coming for us!" He warned as blue bolts of energy shot past him.

James ran after him towards a gate that opened to his right. He ducked inside as the Shanks turned their shots to him.

'Here! I found a rifle! Grab it!'

Lying by a crate, James noticed the rifle. He grabbed it, holding onto it desperately and turned around, only to find the Shanks were gone.

He looked back to his rifle apprehensively before noticing a particular detail.

"Wait! What about ammo?!" He asked alarmed. After all, what use is a gun that is empty.

Just as he said that, he felt a weight appear in his hand. Looking at it, he saw a magazine.

'I hope you know how to use that thing.'

James looked from the gun in his shaking hand to the magazine in his other. Then, terrible realization.

He doesn't know how to use a gun. He never did.

A roar sounded off in the distance.

Terrified, James did his best in trying to attach the magazine but his shaking hands were not helping. Another roar caused him to drop the clip out of fright.

Finally getting the clip right after a couple of failed attempts, James eyed the weapon, feeling something was missing. Seeing a bolt, James remembered the animations he saw in video games and pulled the bolt back. Now the rifle was locked and ready.

Looking back for a moment, James pondered on whether he should make a run for it before ultimately deciding not to. Even if he did, he would be stuck outside with no ship to use. It would only be a matter of time before he was hunted down.

Steeling his nerves as best as he could, James slowly began to make his way forward through the corridor.

Shaking and at the verge of hyperventilating, James did his best to aim the gun forward as he walked. The panic in his heart was returning and he didn't know if he could handle it.

'Eyes forward. Watch your tracker.'

Turning his gaze to it, James saw everything clear for now, but the distant roars told him that would change very soon. He also noticed his helmet displayed the weapon and its ammo stats. So far, he had 210 rounds, including the 24 in the magazine. He didn't know if that was enough.

With shaky breath, James kept moving down the corridor, taking a left when he reached the end. He could see pipes hanging by the ceiling and cables and electric boxes in the walls but no movement of anything. The entire place had gone suspiciously quiet all of a sudden.

James kept walking and took a second left. The sound of metal hitting metal echoed throughout the corridor.

'What was that?!'

James's heart leaped to his throat and he saw the tracker lit up red. Raising his weapon to bear, James looked back and forth, but he didn't see anything. A loud bang sounded above him.

A Dreg and a Vandal fell from the roof.

Yelping in fright, James pulled the trigger.

He had never fired a gun, less hold one. He had no training, no knowledge of how to wield one. So when he pulled the trigger in a panic, the recoil knocked it out of his hands.

Miraculously, the Vandal had been close enough. A few bullets went through his body with a final one going through the head. It fell dead before it knew what happened.

The Dreg, on the other hand, had just enough distance to jump away from the line of fire. As James hurried to pick up the gun, the Dreg tackled him, both landing roughly in the ground.

It was a desperate tussle, as human and Fallen both fought over the gun. Kicks and punches came from thrashing limbs as both opponents sought to have control of the rifle. Failure would mean a guaranteed death.

James didn't know who kicked the gun away in the end, all he could focus on was gasping for the loss of air in his lungs.

The Dreg's hands were wrapped tightly around his throat, his muffled cries going unheard. His lungs burned with a desperate need as he clawed at the enemy that was slowly killing him. James felt his strength leaving him, his attempts at getting free slowly diminishing. Panic settled in.

'Guardian, use your knife!' His Ghost screamed in his head.

Feeling a weight in his hand, James swung with the desperation of a dying man. The Dreg had only time to realize what was happening before its world turned to black. The knife went through the head like it was butter.

James pushed the dead body as far as he could as he gasped for air. He coughed violently as his throat was burning, suddenly feeling weak in the knees. He tried to stand but only fell down quickly, his back hitting one of the walls. He started to hyperventilate as panic began to settle in.

"I can't do this. I can't do this." He repeated to himself over and over and over again. He was beyond terrified, he had just killed and was almost killed. He couldn't put together coherent thoughts. Blood was pounding in his ears. His heart hammered in his chest. Air wasn't reaching his lungs, the walls were closing in, the sounds were getting louder. He wanted to run. He wanted to hide. He couldn't do it. He couldn't do it.

Body trembling as he hugged himself, James was so lost to his own despair that he was no longer aware of his own surroundings. Not even aware of the voice of his Ghost.

'Guardian, don't lose yourself.' He tried to reach through him to no avail. 'Stay calm.' His chassis swiveled nervously when chittering echoed further ahead. His Guardian wouldn't be able to defend himself in this state. If he did nothing, his chosen would be killed.

He tried to reach him again, but he didn't seem to hear him.

The roars sounded again. He looked back. He needed to do something.

Finally having enough, the Ghost did what he should have done before.

"GUARDIAN!" He materialized right in front of him.

Shocked by the strong cry, James was brought out of his mental state. Looking up, he saw his Ghost but he was different. The shell that surrounded him had broken off into smaller pieces which were slowly rotating around the black sphere where his eye resided. Blue energy was fluctuating in synchronized waves around the Ghost, making it a mesmerizing sight. But more importantly, was his voice.

"Guardian." Strong, commanding. James was hearing his voice both out and inside his head.

Chattering and shrieks sounded off again in the distance.

"Guardian, look at me." His Ghost called out when he saw James begin to falter again. He looked him straight in the eyes. "Breathe."

James was still too much in disarray.

"Breathe." Ghost repeated firmly.

Waves of calming sensations spread throughout his body, a small warmth that slowly grew in heat. It wasn't harmful or uncomfortable, rather it was… it was nice.

Slowly but surely, James began to breathe more evenly. The tension gradually left his body but he still slightly trembled on occasion, all while his Ghost watched over him.

Ghost couldn't stay there doing nothing, not after seeing the state his Guardian was in. Danger was closing in and would claim his Guardian's life if he was found, so the Ghost did something he never expected himself to do. He manipulated the neural symbiosis to speak directly to him.

The neural symbiosis was a wonderful thing. He did not know much about the Traveler, but he did know he was giving special abilities to aid his chosen when he found him. Such connection allowed Ghost and Guardian to bond altogether: thoughts, memories, emotions, Light. All things coming together for a new purpose, a better purpose.

At that moment, all he felt from the bond was fear. His Guardian was terrified. This wasn't what he expected when he rose him from the dead, nor what he wanted. But this was his Guardian, the one he searched centuries for. He would not abandon him.

Sensing most of his panic subside, the Ghost hover down to be on eye level.

"Guardian, I know you're afraid." He began. "I know you're terrified. I know everything is different, that everything has changed. I can feel that this isn't the world you knew but you have to fight." He got closer, the warmth spreading around James's body. "The Fallen are not the only enemy out there. You've seen what they will do to you but there are others out there in the City who don't have the gift that you have. They don't have your Light. You are the only one who can fight for them."

"… But I don't want to fight." James whispered.

"Maybe they didn't ask you to fight, maybe you're too afraid. But if you don't, you and everyone that has their hopes on you will die. For the first time since I was born, I feel as if I have no right to ask this of you, but I still ask." The warmth now encased him. "Please Guardian, fight."

"If you won't do it for yourself, do it for those that can defend themselves. Do it for those who are gone so their memory lives on."

Ghost looked at him in the eye. "Fight Guardian. Fight and survive."

"I'll die." James responded.

"No… no you won't." The Ghost seemed to glow brighter now.

"You are going to fight. You are going to survive. We are both getting out of here and we are both getting to the City."

He kept looking him in the eye. "Pick the rifle and stand up."

James didn't at first, but with the soothing warmth in his body, he found that he felt at peace. Slowly, he found his footing and was back at his own feet, rifle in hand.

"Breathe." The Ghost commanded. James did as told.

"Reload." Feeling the weight of the clip appear, James slowly reloaded his weapon.

Ghost looked at him long, his shell pieces coming back to their original shape. "Fight Guardian." He ordered as he disappeared in a flash of light.

'I'm with you, Guardian.' His voice reassured him in his head. '… To the end.'

Feeling a sense of calmness take over, James evened out his breathing and with an initial feeling of hesitance, began to move forward.

Slowly walking through the corridor, this time with a better handle on his weapon, James kept his eyes forward. Watching, listening, gazing at the tracker, looking up at the ceiling. He was determined not going to get caught again. A Dreg dropped down.

A red tracker was all the warning but it was still enough. James pulled the trigger, the bullets penetrating the Fallen before he could even move.

Moving past the dead body, James hesitated for a moment, looking back at it.

It didn't feel right. He knew killing was wrong, but does this count as killing? Or is it self-defense? … Maybe the latter? James couldn't decide. In the end, he continued forward.

'You're fighting to survive against an enemy that would kill you for merely existing.' It seemed his Ghost heard his thoughts. 'You're not in the wrong, Guardian.'

Shaking his head to get rid of any unwanted thoughts, James kept moving forward. It wasn't long before he came across an open area, containers and broken equipment lying around. Before he could take a single step, multiple Fallen dropped down.

James's eyes widened in surprise but before he could pull the trigger, blue shots whizzed by, some hitting him. Ignoring the burning pain, James ran and took cover behind one of the walls and began firing back through one of the broken panels on the wall.

Seeing a Dreg reveal himself from behind one of the containers, James opened fire. Half of them missed but he managed to wound it enough to bring it down. James finished it off as it tried to crawl away. Following the direction of motion on the tracker, James aimed at the other side just catching another Dreg peeing out of a container. Firing his rifle, James saw his shots hit the container but the bastard hid before they could reach him. As he waited for the Dreg to reveal himself, a shot hit him in the side. Looking to where the shot came from, James saw the Vandal further away by the bridge. Grimacing in pain, James moved further inside when its rifle glowed blue. Getting behind the furthest container with shots going by, James tried to reload his gun as quickly as he could as he heard the Fallen closing in. James turned the corner and was face to face with two Dregs. Pulling the trigger before they could, James wasted the clips, the bullets penetrating their bodies as the fell to the ground, dead.

With the tracker still red, James turned to the last Fallen just as it fired a shot at him straight to the chest. Struggling to stay on his feet, James took aim and fired, or he would have had he not used the entire magazine on the two from before. Getting shot again, James desperately took cover behind one of the boxes. Peeking over the box, he brought his head down as another shot hit too close. Just as more shots impacted the metal box, James thought of something unexpected. 'Ghost, knife!' He ordered and felt the weight of the knife in his hand once more. Quickly running out into open space, James gave the loudest scream he could muster, and with all his strength, threw the knife away. The Vandal watched in confusion as the knife soared over him and impacted the metal wall further back. A click sound brought his attention back to the human only to see it with its weapon pointed at him. Before he could widen his eyes at his mistake, the rifle fired and darkness took him.

Panting, James kept aiming his gun before lowering it.

'Well thought, Guardian.' His Ghost spoke in his head, 'That distraction worked.' James allowed himself to smile a little at that.

'There's more ahead! Keep it up!' His Ghost encouraged as James began to move onto the bridge. He should feel afraid but every time he felt he would lose control of himself, he felt the same waves of calmness as before take over. Seems his Ghost was helping him still.

Crossing the bridge, James came upon a sort of dark green chest with gold linings around it and glowing green marks. He tilted his head at the sight. What is this?

'A loot cache. Let's see what's inside.' A loot cache? James gave a chuckle when he heard that. What was this, a video game? Was he the main character? So many questions for a small time of amusement.

Kneeling while still keeping an eye out for his surroundings James went to open it before pausing. 'Oh, touch the green center.' With a silent thanks, he did as told and was greeted to the sight of blue cubes which disappeared shortly after, and in his hands, was a sniper rifle.

Turning it over in his hands, he admired every aspect of it. He didn't know the first thing about snipers but he knew this was in definitely better condition than the rifle. Its white frame with a long barrel and scope seemed pretty standard. A pity it wasn't a weapon he knew how to use but beggars can't be choosers. A pop-up in the helmet's HUD grabbed his attention. Calcutta-LR2. Huh, so that's what is called.

Seeing as the sniper was no use to him at the moment, James debated whether he should keep it but ultimately decided to leave it on the ground before it disappeared. Perplexed, he felt a weight on his back. He looked back and caught the edge of the sniper. 'The sniper has been magnetized to your back. Now you can carry it with you.' His Ghost responded before he could ask.

Seeing the problem resolved, James shrugged to himself and continued onward. He turned around a corner and came face-to-face with red lasers.

'Trip mines! Don't touch them!' His Ghost warned just in time. One more step and he would have died there and then.

Crouching under the lasers, James continued until a couple of Dregs fell from the roof and jumped from beneath the floor. James engaged before they could. The hail of fire impacted the one closest to him, its head exploding as the bullets cut through. James moved to the other side of the corridor, hoping to both get a breather to reload and step away from the trip mines all around the place.

Weapon at the ready, James kept moving forward, taking out any Fallen that stood on his way. Moving from one side of the corridor to the other, James pushed on, powering over the burning stings left behind by their shots and fought on.

Reaching the end, James saw the last Dreg, who had decided to cut its losses and run. Only it hadn't looked where it was running away and accidently went through the trip mines. James winced as the Dreg blew up in spectacular fashion.

Not wanting to suffer the same fate, James walked at the other side, being extra careful to stay away from the remaining trip mines.

Turning a corner, James walked out onto another open area inside the wall. Support columns stood tall and wide. A couple of alien containers stacked upon each other decorated multiple areas on the floor with bigger, round ones of similar design laid about the place. A tunnel had been drilled into the end wall, but where it leads, James didn't want to find out. But most importantly, what caught James's attention was the big red flag rested on the far wall in front of him. It had the same white symbol as the Fallen attacking him. If James had any doubt about this being their territory, he didn't have them now.

Moving slowly with his rifle at the ready, James alternated his aim from the tunnel and the columns, expecting them to come out from both. True enough, a group of Fallen scaled down the columns.

James sighed in frustration on having a firefight for the third time in the last 10 minutes.

Taking cover behind the closest container, James pulled the trigger and downed a Vandal that had dropped too close. The tracker lighted up brighter and James peeked out and saw a Dreg running towards him. A burst of fire put him down.

The tracker lighted up again and James ran towards another set of containers on a rail on the other side. Blue bolts flew by, the burning pain returning as he got hit again.

James returned fire and took out another Dreg that had been charging at him. That is when a thought occurred to him.

"Why are the smaller ones running out of cover?" James asked perplexed. He knew they wanted to kill him but leaving cover and charging at him from a distance was suicide.

'They're Dregs, the lowest class of Fallen society.' His Ghost responded. 'They must prove themselves to rise pass their class and that makes them desperate.'

James hummed in thought as he shot another Dreg. Their desperation was proving to be stupid in his opinion.

'Don't underestimate them.' The Ghost warned, feeling his thoughts. 'That desperation can make them dangerous.'

A shot hit his shoulder as he reloaded. Looking to his right, he saw another Dreg that he lost track of, who had gotten too close for comfort. James shot him and it fell dead at his feet. He looked to where the last two Fallen were taking cover and had an idea.

"Grenade." A grenade appeared on his hand. Throwing it, James smiled as it detonated on the other side, taking a Vandal with it. He promptly ducked as the last Vandal took a shot at him.

"Grenade." Nothing appeared. James stared at his empty hand.

'I'm don't have the resources. It takes time to make them.'

"Oh, come on." James groaned before he remembered the sniper he found before. Looking to his back, he saw the handle and debated on whether to use it. It couldn't be that difficult, right?

Taking the sniper, James checked his HUD, which indicated it was loaded. He aimed it as best as he could, watching in amazement as the scope adjusted to the distance. Seeing the Vandal appear, James pulled the trigger and was almost fell on his back at the recoil.

He tried again. The shot missed.

The Vandal moved behind a column and James fired again. He missed.

He fired again when the Fallen peeked. He missed.

Screaming in frustration, James tossed the sniper aside and charged at where the last Fallen was hiding, rifle in hand. "Get over here, you little asshole!"

He turned at the column where the Vandal was hiding and promptly opened fire. The poor Vandal didn't stand a chance.

Reloading a little too hard, James began to follow the waypoint out of the place onto a giant ventilation tunnel that had seen better days. Going pass a giant broken fan, James watched all around. This wall was enormous.

'The Fallen have a tighter hold on this place than I thought. Just a little bit further. Let's hope there's something left out there...'

Moving forward, James's eyes wandered over the helmet's HUD. Watching the data, he noticed something was off.

"Hey Ghost," James started, his eyes still watching the weapon's data. "How come I have more ammo?"

'I used the Fallen's resources to create more ammunition.' Ghost replied.

"Oh right," James recalled what he mentioned back when they first met. "I forgot about that."

The question now answered, James continued until he had found the exit of the tunnel and finally laid eyes on the interior of the Cosmodrome.

It looked like something right out of a zombie apocalypse.

Old buildings laid desolated, mold evident on their ancient declined structures. The remains of vehicles were scattered all around, a heavy layer of corrosion taking its toll on everything. A great distance away, there were tall structures with multiple space shuttles attached to them. Trees and small vegetation had begun to grow everywhere, and dust and snow where heavy in the ground. Time had not been kind to this place. If it wasn't for the Fallen, James would have thought this place was abandoned at the mere state it was.

Looking momentarily at his HUD, James saw a name. The Divide.

Humming in thought, he kept his eyes open for anything, especially now that it was nighttime.

'This is the old Cosmodrome.' His Ghost explained. 'There's got to be something we can fly out of here.'

James kept walking, his gaze wandering to the old tanks close by. Had it been any other situation, James would have been glad to see such mighty vehicles. Now however, they were abandoned and broken-down, a sad shadow of the military strength they used to represent. A grim reminder of how terribly different things had become.

Orange flares lit up in the sky.

'Incoming!'

James didn't know what happened. The night sky shined blue, as if the sky itself cracked. What James could only describe as some kind of rift opened up in the distance and appeared the biggest ship James had ever seen in his life. James watched it in shock. Even from miles away, the thing was massive.

'A Fallen Ketch?! This close to the surface?!' James could hear the worry in his tone.

Smaller ships began to appear, and with dread, James noticed they were coming right at him. They began to touch down further ahead as the big ship flew by, the earth trembling as it landed elsewhere.

'Careful Guardian! They're troop transports!'

Oh, come on. They have reinforcements? As if the day couldn't get any worse. Cursing in his head, James checked his auto rifle was fully reloaded and proceeded to take cover behind some cement blocks. As the Fallen jumped down, James opened fire.

He managed to eliminate one before the ships began to open fire. The blast knocked James off his feet but luckily for him, the shots only hit close to him.

Getting back to cover, James killed another one before he jumped down onto the ground below. Zigzagging through containers and vehicle remains, James fought on before having to take cover when the Fallen flanked him. He noticed something was off, however.

"…Wait, where are the ships?" He asked perplexed. Their firepower was a real pain in the ass but now they were gone.

'They must have left.' His Ghost replied.

He shot another Dreg. "…Why?"

No seriously, why? They had the advantage of heavy covering fire from the air, which puts him at a serious disadvantage. They just up and left? Why abandon their own to fight? James didn't understand. True soldiers would never do this.

'I know what you're thinking Guardian,' His Ghost answered as James shot a Vandal, but not before suffering a shot himself, curtesy of another Vandal close by. 'But these aren't soldiers. They're scavengers, pirates. They're not a military... they also are known to underestimate their enemies, so use that to your advantage.' Ghost added as an afterthought as James reloaded.

Moving forward, James found himself fighting the last remaining Fallen, who some were taking cover behind some kind of big machine. It looked like some kind of walker but that's as far as James noticed, he couldn't focus on that right now.

Calling out a grenade, James tossed it and watched land close to the enemy. Screeches went out before the fiery explosion drowned it.

The last few Dregs rushed at him from the other side but James ended that with a burst of fire.

Continuing forward, James reached the entrance for another part of the vast complex before a group of Shanks and Dregs came out.

Cursing at their ability to basically spawn out of nowhere, James opened fire. They were dispatched far easier as they lined up coming out.

'I'm picking up a signal of another jumpship. Could be our ticket out of here.'

Glad to finally hear the first good news of the night, James marched forward with renewed hope that he could finally find a way out.

Making his way inside, James met with another group of Fallen. A small firefight later and James kept walking through the ruined hallways until his HUD displayed a name: Dock 13.

He rounded the corner and came across a ruined hangar.

There it was. The ship they had been looking for all this time. If only there wasn't another group of Fallen all over it.

'There's a ship! Clear them out!' Don't mind if he does.

As he leveled his rifle, his eyes met those of the biggest Fallen there. At that moment, James had a serious sense of déjà vu. The armor, the colors, the size, it all looked familiar… like… the… "Son of a-" James cursed as he recognized him. They were the same bastards from Chicago. They either followed him or came back home.

Judging by the look in his eyes and the roar that followed, the Fallen remembered him too. Too bad James cut him off with burst of fire to his head. It sadly missed.

Jumping down, the Fallen captain fired his Shrapnel Launcher as James took cover behind one of the alien containers nearby. James managed to kill one Dreg before he was forced to take cover.

"Not so easy to fight me now, is it?" James mocked loud for that specific Fallen to hear. It either understood him or recognized his tone because a loud roar and a blast of burning shrapnel was his response. Moving to another container to take cover, James heard the captain speak something in its unintelligible language. No time had passed before shots came from different directions, even above. James's eyes widened in realization. They were flanking him from all sides.

Running out of cover, James rushed two Dregs nearby, taking one down and tackling the other. A silent thought and a knife appeared in his hand and James brought it down. The Dreg stopped moving.

Reloading his rifle, James aimed at the Shanks above but got shot from behind by a Vandal. Ignoring the pain, James dispatched the Shanks quickly before taking cover behind a column as the Vandal moved in. Taking the same knife he used before, James threw it at the Fallen and missed but he didn't miss again when he used his rifle. A shot hit his shoulder and James turned and fired at the last Dreg that was rushing him. There was only the captain now.

Seeing the captain firing at him from below the ship, James came out of hiding and began to fire at him. He continued to rush him until the Fallen captain teleported to the other side and shot at him. "What the-?!" He was too shocked to avoid the shots.

Falling onto the ground, James returned fire in kind before the captain teleported right on top of him and knock the rifle out of his hands. It then proceeded to stomp on him. Hard.

Yelling in pain, James saw the shrapnel launcher pointed right at him. Thinking quickly, James took the knife and plunged it into the gun, watching burning sparks fly at the damage.

With a frustrated growl, the Fallen tossed the useless weapon aside and punched James. Once, twice, three times, James tried his best to protect himself from the painful onslaught until powerful hands wrapped around his throat.

Struggling to break free, James tried to use his knife only for the Fallen's third hand to hold his arm in place. He tried to fruitlessly break free with his only remaining arm to no avail.

He was feeling himself slipping, his attempts growing weak at an alarming rate. A deep, guttural laugh broke through and James just knew this monster was taking his sweet time with him. Desperate and on the brink of death, James though up a dangerous plan.

'Grenade, grenade, grenade!' He repeated in almost zealot fashion and felt the familiar weight in his free hand.

Making sure he raised it right on front of the Fallen chocking him, James pushed the trigger.

He could see its eyes widened behind its helmet and felt sweet release as it teleported away. Quickly searching for him, James threw the grenade in his direction. It gave a shout as the grenade exploded and fell on the ground, still alive.

James scrambled for the gun and reloaded as fast as he could as he saw the captain try to reach one of its subordinates' weapons. Successfully reloaded, James took aim and wasted the entire clip until the last Fallen stopped moving.

Breathing heavily, James's gun shook in his hands as he calmed down. 'Area clear Guardian.'

Getting up, James walked to the ship before looking back to the captain, seeing an ID pop up in the HUD. "Huh… Rahn." At least he could put a name on the bastard.

"Hurry Guardian! If they're here, then this is deep in Devil territory. Let's hope their Archon is not here." His Ghost had appeared and was scanning the ship.

"What's an Archon?" James asked in confusion.

A loud roar broke through, the loudest James had ever heard. Before he knew what happened, a large blast went by next to him, knocking him on his side, the burning pain returning once more. Struggling to get on his feet, James looked back. And up…and up… and up to see a huge Fallen, much bigger than Rahn. It was far more armored and although a helmet covered up his face, James didn't need to see it to know it was pissed.

"...That's an Archon." Ghost warned weakly.

The Archon roared, its eyes full of hatred.

"Mommy." James whimpered.

And done. Feel free to comment below. Until next time!