A/N: Hey, guess who's back at it again? Me! Who else would it be? Anyways, I'm back and so far behind schedule that it's not even funny. School's out for the next two weeks(as of the 10th August) so I'll be trying to get some work done before my Fall Semester begins. As a warning, I've noticed that my style of writing for this story has started to shift, and while it's relatively subtle on my end, it might be more jarring for readers. I apologize and ask that you simply bear with me. Another note is that my chapters are gonna start getting longer. I find that the 3-4k word chapters are easier to get out, but they don't really let me get all I want done in one go.
13: The City Below
It took maybe five seconds for the first Reaver to stick its face into the entrance of their little bolt hole after Juno forced it open. Almost immediately afterwards, it found the long grey barrel of the Hand Cannon, Sturm, shoved into its mouth, and a moment after that, found itself lacking a significant portion of its brain matter. The body fell limp immediately, and she pressed a palm against the carcass, channeling Void energy into it and atomizing the body so that they wouldn't be trapped. The gunshot, even muffled by the now very deceased alien, was loud and very distinct from the pummeling fire of the Autocannons all across the wall. Several more Reavers were peering her way, and locked onto the Praxic Warlock with lethal intent.
Sturm barked twice more as her companions scrambled out of the bolt hole behind her, led by their mysterious local fighter. One alien found its skull caved in as one high-calibre round smashed past its thick skin and through even thicker bone. The second was sent tumbling sideways as a round impacted just below its neck, almost tearing one of the thin, sinewy armors off its body. It shrieked in pain and the Guardian put it out of its misery with shot number four. Silenced rifles hissed behind her as the two Foundation Lieutenants brought down another Reaver with combined fire as it crawled over the side of the wall, beneath the effective firing arc of the defense guns. Yet more growled and roared overhead. There had to be hundreds dead already from the guns, yet they kept coming. Juno ran for their objective, an elevator hidden inside one of the heavily armored control towers.
Diana, the woman who'd been stuck inside with them, quickly typed in an access code to the tower, rifle slung over her back, and one arm hooked beneath the wounded Foundation Trooper. Superficially, she was fine, but even a Warlock's Healing Well couldn't renew lost blood, and the younger woman would be weak for a while as a consequence. She looked back as the door slid open, watching three Reavers slam down onto the wall between Juno and safety, wicked sharp claws shearing into hardened metal. She expected to see Juno try and go around, or fight through. Instead, she watched as the woman leapt into the air and seemingly gathered nothingness itself around her, a massive ball of pure energy launching itself from her hand.
The Reavers had only a moment to comprehend their own deaths before they were disassembled on the atomic level by a Nova Bomb, the initial detonation more than enough to kill them. The singularity left behind lit the wall with a dim purple glow, and surprisingly failed to start corroding through the metal plates of the wall, something she'd only seen with Golden Age building materials. A mental nudge from her Ghost pushed her onwards, however, and she pushed thoughts of discovery to the back of her mind in favor of more relevant subjects, like shooting the Reaver that had just plunged one of its claws into her shoulder, carving through her shields and armored robes without pause. It took two shots to the throat from Sturm before it died, and as she dropped back down, blood poured from the hole in her shoulder as she crossed the final few meters.
She almost made it, too. Unfortunately, one of the older, larger, and smarter Reavers finally took notice of her, and deadly sharp claws wrapped around her helmet, dragging her up towards the roof of the Control Tower. A claw punched into her chest, and her helmet rung warnings about her body's suddenly critical condition. A Void-imbued palm strike slapped at the arm holding her, and the thing shrieked and dropped her, its skin crawling with Void for a few brief seconds. She coughed up blood, feeling the vague sensation of blood bubbling in one of her lungs. Wonderful. She had maybe ten minutes to live at this rate. If she could cast another Well she might live, but first she had to get to safety.
She landed back on solid ground and stumbled, lunging forward towards the shouts from her companions. Three meters, and her radar flashed. The Elder Reaver, larger than a Veteran Eliksni Captain, slashed at her back as it dropped down. It's skin was mottled and irregular from where the Void had eaten away at it, and spurts of blood and meat erupted from multiple points as her partners opened fire. She felt a brief Flare of pain on her back as she tumbled forward, before all sensation from the waist down disappeared, and her vision went black. Sturm skidded across the floor, stopping at the feet of Lieutenant Shane Walker. Vaz grabbed one of her arms, dragging the Warlock's body in as Diana slammed the emergency shut button for the Elevator. Blood pooled on the floor as her helmet was tugged off, revealing blood soaked hair and dead, lifeless eyes.
Shane was dangerously close to hyperventilating, his gaze fixed firmly on the three disturbingly deep slashes in the Guardian's back, the white of bone just visible through pooling blood. There was no movement from her body, and even as the elevator shuddered into motion and the woman's Ghost flashed into being above her body, he felt his heart drop. He'd heard about situations like this before, Operators getting pulled into alternative dimensions or through time and space. Casualties were always heavy and it was rare for more than one or two Foundation troopers to make it back, if anyone returned at all. He was no researcher, no scientist or genius, but he'd read some of the files on the various anomalies they had stored away where he was stationed, and this was leagues beyond any of that. This entire world seemingly was out to kill them, and the local peoples had literally had to go underground to survive.
Someone grasped his shoulder and shook him, drawing him out of those swirling thoughts. Vaz looked down at him, face still hidden by the gas mask and helmet he wore. Rather than say anything, he just inclined his head to the side, directing his attention towards the fourth living person in the room, the local. Diana was her name, if he remembered, and she looked absolutely livid. She was staring at Juno's body with hard eyes, her fists clenched so tightly the material of her gloves creaked in the silence. The blue ball of metal and mystery that was Surf, Juno's Ghost, flicked into view with a flash of blue light, grumbling under his breath as he scanned her body. He looked to their guide and with that blinking blue eye of his, asked, "How long till we reach the end of the elevator shaft?"
She blinked and looked like she'd swallowed something bitter. "Why does that matter? Your Caster is dead. Our chance for salvation is gone!"
If it was possible for a being that was practically entirely eye to roll its eye, the Ghost did so with an exhausted little sigh. "Listen, I can't do my work while we're moving, the calculations for this need to be perfect. How long till we reach the bottom?"
Diana gave an annoyed huff and hunched her shoulders, shrinking in on herself. "Two, maybe three minutes. Haven is deep underground, beyond the reach of the Reavers."
Shane took that moment to interrupt with his own question, as desperate as it was. "Are you going to use that power we saw earlier, the glowing healing thing?" He'd once had a Healing Rift used on himself previously, when he and Juno had been on significantly worse terms. He'd shot her, she'd shot him. It wasn't a great time.
The Ghost shifted its gaze towards him, eye squinting slightly. "A decent guess, for someone who doesn't have access to the Light themself, but no. Neither a Healing Rift nor a Well of Radiance can bring back the dead. The Sunsingers from before the Red War could have done it, but they're gone now, the practice lost. It's unnecessary, regardless."
A Well of Radiance? Another jumble of words he didn't know what to make of, but he made sure to note that the healing circle was called a Rift. Keep the mind moving, and that's how you keep shock from settling in. Vaz interjected, "What do you mean, 'it's unnecessary'? She's dead!"
Just as he asked that question, the elevator finally clunked to a stop, the door sliding open with a dull hiss and revealing a network of concrete halls beyond. Surf's shell whirled around and expanded outwards, a blue field of energy holding it together even as it spun rapidly. "Give me one moment."
The light surged once, twice. It shifted between purest white and brightest blue before there was a flash and Juno's body simply… disappeared, as if it had never been there. Even the blood on the floor was gone, leaving no trace that there'd been a dead woman there moments before. There was half a second when the panic in the elevator surged, as if the Ghost had instead just removed the evidence that his protector had ever existed instead of working whatever magic or science he was intent on. Instead, there was a cascade of light in the center of the room and from the feet up Juno reformed, alive and intact as if nothing had ever happened. Her helmet was missing, leaving her messy hair and tattooed face open for the world to see.
She blinked a few times as her eyes adjusted to existing again, and shook her head with a sigh. "At least it was quick this time; usually it's a fair bit more painful and drawn out."
Her gaze shifted across the elevator car to meet the traumatized and shocked faces of her mortal companions. She grinned wryly, an armored hand coming up to rub the back of her neck. "Surprised? I told you all that death wouldn't stop me. I suppose I should've elaborated on that, though…" She shakes her head and rolls her eyes at the lack of a real reaction, "Right, forgot you guys deal with weird shit like this almost daily."
A swell of relief rose in Shane's chest, the sight of the apparently immortal Warrior-Scholar a sight that gave him just a little hope that they weren't screwed after all. Across the room, Diana slung her rifle with something that resembled manic excitement in her eyes. She stepped out of the elevator car with a spring in her step and waved energetically to follow. "Come, come! We have no time to waste, the Administrator must know of your arrival! We have awaited this day for a long time."
The tunnels wove underground for nearly half an hour before they saw another person, dressed similarly to Diana but reclining lazily in what appeared to be a security checkpoint. He yawned and leaned forward as he saw their guide, but froze with wide eyes when he saw the four of them behind her. "Diana, please, please tell me you didn't drag more strays down here from beyond the Wall. The Administrator's going to be pissed at there being more mouths to feed. We can barely keep up with our salvage runs as is."
Diana seemingly waved off his worry, even as his eyes flicked to the rifles held in each of the Foundation Troopers' hands and the absolutely massive hand cannon on Juno's own hip. Sturm wasn't exactly a subtle weapon, and, while unwieldy, it killed most anything it hit. "Worry not, Josef; a Caster has finally come for us. I have seen her powers with my own two eyes. She killed eight Reavers on her own and drove off an Elder Reaver! Even mortal wounds could not stop her, and so she stands here!"
Figuring it wouldn't hurt to lend some weight to the other woman's claims, Juno's hand raised up, a ball of Solar floating above her palm. Fire shifted to Lightning as she channeled Arc in its stead, and finally the deep purple of the Void replaced the violent strength of the Arc. His eyes widened even further, lending him an almost comical look. "Gods Above... "
He shook his head, pulling a lever to open the thick metal door that blocked their way. "This is on your head, Diana, if this goes wrong."
The woman shrugged, her gear clinking together from the sudden movement. She didn't seem very concerned by the threat, despite how disconcerting it might've been. Diana grinned back at the other man after a moment. "I'm one mistake away from Exile anyways! If this goes wrong, well, it'll be a fuck up to remember."
Juno stifled the urge to groan. Not only was their guide something of a wildcard, but a wildcard on the edge of being cast out from her own society. Deciding to move things along before the conversation dragged on, she stepped forward and patted Diana on the shoulder. "My friend, we shouldn't keep your Administrator waiting. I know I wouldn't."
As their guide nodded and led them through the door, the man guarding the entrance called out to them. What he said sent a tingle of dread down the Warlock's spine, dulled by just the slightest spark of hesitant hope. "Welcome to Haven, and may you never be touched by the Deep!"
Do you think he meant what I think he meant, Juno? Surf whispered in her mind, not for fear of being overheard, but simply out of the need to keep out of sight. They were in unknown territory, and damned if it didn't seem pleasant, but it was still unknown territory. To put it simply, Haven was an incredible work of engineering. What had at one point been a massive natural cavern had been expanded and built into, buildings and essential services built into towering columns of stone or carved into the walls themselves. Streets wound in and out of sight, and sky bridges and multi-layered paths wound in and out of, and between buildings. It put the almost ramshackle design of the Last City to shame, and the myriad of neon and fluorescent lights was dazzling.
The same went for the party of outsiders as well, of course. The streets were crowded as Diana guided them through what seemed to be an open market, and the five of them drew plenty of stares and talk. Shane, Vaz, and the female Operator they referred to as Raz walked in a tight group, the bizarre scene likely leaving them on edge. Juno, rather than worrying herself with the people around her, was bombarding Diana with questions as quickly as she could answer them. "How long have your people been down here, and how many of you are there?"
A wing of what appeared to be compact drones buzzed overhead, weaving around street signs, and in and out of power cables. They were painted in bright colors and had small streamers trailing behind them. "From what I know, Lady Caster, we have resided in this city for more than a hundred years, perhaps more. There are thousands of us, enough that with each passing day, the strains on our supplies and farms grow worse. We may not look it, but we are becoming desperate."
"You grow your food underground then," Juno noted. Hydroponics? Perhaps, though the room that would take up would be immense to feed this many people. "And you supplement it with scavenged supplies from the surface? I can't imagine there would be much left to gather by this point, regardless of it had survived this long uncared for."
Diana tilted her head to confirm the Praxic Warlock's guess. "Yes, supplies grow scarcer on the surface by the day, yet they never seem to disappear entirely. It is most odd; sometimes places we have completely emptied will suddenly have more food or medicine for us to gather, and other Scavengers speak of encounters with shadowed figures in the ruins, yet none can give anything beyond a vague appearance and sensations as if being watched from multiple directions."
Given the new realm of weird shit she'd stepped into, somehow both more and less baffling than the Paracausal Light and Dark conflict she'd come from, it wasn't surprising that there was some odd forces at work when she apparently planet-hopped through a basement door. Depending on how long they were here for, and how long the door stayed open for, it was something to look into at least. "This Administrator of yours, what are they like? I'm not asking you to cast judgement on them, but I prefer to know what I'm jumping into before I get to the bottom."
Diana slowed to a halt, casting her gaze up towards a tower lit with lights of all different colors, situated almost directly at the center of the cavern city. It was their destination, as Diana had pointed out to them earlier, and quite the trek due to the crowded streets and lack of vehicles other than small transporters for materials and supplies. "The Administrator is what has kept our City alive all this time. Wise beyond our best and working tirelessly to keep us moving, the Administrator guides us towards a better future. Without that guidance and knowledge, we would have fallen to ruin long ago."
We'll have to worry about the Deep later, Surf. We have more immediate priorities. The way Diana describes this Administrator, she makes it sound like its been one person as long as this city has existed. Maybe something similar to an Exo, or, traveler forbid we're lucky enough, it's another Risen? Surf didn't reply immediately, pondering her words, and she turned her attention outwards once more as they started moving again.
Nerec ran as fast as he could. Blood pounding in his ears and legs burning, he ducked between alleys and back roads in what was seemingly a futile attempt to lose his pursuers. He ran because if he didn't, he was dead, just like his family. They had been sick, close to dying at times, if not for the miniscule doses of medicine they'd occasionally received from neighbors who could spare it. Day after day, he'd gone door to door, begging people for medicine to help his sick family. He offered favors, money, even food in exchange.
Just when things had been looking up, when it looked like everything was going to be fine, the Reaper came to visit. Wretched things were they, rarely seen outside the perimeter and slum districts, and never a welcome sight. Reapers were the puppets of the Resource Committee, messengers of death sent to collect the lives of those who were a drain on society, those who could not contribute and took in return.
His father had been first, meeting the Reaper at their door without realizing, not quite understanding what he was seeing until it was too late. His mother had screamed, the sound heard from the small bedroom he and his little sister had shared while he cared for his sibling. From there it was a blur, mostly. He'd hidden his sister in a cupboard out of sight, telling her to stay silent and hide until he came back or things were quiet, and then he'd done something he'd never heard of anyone doing. He attacked a Reaper. It didn't amount to much, but the pot he'd thrown at the thing was heavy and metal, and had done well to draw its attention. He'd run after that, drawing it away.
Behind him, the awful biomechanical screeching of the Reaper bounced off stone walls, echoing loudly and sending him stumbling from the intensity. They weren't fast, but they were agile as hell and never seemed to lose track of him, no matter how many corners he turned or walls he climbed. Nerec leapt over an abandoned stall in a back alley and ran for the light of the main streets, knowing the markets were near. If he could get in among them, he might be able to slip away.
It was barely audible over the din of the markets they were passing through, but Juno's ears caught it. A shriek, one that no human could make. Her gun hand twitched as she slowed to a stop, eyes closed and focusing on her hearing as she sorted out the noise of merchants and shoppers both. Our three o'clock, Juno. I heard it too. Vex?
No, can't be Vex. This would be a wasteland if the Vex were here. This is different, was Juno's reply. No one else had heard it among their little band; that much was obvious by the way they continued ambling towards the tower, not having noticed her slowing to a stop. She opened her eyes and searched above, locking onto a low rooftop overhanging the market. The boosters in her boots kicked in, launching her into the air to the surprise of several bystanders. The sound drew the attention of the Foundation Troopers, but by the time they turned around, she was already on the roof and peering into the surrounding alleys in the general direction Surf had called out. Two dark shapes, one smaller and quicker than the other, rushing through the alleys towards the market. "Surf, give me Eternity's Edge."
Nerec plowed into the market plaza with a cry, tumbling over a crate and slamming into someone's leg. There were shouts of alarm and someone grabbed him roughly by the hem of his shirt, pulling the boy to his feet. "Kid, what the hell? Are you alright?"
The man who greeted his sight was like none he'd ever seen, not that he saw many soldiers in the outer districts. Khaki rigging covered his chest, buckled on over black tactical gear that left his forearms bare. A sleek black rifle was slung under one arm, and he wore a black mask with a white skull pattern painted over it. Nerec had trouble forming words for a moment, not quite believing his luck. "H-Help! There's a Reaper after me!"
Behind his mask and tinted visor, the man gave him a confused look, then shook his head and sought out someone behind him. "Diana, what's he on about? The hell is a Reaper?"
A woman cursed in recognition, and Nerec's eyes found one of the Scavengers that keep Haven supplied at the risk of their own lives. Scavengers were recognizable by the heavy rifles they bore and the unique appearance of their own gear. "A Reaper is bad news, that's what. A blight on our society. They're cullers, effectively, removing the 'dead weight of society,' as the Resource Committee puts it. Where has the Lady Caster gone?"
"Juno's disappeared, no idea where to. What about this Reaper? Do we fight, run, can we even kill it without fear of reprisal?" The man asked, shooting off the questions in rapid order as his two similarly dressed companions scanned the crowds, rifles cradled in hands that were gripping too tightly.
He found himself spun around, the Scavenger gripping his shoulders with a quiet gleam in her eyes. "Tell me quickly, boy, why does the Reaper seek you?"
Heart hammering in his chest, the words tumbled out of Nerec's mouth before he could stop himself. "I attacked it!" He blurted out, "My family is sick, was sick…" he corrected himself with a shiver, "I tried to protect them!"
She grimaced, letting go of him and gripping her rifle with one hand. "We're out of time. I will not stand by and watch a boy die for trying to protect his family Damn the consequences!"
A shriek echoed out, and Nerec ducked down with a cry, gripping his head with both hands. Above him, the soldiers let out morose chuckles. "Shit, Diana, at least this'll be better than being eaten by Reavers. We were never meant to come here, anyways."
There was a crash, a scream, and the Reaper appeared, tumbling through what was left of a food stall as people scattered in every direction. The cyborg creature locked onto him with a cold movement and lunged, a wicked sharp blade arcing down from one arm. The sound of flapping cloth, boots on stone, and the sharp crash of steel on steel. There was a woman suddenly before them, duster flapping from the speed at which she moved and a heavy sword held pressed against her back in a seemingly blind block of the cyborg's attack. She smiled, a bitter and sad smile, but a comforting one to the boy nonetheless. Then the rifles all around him barked as one, and the Reaper stumbled back with a grinding cry.
With strength far in excess of what any human would be able to put forth, Juno met the Reaper swing for swing, sparks showering with every clash of their blades as they danced across the plaza. With four arms, two of which were clearly mechanical, the creature before her held the advantage in terms of adaptability. Cybernetics left rigid points underneath the jumpsuit it wore, and the mixture of metal and flesh visible in place of a human head set her nerves on edge. It reminded her of SIVA. Eternity's Edge roared as Solar Flame washed out and heated the katana-like blade of the Reaper far in excess of what most materials could handle.
The reaper disengaged and its blade began to cool almost instantly, disbursing heat in a way only the hyper-advanced materials of the Golden Age could. Its second mechanical arm rose up and held a silenced handgun towards her, even as its organic arms raised some kind of sub-machine gun towards her, unleashing a fusillade of bullets in her direction. A Solar Shield flared into existence before her, the bullets evaporating before they could reach her and leaving naught but gasses in their wake.
The failure of its guns to do any damage was strikingly obvious, and it lunged back in to engage her in combat once more. The Reaper's blade, lighter and quicker than the broadsword that Eternity's Edge was, darted in and out nearly too fast to follow, pure machinery allowing for faster movement than what even some Hunters could manage. Juno grimaced, her arms sore from the deceptively heavy impacts the cyborg's strikes imparted. Despite her obvious skill with a blade, she was no duelist or swordswoman. It was a skill she had taken up out of necessity, not interest, and as such she'd never put forth the effort to truly master the style.
The sound of boots on rock echoed around in the sudden silence following their last exchange, with Vaz, Diana, and Shane spreading around in a semi-circle at the edge of the plaza. They were trying to encircle their enemy, and though she doubted it would be able to survive sustained fire from multiple directions, she doubted it would just stay still and wait to be shot.
That assumption was fully validated as it twitched and swung its rigid gaze around to the three other hostile targets in its vicinity. Instead of pushing the attack against Juno, it launched itself forward with unexpected agility and went for Diana, recognizing her as the largest threat of the three due to her heavier weapon. Her rifle barked, .50 calibre rounds shattering the silence as she strafed left. Before she could properly react, it was upon her with a lightning-quick overhead slash. Dropping her own weapon entirely, she barely managed to catch the hand and pommel of the sword with both hands, the weight behind the strike driving her to one knee.
Then Juno was upon them both, and the cyborg was forced to disengage or risk taking a crushing blow from the Warlock's heavier blade. It tumbled back, its organic arms bracing it as it landed on all fours and slashed upwards with its blade, cutting through ballistic weave and plasteel plating hidden beneath her duster with disconcerting ease. It was a small cut, and no blood was drawn, but it was alarming nonetheless. I can't afford to take hits here if every damned sharp object can cut through my armor.
With a deliberate motion, the boosters in her boots kicked in and launched her upwards, out of reach of the Reaper's katana and giving her a decent view of their surroundings, even as the Reaper darted off to her left, after one of the others. She cursed and dropped back down, Eternity's Edge twirling as she slid it onto the mag-plate on her back, locking it in place. Getting a running start, she jumped up again and channeled Solar energy into an Icarus Dash, the momentum of which she used to shoulder-check the cyborg. It warbled in surprise as she knocked it off balance, and its sword whipped over her head, inches from her cranium. Solar pooled into her palm and she pressed it against the creature, the firebolt slamming straight into one of its mechanical arms and fusing several joints.
It tried to whip around and attack her with the sword again, but by the time it had completed its turn, it found its metal faceplate pressed against the pronged muzzle brake of Sturm, the heavy hand cannon primed and her finger already squeezing the trigger. There was a tremendous crack as the weapon discharged, the Reapers head snapping back as metallic scrap flew in every direction. The screech that it emitted was worse than anything it previously had, a sound that felt like it was scraping across the surface of Juno's mind. She winced and fired again, shattering the left optic of the cyborg and leaving it half blind and half dead. "DIANA! Why won't this thing fucking go down?!"
Even as she asked, the Reaper twitched and shuddered before her, standing crookedly and groaning as a wave of black matter washed over its head, filling in the damaged components and leaving naught but dark scars on the metal in its wake. Juno paled and she felt her heart stop for a moment. "Oh shit."
The soldier the others called Raz had been left to the duty of protecting Nerec, and though her equipment was torn and her skin was unnaturally pale, she moved with a clear purpose and strength that would bely her short frame. When the firefight in the plaza had kicked off, she'd dragged the younger boy towards one of the surrounding buildings and kicked in the door, making way to get to the upper floors of the store they'd broken into. With shouts and the sounds of fighting at their backs, she led him upstairs and into a room at the end of the second floor hall, an office or meeting space that had only one door and thick walls.
While Nerec practically sunk into one of the chairs surrounding the room's central table, Raz grabbed another and braced it against the door. It wouldn't do much, given the strength behind the Reaper, but it would help ease her mind at least. Her breathing was heavy, and she swept her eyes around the room, finding a single window fixed high on the opposite wall and far too small to make any sort of effective escape or entrance. They were safe, at least for the moment.
Raz cast her gaze in the direction of her younger charge. He couldn't have been more than 14 or 15. She left her rifle to hang under one arm on its sling and dug around in her chest rig, coming up with crinkling plastic a moment later. "Hey, kid. Catch."
He looked up just before the plastic-wrapped bar would've sailed into his chest, swiping it out of the air and fumbling for a moment. He looked at it with surprise, the Hershey's chocolate bar in his hands likely unfamiliar. "Chocolate…? Thank you…"
She nodded and shoved her hands in her pockets, slouching against the wall. The blood loss was starting to get to her, and she felt more than a little light-headed. "Yeah, no problem. What's your name? My name's Rose Zacklem, my buddies call me Raz."
"I am Nerec Senda," he replied, his voice low and taut with emotion. "Thank you for saving me. You and all your friends."
She smiled sadly for a moment, "That's part of why I signed up for what I do. Lotta crazy shit out there, and someone's got to protect the little guys, right? Sure, we probably stepped on some very important toes, but you were there and begging for help, and we were there and able to do so."
Her next question was probably going to be an uncomfortable and even unwanted one, but it needed to be asked nonetheless. "Where's your family, Nerec? I know you said that thing came for them, but it didn't get all of them, did it?"
His head shook quickly, desperately. "No! I told my sister to hide before I distracted it. She's gotta be okay…"
The cupboard creaked open, and Elizabeth Senda crept out of the small space with bated breath. The apartment was silent, the front door smashed open and the neighbors unwilling to brave the area just yet. The lights were off or broken, though she couldn't tell which, and only the streetlight creeping in through the windows lit the main room. The broken bodies of her mother and father were splayed on the floor, and tears welled in her eyes. Nerec was gone though, and she hoped and prayed that he was safe.
There was a creaking of the floorboards behind her, and she froze, breath stopped cold in her lungs. She turned slowly, and found her father sitting up. Waves of black essence rippled over skin and cloth, muscles twitching erratically as they were stimulated at random. He still wasn't breathing, and slowly a metal mask began to form over his dead, peaceful face. She clutched a hand over her mouth, biting down to prevent herself from screaming. She ran.
For a moment, Juno was back in Site 6. Flashes of red and black blinded her as the almost eldritch abominations that used to be Iron Lords struck out at her and her Fireteam. Qīngtíng, a Human Hunter, went down under a swarm of nanites and never emerged, his Ghost rent to its base elements by the neverending mechanical plague. Champion-3, an Exo Titan, brought down the husk that once was known as Lord Jolder with a heaving strike of the massive axe given by Saladin, putting the Guardian's spirit to rest for all time. Gjallerhorn was heavy in her hands as she set her sights on the remains of Felwinter, another legend lost to an evil that should've remained sealed away, and she pulled the trigger...
A cold sensation spread through her chest, and suddenly she was back in the present, the Reaper's blade buried in her chest. Surf was yelling in her ear, but she couldn't quite hear him. Fear and hatred swelled inside her, and she grasped the blade in her chest with both hands, pushing back off the blade with a wet schlick. Blood stained her lips as she stumbled, gripping at her chest. The numbness in her wound hadn't disappeared, but she ignored it, Arc rippling over her armor as she channeled one of nature's most destructive forces. Stepping half a step back to brace herself, she made that there was no one in the line of fire, and she let go. Depending on what circles you were in, back in the Last City, different powers and different elements were preferred far over others. In Juno's group? Arc reigned supreme, and she was known as one of the most powerful Arc Warlocks in generations. She let it roar for barely two seconds, and the deafening thunder that was Chaos Reach impacted the Reaper, and met zero resistance. What couldn't be managed in nearly ten minutes, accomplished in seconds. Quite simply, it ceased to exist.
"Juno!" Surf shouted, grabbing her attention as she stumbled, grasping at her chest wound. "Something's wrong! I can't heal your wound! There's something in there!" What? She looked down, and found not blood and torn flesh but a dark wave of black spreading out from where the Reaper's sword had cut deep. Her Ghost appeared in a flash and began scanning even as her breathing quickened and she neared panic. She'd faced Fallen, Hive, Cabal, and Vex without flinching, but as with every Guardian, there was one thing that scared her. For her, it was the fate she had witnessed of those Guardians that fell to SIVA, never to return and transformed into abominations of metal and flesh. "No… no, no, no!"
"Juno, calm down!" Her eternal companion shouted, a mixture of concern and annoyance mixing into his electronic voice. "These nanites… They're more advanced than SIVA, at least in their programming, but they're not nearly as adaptive or versatile. It also helps that they've never encountered a Risen before, it seems, and they can't quite do what they were intended to."
That did bring some measure of relief, but all the same it was not a fate she even wanted to risk. "Alright, Guardian, this is going to hurt, a lot, but I need you to flush your body with Solar Light. That should burn out all the nanites. It's either that or off yourself and I can rez you, but that's arguably even less pleasant."
Without hesitation, a Solar charge welled up in one hand and she slammed it straight into her chest. It wasn't the element she was most attuned to, but it was still a merciless and unrelenting power and her barely regenerated shields broke within an instant, her flesh boiling under the heat of a miniature sun. It lasted a blessedly short time, and by the time it was done, any trace of the nanites had been annihilated, the raw micro-machines not designed to withstand such high temperatures. She braced herself on the support of a nearby market stall, the Ghost sealing the wound with healing light as she recovered. "Of course it had to be fucking nanites…"
"I must say…" a new voice echoed through the otherwise almost silent area, "that was a truly impressive display, one worthy of your title, Lady Caster." An older man, hunched over and braced on an elaborate wooden cane, stepped out of a nearby alley, one that led deeper into the city. His clothing was simple, with a black sunburst medallion hanging from around his neck. "I apologize for any trouble the Reapers have caused you, but not even I have the ability to control them. That power solely resides among the Resource Committee and the Administrator."
He paused for a moment, shaking his head at some unbidden thought. "I forget myself in my old age. I am Datos Hoier, though most people simply call me the Executive. I manage the day to day affairs of this city, the simpler things that the Administrator has no time for. I had initially intended to greet you at the Central Tower, but when word of a firefight breaking out in the Central Market reached me, I made my way here as fast as I could. I'm glad to see nobody but one of those wretched cyborgs was permanently harmed."
Instead of acknowledging what he said, Juno's weary gaze met that of Diana, who nodded slowly. "It is as he says, Lady Caster. He is one we can trust."
The Praxic Warlock let out a shaky breath, standing once more even as her armor knitted itself back together with Glimmer and spare materials. "Greetings, Datos Hoier. I am Juno, Guardian of the Last City, Praxic Warlock, Kingslayer, Hivebane, and Godkiller. I am far from home, and all around me I see another city on the edge of disaster. My story is long, but I suspect yours is longer still."
He smiled, dipping his head in acknowledgement. "Your titles speak highly of your power, and what I have seen supports that, yet it is before the Administrator you must make your case. Bring the boy along, too, for his is also a story I would like to hear."
A/N: Okay, whew, it's done! Nearly 7000 words makes this the largest single chapter I've ever posted for this story, and I hope it was worth the wait. College is back in session, and that's put something of a block on my writing with all my studying. A couple things to note: Yes, I believe that all Guardians have at least one mortal fear like the rest of us, whether it be the deathless tide of the Hive, or like Praedyth's fear of erasure by the Vex. For Juno, it's SIVA and the endless cycle of consumption it represents. I had also intended this to be something of a shorter chapter, light on combat and heavy on dialogue, but as usual my writing got away from me again, so apologies(?)
Anyways, next story on the update list is Crown of the Sea, my Project Wingman and Azur Lane story. After that, I'll be wrapping up my draft for another new story that won't be on my main rotation but will be receiving occasional updates. It'll be a crossover with Star Wars, so watch out for that if you're interested. Also been playing Fire Emblem Three Houses, so maybe expect a story based in that line as well. Too many plans, never enough time, right? Urgh, I'll be seeing yall, though, and I hope you enjoyed.
One last thing, my current job has put me in a real shitty place right now, so I've opened a Pa tre on in which I'll be releasing earlier access to chapters, and I've also opened up the possibility of commission writing for those interested. I can be found here: w w tre on prom ethe us23 and on Discord here at rzDCVP5nsE
Reviews!
Crazy Cakes 23: Welcome to the party, and thanks for the comments, they got a good laugh out of me.
Ebuc: Here you go, hope you enjoyed.
Julbot1: Who knows? We'll just have to find out together!
Drake G Reaper: Perhaps, but that'll be for later. After all, the Foundation isn't quick to trust, and I doubt they'd easily let what they consider one SCP interact with another, especially with how independent Juno is.
Marcellasnow231: Glad to see you around, and your input is always appreciated. I think that right now the relationship between Juno and Shane can only be described as "Chaos".
ANBU Operative Goat: Welcome, welcome! I'm glad you're enjoying the story, and I hope you stick around. As for more Destiny elements, I've been debating weapons or armor, but more than that will be for further down the line.
edboy4926: Information is gold, in the SCP universe, and while the Foundation would more than appreciate the information on her own universe, there's no telling what they'd do with that information. They could simply try to contain or kill her for the risk a Guardian poses, regardless of her 'Protect Humanity' imperative.
Thanks to Perseus, renegadeIX, and Underscore Overture for editing and fact checking me, as always.
Sorry for the false start btw, posted the draft instead of the final version of the document.