"Alert- riflemen approaching on your left."
Heeding Ellie's warning, Six backed up against the wall and hugged it. With the ship's interior lighting now offline, neither of the two grunts noticed the faint shimmer in the air where he stood.
Once he was sure they had passed, he left the shadows once more and continued stealthily making his way towards the objective. Checking his corners, he ensured that no other soldiers were approaching before darting down the hallway and to another junction that would take him closer.
"Be aware, this frigate is larger than most of the ships we've raided before- there's an increased presence of enemy units aboard. If you're detected, I'm not sure how you'll be able to fight your way out on your own."
"You leave that to me," he muttered, entering a light jog to keep his footsteps from becoming too audible in the quiet corridors. "Besides, you heard our benefactor- we should never be detected in the first place."
"Now it's 'we', is it?"
"Well, I figure you contributed equally to our premature evacuation from the Prodigal for not sensing the dead-man's switch sooner," he breathed, "so yes, 'we'. Speaking of which, we haven't triggered anything like that again, have we?"
"No, most of their systems are almost entirely inoperable," she replied, "but I won't know for certain if there's one installed until I get into the mainframe." She paused for a moment. "You seemed willing to shoulder the blame before. What changed?"
"Nothing changed- but at the time, you were in a far more dangerous position. To him, you're expendable- I'm not."
"Yeah, it certainly seems that way." She was silent for a moment, then seemed to realize what he'd just said. "Wait, hold on- are you saying that you were trying to protect me?"
"That's one way of looking at it," he murmured, reaching the end of the corridor. Checking the schematics overlay on his HUD, he took a left that would lead him deeper into the heart of the ship.
"That's a change of pace from usual- I wouldn't have thought you considered me worth the effort."
Normally, this was the part where he'd make a light quip back to her, carry on with the jests that they often found themselves making towards one another- but not this time.
Compassion is an admirable trait to have when times are right, Six- but these are not the right times.
He furrowed his brow, thinking how best to carefully phrase his answer. "Despite what some techies might say, I don't feel that replacing you with a new AI would increase the effectiveness of these operations."
"I'm well aware that he wants to replace me, Six."
He'd been hoping to avoid that particular piece of information, knowing she wouldn't be thrilled at the notion- indeed, her tone certainly didn't convey any sort of enjoyment. But it was said less bitterly, and more like she had come to terms with it- or at least had become resigned to it.
"I'm less interested in why he wants to replace me, and more interested in why you don't," she continued. "I'm the second iteration of the NOMAD project, and obviously inferior to the newer models-"
"You're not inferior," he found himself saying, cursing himself after the fact.
It will leave you weak. Vulnerable. Open to attack from those who would seek to exploit your emotions.
"The current prototype is LE-5, isn't it?"
He'd met the aforementioned 'LE-5' a few times- each of which, she'd been quite cordial and had expressed great enthusiasm in taking over as Six's partner. He had reciprocated no such enthusiasm.
"That's right," he grunted, reaching a four-way intersection, "but I'm not really interested." Consulting with the map again, he turned right and began to final stretch of his journey- he was now in the center of the ship, and quickly approaching the restricted area of the ship- no one without proper clearance was supposed to be in this sector.
"And why not? She's quicker than me, stronger than me- and don't forget that I'm older and outdated, practically obsolete compared to her-"
"That's precisely it, Ellie," he said, "you're older- that means you have experience in matters the others don't."
"What kind of matters?"
"The kind of matters that require trust in your partner to watch your back."
"Is that all?" she asked, feigning innocence. "I thought it was because you realized that maybe you care about me more than you'd like to admit."
He knew what she was getting at, but he couldn't let himself give in. His lessons, his training, everything that the Advocate said … if he ever wanted to amount to anything, he had to start listening to the one who knew what it meant to wield power.
You must learn to shut these feelings off, starting with your partnership with LE-2.
He gritted his teeth for what he knew was about to follow.
"Then you thought wrong."
There was silence on the other end of the comms. "… What?"
"I choose to work with you because you're predictable- I have no guarantee that any of the newer models would perform as well as you have, and I'm not going to jeopardize any mission I undertake until I do."
His mouth was speaking before he could even formulate a proper thought at his point- and there was no stopping it now. "You are my equipment, Ellie; and I need my equipment to be reliable. If you thought there was anything more, you were mistaken."
He hadn't even noticed the rising warmth in her voice during their conversation until it was gone, replaced now by cold indifference and a clipped tone. "I see. I guess it was out of line for me to think of you as a friend. I forgot that you're Six- the great prodigy of the Advocate."
"Ellie-"
"You're too big for something as small as that."
He'd thought it would be easier to endure if he just kept going, just kept speaking- but he was wrong. He hated every word that had left his mouth, despised the say they felt as they passed his lips- but he understood the necessity that drove them.
Opting not to press the issue, he remained silent until he eventually reached the end of the corridor. Coming up to a large door with a keypad next to it, he pulled out his data-knife in preparation for Ellie to hack it remotely- but to his surprise, he found that it was flashing an 'ACCESS GRANTED' message on its screen.
"It's unlocked?"
"The shield doors are among the few systems still working, and only at four percent capacity," Ellie began to theorize, "It's possible that the pulse rebooted the whole system, left it wide open."
"Lucky me," he whispered, narrowing his eyes. Checking his HUD to ensure his suit's cloak would remain active, he approached the door and waited cautiously for it to slide up into the ceiling and reveal the interior of the room …
There was no one there.
Sighing with relief, he stepped forward into the room and walked past several glass containers of what appeared to be large, metallic fragments. He recognized the overall shape and appearance of them- more shards of Spyglass's fold weapon.
Thankfully, he wouldn't have to go about stealing any of them; he wasn't here for that, not exactly anyway. Walking past them to the back of the room where a single computer terminal waited patiently, he started it up and stuck his data-knife in a corresponding slot.
"Alright, Ellie- time to get to work."
"I'm not seeing anything like the alarm system the Prodigal was equipped with … we should be in the clear."
Trusting her judgement, he retrieved the heat-engraver from its pouch, and bent down to place it on the floor. After a second or two, it glowed orange with power and began its work. "Then start the transfer."
"One moment … alright, I have access to the main systems. Locating intel … got it. Beginning the transfer now- SIX, BEHIND YOU!"
He was already moving, ducking low to protect his head and pulling his leg back. When he had completely spun around, his eyes found a target in the form of what looked like a heat mirage- a small waviness in the air- and he kicked out with his foot with the added force of his momentum.
Despite the appearance of empty air, his foot definitely found something solid to slam into, and he heard a gasp of shock and pain as his kick sent his victim flying backwards and presumably into the wall.
"How did you know they were there?" he hissed, preparing himself for a fight.
"The same way I assume they knew where to find you- the thermal sensors are still online, they're recording fluctuations in the ship's temperature, and cloaking devices give off enough heat to offset that."
"Well, how offset is the temperature in here? What am I up against?"
As it turned out, he didn't need to wait for an answer- seemingly out of thin air, four entities appeared. One simulacrum, three humans- all of them in attack stances.
One of them stepped forward, a knife in hand, and pointed the blade towards him.
"Boo."
—X—
Gray stood there, her eyes trained on the hazy air a few feet in front of her. Her chest felt like she'd been hit with a brick, but she wasn't about to give their invader the satisfaction of knowing he'd hurt her.
After a moment or so, they also deactivated their cloak. Becoming visible like them, she saw that they were someone of average, maybe slightly taller than average height. They wore a suit similar to the ones she, Danvers, and Vogel wore- it was a jet-black material with light-bending filaments likely interwoven into the suit itself.
In terms of advancements, however, their infiltrator's suit seemed to be in a league of its own- in place of armor, the material was heavily padded with something that she suspected would be more than capable of stopping a bullet or two. While they still had to wear bulky shoulder pads and other various armor to protect themselves while cloaked, their suit had been slimmed down to fit their form as tightly as possible while still allowing a full range of motion as well as proper protection via the aforementioned padding.
Their helmet had a base attachment to the neck seal of the suit- the rest of it was dark polycarbonate which formed a massive visor spanning the reach of their whole head like a bubble which ended in an angled point near the back. Two white, angled lines of light shone from the front of the visor, the only indication that they were watching the Ghosts.
"I'd prefer to take you in alive," she said lowly, remaining stationary where she stood. The other Ghosts held position as well, allowing her to lead the conversation, but ready to jump in at a moment's notice. "But we won't hesitate to kill you if you give us no choice."
"That's a generous offer," they replied, their voice emitting from their helmet's voice filters. "However, I'm afraid I'm going to have to decline."
Gray tensed up, hearing the way they spoke to her. She could feel the arrogance radiating off of them, the ego contained in their answer. They didn't see her as a threat- they didn't see any of them as a threat. And if they weren't worried about having been cornered by four highly trained elite Pilots, they were either stupid … or they were adroit enough to warrant such confidence.
"We've been hunting you for a long time," she continued, trying to keep their attention on her while the others ever so slightly widened their circle and began to surround them. "You're a very difficult individual to track down."
"Well congratulations," they said, tilting their head ever so slightly. "It seems you've found what you were looking for."
"Fourteen ships, nine fatalities … and all without leaving a trace of yourself. All except for that one, infernal mark you always leave." She gestured to the tiny device that was busy whirring with heat. "Well, speak of the devil …"
She chuckled ever so slightly, almost in disbelief that this was really happening. "You've earned quite the name for yourself over four years, everyone calls you something different; the Frontier Phantom, the Sixer, the Wraith … that one's my favorite. There all sorts of theories and legends as to who or what you are, making you out to be this untouchable specter, and yet …" She indicated him with the knife. "Here you are- at the end of the day, nothing more than a man."
"I assure you," they whispered, "I'm much more than that."
"You're right, you are- you're a murderer, a spy, and a traitor," she growled. "Comparing you to anything close to 'human' was too kind. Now, kneel down and place your hands behind your head."
They looked at the monitor's screen, checking the progress of the data transfer.
87% COMPLETE.
They turned back to Gray, positioning themselves in a manner to protect the computer. "That's not going to happen."
She sighed. "Well, I'd be lying if I said I hadn't been expecting that."
Without giving them any time to prepare, she brought the knife back and forward again, sending it spinning blade over hilt towards their shoulder in an attempt to disable them. With a speed that she couldn't believe was possible, they sidestepped the knife and let it pass by, mere centimeters from embedding itself in their arm.
As the knife sunk into the wall behind them, they were already preparing for another counterattack. Striking at a random spot of air with their arm, a momentary lapse in Vogel's cloak could be seen as the aggressor's fist connected with his jaw and sent the man crumbling to the floor. They reached for what appeared to be a silenced Wingman in their holster, but their arm was yanked away by an unseen force which sent the gun skittering to the floor.
Reacting quickly to the situation, the Wraith jumped backwards towards the wall and spun, forcing the Ghost on his arm to hit the metal instead of them. Husher was forced to release his grip, falling to the floor where he stirred feebly.
Grabbing Gray's knife from the wall, they dove at another spot of air which yelled out in terror as its assailant attempted to stab them. With a sudden spurt of red, the knife now seemed to float in the air as its victim staggered backwards, still cloaked.
All of this gave Gray the opportunity to leap forward and drive her foot right into the side of their head, sending them reeling backwards.
"Now, Ava!" she shouted, ready to begin the next stage of the plan.
"Copy that, Lieutenant."
The Wraith had recovered enough to stand up fully and face her once more. She ran right at them in full visibility, preparing to strike just as they prepared to block it with a counter of their own-
At the last second, she abandoned her charge and rolled out of the way. The assailant tried to pull back their counter, but it had left them too overextended- and Vogel's suddenly de-cloaked fist found its mark right in the Wraith's windpipe.
Gagging from the sudden and immediate pain, their focus was entirely on Vogel now. The veteran feigned another blow, only to disappear at the last second like Gray had.
The Wraith was left bewildered just long enough for a rear attack from Husher, the operative aiming for a blow to the back of their head. Unfortunately, it seemed they'd caught on. Spinning around, they were ready for Husher and instinctively launched their fist forward- only to have the simulacrum catch it easily in his metallic hands and hold it there.
In their position, they could do nothing more than watch as Gray gave the final blow, a cross which connected right where their cheekbone would have been underneath the helmet. Against the gauntleted knuckles of her hand, she heard a crack as the polycarbonate visor broke apart where she had struck it, and the Wraith was sent sprawling to the floor.
In an instant, she heard the signature sound of sidearms being drawn. One by one, her team materialized back into view; Husher and Vogel who both had their sights trained on the man, and Danvers who groaned in pain as he looked at the blade stuck in the meaty part of the muscle right under his collar-bone.
The Wraith, for their part, seemed to realize that the fight was over. Painfully pushing themselves off the floor into a half sitting, half lying down position, they turned back towards the Ghosts silently.
Gray saw the damage her punch had wrought, and felt a great satisfaction in noting that there was now a gaping hole where her fist had made contact, one through which she could see half of their face illuminated by the flashlights on Husher and Vogel's weapons. She could just see their fair-colored skin, the brown hair of their brow, furrowed in anger, and their narrowed eye, their … their eye which stared back at her, glaring at her…
Oh my god.
She stood, frozen in shock. The others stood waiting for orders from her to proceed … none came.
Husher glanced at her, finally noticing the stiff rigor of her body. "Ma'am? Are you-"
"Take off his helmet," she whispered.
"What?"
"Bind his hands, and take off his damn helmet!" she ordered. It came out as more of a shrill shriek, but it got the message across.
Their aim never leaving the man on the ground, Vogel and Husher walked over to them and knelt down, binding their wrists together with a set of magnetic cuffs. When they were sure that the cuffs were locked into place, they reached up to undo the seals of the helmet, releasing them with a faint hiss before finally pulling it away from the Wraith's head.
Immediately, they were all greeted with a sight of matted down hair, light brown and ashen in coloration, a combination which was quite familiar to her. They were clean shaven, but she could see the tiny beginnings of stubble growing over his light-toned face- and of course, the piercing, sky-blue eyes that she hadn't seen in years, that she had believed to have been extinguished forever …
And now, they only radiated volumes of hatred for her.
"Holy shit …" Danvers breathed, the pain in his chest forgotten for the moment. Husher and Vogel said nothing, but their body language was screaming with utter shock and confusion on how to proceed.
She swallowed hard. "V-Vogel, Husher … take him to a holding cell, I want to question him within an hour of our arrival. Get Danvers to the infirmary."
They nodded silently, helping the Wraith off his feet and escorting him out of the room- wisely, they continued to keep their weapons pressed against his back. Danvers looked back at Gray one last time, his expression hidden behind his helmet, before following the others out.
She didn't know how long she stood there, petrified- a few seconds, a minute, an hour- for her, time had ceased to affect her. Eventually, she managed to break out of her stupor, and mumbled without feeling into her comlink, "Ava- I need you to secure a line with Commander Blisk, and patch me through- priority one."
"One moment, Lieutenant."
There were a few seconds of static before she heard the gruff voice of her team's leader. "This is Ghost-Actual, responding to a priority one hail."
"Sir," she said shakily, "this is Ghost-1. I need you to meet us at the Cascade of Spirits the moment we touch down, ETA is thirteen hours." She thought for a moment, and then amended, "Notify Elizabeth Gates as well, she lives near Chorus if I remember correctly."
"What? Why the bloody hell-"
"We've captured the Wraith, sir," she explained before he could ask, "but the situation has gone far beyond what we were expecting- what any of us could have expected."
"How so?"
She took a deep breath.
"It's Four, sir. We found Tobias Four … he's the Wraith."
A/N: Don't want to leave you guys hanging, but I gotta slow my pace with the uploads here- hot streak's gonna burn me out otherwise.
As always, leave your thoughts and comments in the reviews section for a shoutout on the next chapter- can't wait for you guys to see how this situation resolves itself.
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Until the next time,
- Matteoarts