The Darkest Knight

Chapter 3: Noodles and D'Va

"So how much fuel do we have?" I ask as I stand with my helmet in hand, Bastion standing behind me beeping like a mad man as my ship sits before us, having just appeared out of thin air.

"Well," Dig says floating around my head, "we have just enough for two trips across the globe."

"Great." I pout, my hand running through my hair.

"Bee bop bo bep we wop!" Bastion says, poking my shoulder.

I raise an eyebrow at him, before Dig finally translates from me, "he's still asking what am I, and he wants to know how we just popped a ship out of thin air."

I roll my eyes. "Well you explain it to him. You're better at all this science stuff."

"Ugh. Fine." Dig sighed before turning back to Bastion and leaving me alone with my thoughts.

I walked up to my ship, a Kestrel Class AX, and patted its side. This thing had been by my side through thick and thin, like Dig, except it didn't talk so much shit. I stepped back and opened the paper map Dig had managed to… borrow for me.

So we were in Rio. That much was true, and according to everything we were really in the twenty first century. Part of me was unconvinced though. It was too strange even for everything I had seen. My theory was we were on another planet, something similarto
Earth that the Traveler created and tried to… tried to uh… Well I don't know yet. I don't believe I'm not close to home though. I'll find my way home, I know that much.

My attention returned to the map. It wasn't detailed and showed me only the continents. We were in South America. It should be infested by Hive, but its not, so at least there's that upside.

I need to get home. I know that.

But how?

I bit my check. I had initially hoped my ship would allow us to search the solar system for some sort of answer or way home, maybe a Vex time gate, but my ship was basically out of fuel. We'd be stuck in orbit if we tried to leave the earth. So that was
/out of the question.

We could try making it to Russia. We had enough fuel to get there at least, and if we got there I could check the Cosmodrome for anything familiar. At the very least at least for some Fallen or Hive.

"Thinking of going home?"

I nodded. "Yeah. I'm thinking we should hit the Cosmodrome. Check to see if we can find anything from home."

Dig sighed before floating up to me. "Nate, we're not home. Even I know that."

"Doesn't mean we can't find a way home. We have a job to do." I scowl at him and he shakes his 'head'.

"Well we could try hitting one of the countries on the way there. Some of the Eastern countries weren't hit as hard by the war as the others. Japan, South Korea, Australia, I think were all spared massive destruction. Well, South Korea was spared till
/a giant machine started wreaking havoc." Dig informed.

"Why would we stop at any of those places?" I asked, glancing back at Bastion who was chatting with the little bird that followed him everywhere. Guess he was satisfied with whatever Dig told him.

"Japan and South Korea are technologically advanced for this time, more so than the other countries. I would avoid South Korea due to the fact a giant Omnic keeps attacking them from the sea, though it hasn't been seen in a few months now."

"Maybe it died." I sighed.

"Maybe."

I look at the map and back at Bastion who's… who's sitting and still talking to the bird. "Hey Bastion, what place has better Tech, Japan or South Korea? Like Time Travel tech?"

"Nate…" Dig stated, his voice holding the lecturing tone a mother would give their child.

"What? It's an honest question." I replied.

The giant robot blinks and gets up before walking over to me, the bird landing on his shoulder and tweeting happily.

"Bee bo bep we, bo wep we woo web. Bo beeep bop bo. We wop bo." He looks down at me then at the sky. I don't know why.

"He says he doesn't know. He's never been outside of South America."

"Well great." I muttered.

"We can just stop by one, or both on our way to the cosmodrome. They're not far out of the way. We'd still have enough fuel for one more trip around the globe." Dig informed me.

"Might be a waste of time." I stated.

"What else do we have to do?" Dig huffed before floating in front of me.

I gawk at him. "We have a war to fight! Remember!"

"Nate, were not home you idiot!" Dig said.

"That's why we need to get back!"

"We can't! I detect no Vex signatures, no anomalies, no light, not even the darkness is here! What the hell are we supposed to do!" Dig yelled, floating higher than my head.

"Figure a way out! Guardians are supposed to protect the Last City, Humanity from the darkness! We can't just leave it all behind"

"Nate, we aren't home! You even tried to stop a heist here so don't tell me you can't help here!"

"I made a promise!" I roared, arc power swirling around me as it reacts to my temper. It singes the grass around me and the birds go silent.

The forest grew quiet and I noticed Bastion take a step back from me.

"Which is why you helped." Dig floats closer. "You can help here too. It may not be the Last City, but until we find a way home… You can still help."

I bite my lip.

My cloaks billows behind me.

"Fine." I managed. "We'll go to the closest one. Bastion, do you wanna come?"

The Machine looked at me with a tilted head. "Bee?"

"He said-"

"I think I can figure that one out." I told Dig. "Yes you, so yay or nay? It'd be good to get out of South America, and I could use a traveling partner aside from shit face here." I threw a thumb at Dig.

"Screw you." The Ghost shot back.

"So," I smiled. "What'd ya say?"

I stare at the cup of food before me; a cup filled with noodles and what I assumed was squid? To be honest I had no idea what the hell it was, but you know what my stomach was growling and I hadn't eaten in hours.

So with a gulp I iron my resolve and started draining the cup's contents as fast as my hand could move my chopsticks, which was like watching a baby trying to walk for the first time; hilarious because they keep failing.

Hot water splashed onto my hand and I cursed before shaking my hand off and restarting my attempt to eat the damn noodles!

"Having fun?" Dig said in my head.

I rolled my eyes. "Kiss my ass! You try this and tell me its easy!" I thought back. We normally didn't talk like this because, well, I'm not sure. It was just easier for us to talk face to… face? Or was it more
/like face to lightbulb?

"I don't have to eat. I'm a machine remember? And fuck you! I don't have a light bulb! I'm literally light incarnate!"

"Light incarnate? I don't think Light Incarnate whistles every time he sees a girl thats out of his league!"

"Please. You just eye bang them like you did that sniper!"

"What!" My face turns to a snarl as I bit into the juicy squid from the noodles. "I did not eye bang her! She was trying to kill me!"

"Oh please. You even eye banged the cheerleader."

"She wasn't a cheerleader!"

"So you admit it!"

I grit my teeth and shut him out, ignoring whatever jabs he had and instead leaned against the wall of a building that was easily as tall, or taller than the Tower itself. It wasn't as impressive in its grace and the feeling of power, but it was sleeker
/and had windows almost as high as the eye could see. I stared up it and continued eating my noodles.

Bastion had stayed behind, saying something to the effect of he didn't want to come into the city because humans, beside me, feared him, and he didn't want to bring any bad attention to me.

Fortunately, dressed in jeans and a T shirt with a cap over my head was a lot less conspicuous than running around in my armor so no one paid my any attention.

In fact… I was sort of confused out by all the people… I mean I've studied the history of Earth and I knew that countries like South Korea were densely populated, but I was surprised to see so many people! Granted that's probably because theres hardly
any left back home. Hell there's hardly anyone left back home.

Like really the amount of people here alone is probably ten times the amount of the Last City!

"Sillyehabnida!"

I jumped and a man slipped past me muttering something underneath his breath.

"He said excuse me."

"He was in a hurry."

"I would be too if I had to look at you."

"Eat me."

I once more blocked out Dig and looked around. The City was massive, sprawling, and wreaked of technological advancement. Touch screen phones were in the hands of almost everyone, machines, Omnium I remember, walked about like everyone else, random machines
/cleaned the streets, flew through the air with banners, and other humans and machines alike stood of the sides of the main streets doing their best to sell anything to the crowds that walked by.

My eyes took in everything; possible escape routes, vantage points, places to hide, and places someone could hide. I narrowed my eyes at a particular dark alley, the one right next to the giant poster with the cute girl dressed in a spandex suit.

"No I wasn't looking!"

"Uh huh." Dig doesn't believe me.

Thunk.

My gaze shot to the street to the left and the crowds slowed.

Thunk. Thunk. Thunk.

I felt Last Word appear on my thigh.

"Geugeos-eun geunyeo ibnida! Geim gung-geumhae! !" someone yelled next to my ear and I shot them a glare before pushing off the building and following the crowds gaze towards the street.

Dozens- no hundreds- of people were staring and watching. Plenty were cheering and dozens were screaming.

"Dig what-"

"They said, and I quote, "Its her! The gaming wonder! D'Va!"

I rolled my eyes and bit into another noodle.

"Who the fuck-"

Five massive machines suddenly blasted into the street from beyond the building that blocked my sight, three were black and two were pink. I could see the massive cannons on the front, I could see the gears running on the sides of the legs and the way
theyhunched over like a beetle. I could see the cockpits, but there were no pilots.

Then I looked up and there they were, standing on top of their machines waving at the crowds as they marched by, a band trailing them along with several floats and cars filled with other people waving to the crowds.

What really caught my eyes though, was their age.

They all looked…. young. I mean I'm not one to talk, I'm only twenty two, but they looked a few years younger than me. At least eighteen or nineteen. Maybe twenty but that's pushing it.

They're all the same age I was when I started.

Guess this worlds not so different after all.

I started studying them. One was tall and broad, he flexed and I could tell he was probably a hardcore athlete before he was drafted. Another was thinner and darker, but just as tall and he seemed quite though he looked genuinely happy. The next three
weregirls;one was darker skinned and fit enough to be a pro athlete as well, while the next two were light skinned. One was blonde, the other, who stood int he middle of the five, was dark haired and looked…. familiar.

"Huh." I mumbled to myself. The girl in the middle, short with long dark hair and fair skin, she looked so familiar. Maybe it was… it was the skin tight suit!

I looked to the giant movie poster hanging off on the many skyscrapers, then back at her.

So it was her. Hana Song, aka D'Va.

"Apparently she's a world famous video game player, and the top fighter of her Meka unit. Her code name is D'Va." Dig voiced in my head.

"Huh." I again mumbled. "Cute." Then I returned to ever so pleasant yet infuriating noodle cup.

The sounds of cheering and, what sounds like a speech in Korean, continuously filled the air. I just blocked it all out as I focused on the task at hand; eating. Sure I had to break into a few places later to look at what tech this country had but I still
/needed to eat and I couldn't break in till dark anyway so I could enjoy what little peace I had right?

So thats exactly what I'm doing. Enjoying my peace.

And-

"Nate, I just got something."

"Phat?" I muttered through my own food.

"The skyscraper at your ten."

Dig's tone tore me from my thoughts I my ever keen eyes shot the building in question. I narrowed my gaze and studied its exterior, looking for signs of trouble.

"Their security guards on the top floor haven't reported in for fifteen minutes. Somethings wrong up there."

"They could be taking a restroom break." I thought.

"Doubt it. The upper half of that building is undergoing a restoration project. The only reason security was up there was for the parade, and now two are missing. Wait. Make that three."

My brow furrowed. This was definitely shady as hell. A parade with military personal, celebrated military personnel I might add, and several dozen skyscrapers, one of which is having renovation done on its highest floors with security that just went missing?

Yeah shady.

"All right. We're going up there."

I tossed my mostly empty noodle cup into a trash can and made my way into the crowd, slipping past large and small people alike with ease. Having fought with the Hive in close quarters, making my way through a crowd was easy, like almos-

Thump!

"Ow!" I growled as some tall woman heel dug into my foot. She paid me no attention and pushed me aside before I could say anything more.

"What a bitch." Dig laughed.

I ignored his comment and continued on my way. Luckily the sketchy skyscraper was on my side of the street, otherwise it'd be almost impossible to cross the street without being seen. It's not like I could just teleport my armor on right here. Gotta try
andkeep a low profile.

After a few more minutes of navigating I made it to the twin glass doors that lead into the massive building. It was at least two hundred stories high and the people walking out looked like they owned half of Wall Street. I shook my head at a particularly
large man with two beautiful women accompanying him.

Money is power. Well at least people thought it was.

I pushed the doors open and after locating the restroom slipped inside.

Something I had learned, that most of early humanity had gotten wrong is that, money isn't power.

I got into a stall, and closed the door, my armor instantly forming around my, and my cape rolling down to it's full length. I clenched my fist as Arc energy swirled around it.

What I learned after years of fighting, is that money, knowledge, or strength isn't power. Power is power.

The air shimmered as I faded from the visible spectrum and slipped the door open.

"Ah!" An older man yelled as the stall seemingly opened on its own. He trembled and sprained for the door, slipping and hitting his head on the hand dryer and falling on his back.

"Is he-"

"He's just unconscious. He'll wake up fine and with nothing more than a headache." Dig said into my ear. It was a lot better than hearing him in my head. Hearing someone else in your head just feel's so…. intrusive.

I shrugged and quickly slipped out of the restroom and sprinted through the foyer right to where Dig had set up a waypoint, which was the door to the stairs. I pushed the door open and slipped inside a moment before my camouflage gave out.

Close.

I looked up.

"How many stairs do I have to climb?"

"You don't wanna know…"

"One thousand six hundred and ninety nine…. And seven hundred!" Dig cheered as I huffed and swallowed a gallon of air before leaning against the nearest wall with one hand on my hip.

Even with blink and boosters, climbing up one hundred and seventy stories is annoying as shit.

I focused and looked at the door, which was wrapped in tape saying 'construction workers only.' without a second glance I kicked the door open, Last Word raised, and scanned the immediate area as I walked in.

Nothing but boxes, half built walls, and construction equipment was around. I kept my eyes peeled and started my way through the nearest hall, my boots making only the slightest thump on the ground as I went.

The air was still, and nothing stirred but the plastic sheets that wrapped around certain walls.

I checked room after room, yet found nothing, not even the dust had been disturbed.

"Dig, are you sure you heard the security reports right?"

"Very. I hacked their system and found half their cameras knocked out. Too many to be a coincidence, heck they're even considering locking down the building completely."

"Then why haven't they?" I asked, more to myself than to Dig.

I continued on, perplexed by the lack of… well anything suspicious. If Dig was right, which I was sure he was, then someone should be here.

I stepped over a pile of rebar and peeked into a room. It was dust filled, and only had a single lonely desk at the back.

With a shake of my head I took a few more steps. I looked around, gazing down the hall till I saw another large pair of doors. One door was slightly ajar, and I made way to it, careful not to disturb the dust anymore than I had.

I inspected the door with a critical gaze before I deemed it safe and slowly pulled it open.

There was a large office space on the other side, cubicles everywhere and massive twenty foot tall windows at what I guessed was the end of the floor.

My eyes went wide.

At the windows was someone dressed in black.

It wasn't the man from Rio though- I would remember that bone mask anywhere.

This person was dressed in cargo pants, a black shirt, and had a ski mask over their head. Aside from that, they had what I guessed was a fifty caliber sniper rifle in their hands, and if I had to guess they were positioned to blow someones head off.

"Hey low life!" I roared, vaulting over the nearest cubicle and aiming my weapon at their head.

Bang!

The person jerked, and I swore I heard a curse before they spun to face me. They wore googles, tinted though so I couldn't see their eyes. Maybe it was the blue chick.

I grit my teeth. "So before this gets ugly, how about we-"

Bang!

My head snapped to the side just as a bullet ripped apart the wall somewhere behind me and left a trial of smoke from where it had almost decapitated me. I had no idea if I could take a 50 Cal. but I didn't want to find out.

I fired twice, but each shot missed as the assassin dove behind the furthest cubicle.

Dig read my mind and I drew felt a grenade ready itself on my leg, before unleashing a rain of high caliber rounds into the cubicle I knew the assassin was behind and the surrounding ones.

The clip clicked and I reloaded as chunks of the cubicles fell to the floor.

I blinked forward, landed, then rolled to where I was infant of the cubicle where the assassin had hid.

Last Word raised, I blinked as I saw no body riddled with bullet holes behind the destroyed cubicle. My eyes instinctively went up to my motion tracker and I dove to the side just as bullets from a pistol ripped the air a new one where I had just been.

I rolled, using the momentum to move forward and spin onto my knees, and fired Last Word.

Thunk!

The bullet shattered the Assassins knee cap and they roared in pain, low and deep, which told me it was a man so the blue chick was out of the question.

He fell to the floor, pistol clattering to the ground as blood gushed from his knee.

I twirled my hand cannon before standing and walking over to him, drawing my knife as I placed the other weapon on my thigh.

"It seems like our friend here just killed one of those star Meka pilots down there. The police are on their way." Dig told me.

I nodded. This man had just killed a pilot, a person who had fought for his safety. Someone who looked like they had just started to enjoy life, a child still in my eyes.

I thought of the girl- Hana.

She looked the youngest. I bet she hadn't even started to really know what life was yet.

And for it, for any of them to just be snuffed out?

No. I scowled. There had to be a purpose. So I had to find out what that was. I had to.

So I kneeled down in front of him, jamming my finger into the open wound that used to be his knee.

"Fuck!" He choked, thrashing backward before throwing a weak jab at me. I blocked it and slammed my knife into his other leg.

He roared in pain and I shook my head. "All right, why'd you attack them? They're military, and haven't done anything to you. If I'm right they're the Meka unit that's kept that giant machine in the ocean from destroying everything here, so why kill one
ofthem?"

I pressed down on the knife.

I ignored his cries.

"Why?"

"Haha…" The man coughed. "You'll far too late too stop us."

I ripped my blade from his good leg, and jammed it into the chunk of flesh that was holding his bad leg together. He screamed and I twisted the blade.

"Who's we?"

"Nate we've got incoming!"

I turned just as a massive blob of pink slammed into the windows, shattering them on impact. Glass flew everywhere and I raised my arm to instinctively block the shards from hitting me. They bounced off, and I looked up to the… Meka unit… with Hana Song
/in the pilot's seat…

"Dangsin." She said.

I tilted my head at her. "What?"

"You." She hissed, her eyes narrowing inside the glass cockpit as she easily switched to english.

I blinked. "Ok hold on-"

Click.

There was a flash of light and I suddenly flew backwards, slamming into a wall and cracking it before falling to my knees. I shook my head as debris settled all around and looked to my hostage.

There was nothing but flames, blood, and hunks of meat everywhere.

He blew himself up!

"What the hell…" I mumbled, pushing myself to my feet. I kicked a chunk of cubicle away from me and turned to see two giant cannons still pointed at me.

I looked up at Hana- aka D'Va- and saw her still glaring at me.

"Okay this looks really bad, but I swear-"

"Why did you kill Claire?" Her voice was low. I'd heard voices like that before and I knew how screwed I was.

"I didn't." I raised my hands, taking a step to my right and putting part of me behind one of the still standing cubicles.

"You tortured that man." She hissed. "Why should I believe you?"

"Because he shot her, and I was trying to find out why." I started to tense. She wasn't believing me.

"You're lying." Her machine took a step forward.

"No I'm not."

Dig then added, "Nate, I would run."

"Hana, I get-"

She growled and her machine stood taller. "Don't act like you know me."

"Ok I get it." I swallowed. "Just hear me out."

"I saw the video's of you in Rio." She started, and I noticed the trails of tears down her cheeks. She had been crying. "You're a criminal."

Click.

"Fuck." I dove to the side and canon fire shredded the cubicle to ribbons. I drew Last Word and let off two shots, which bounced off the metal armor, then I flipped and smoke filled the room.

Still canon fire trailed after me and I knew she had to have thermals in that damn machine to be able to see me.

I rolled to my feet once more, using a cubicle as cover and opened fired. Some bullets hit, others ricocheted, but overall they did almost nothing. I ducked once more as canon fire got to me and I readied the grenade.

I dove again, into the open, and tossed the explosive at the machine. It detonated and arc ripped around the machine. Sparks blew out from the joints and I heard Hana growl something under her breath.

Once more I rolled to my left and as I stood Last Word barked off several shots. Again they bounced off, but one hit a joint in her mech's leg.

There was a whirring sound and I heard her curse again only to continue firing at me. This time I had no cover and my shields took the brunt of the canon fire. The shots were powerful and threw me backward, into and over a cubicle. Fortunately the cubicle
/took the next shots which allowed me to roll away from her attack and behind another cubicle.

I checked my shields; half strength.

Note to self, don't let her hit you.

I got up once more to open fire on her legs-

Thunk!

Only for the hulking mass of her mech to charge right into me. It hit me and I swear the arms of the mech tried to bear hug me as it pushed me.

The mechs chargecarried me with it, first through a wall which hurt, then through another wall, some more desks where papers flew everywhere and splintered wood bounced off us, till finally I painfully managed to glance back and saw windows.

Shit. She was going to launch me off the building!

Last Word was still in my hand so I adjusted my grip and fired everything the canon had into the mech's gut.

I looked back once more and the window was five feet away.

The mech jerked to a stop and I gasped as I was thrown forward. My back hit the windows first but they instantly broke from the force and the air took me as I was thrown from the skyscraper, from almost two thousand feet in the air.

There was hardly any sound other than that of the air screaming by me. I managed to spin myself around and cursed as I saw the streets below rushing up at me.

I looked for anything, any ledge I could boost myself towards. Blink and my boost alone couldn't save me from a fall this high, I'd hit terminal velocity and I don't know when I'd need to activate them to counter it.

"Nate, you have about sixty seconds till you hit the ground and go splat."

I once again ignored Dig and searched the entire surrounding area. There were too many skyscrapers, no short buildings whose roof I could redirect my fall to. Guess I'll have to try my luck with grabbing the edge of a skyscraper.

Great.

My jaw clenched, my decision made, and I activated my boosters and shot myself towards the nearest skyscraper, granted it wasn't the one I had fell from since that one was basically made of glass.

The air smacked and tossed me, but a second kick from my booster readjusted my course and kept me in line with the skyscraper I chose. I continued falling at an angle-

"Forty."

I used another boost, my last one before it had to recharge, and reached out for the side of the building.

I could almost feel the touch of concrete as I reached, and in a second I would have-

"Behind you!"

I looked back, my hands brushing the building, and saw D'Va, racing right down at me. She was only feet from me, once again charging me, but this time in mid-air.

"What the shit!" I yelled.

She hit me again, and this time we both raced down towards the street.

"Twenty."

Fuck this. I grabbed my blade and Arc power swirled around me, engulfing my entire body. I saw Hana's eyes go wide and I drove my blade into the center of her cockpit. It shattered the cockpit and the mech suddenly slowed, moving so its feet could take
/the brunt of the fall.

I pulled a second knife and drove it higher, this time it sunk into the armored plating of her mech and I pulled myself up.

"Five."

I pulled my legs up, kneeling on its head, and kicked off using the power of Arc too launch myself into the air just as the mech hit the ground.

Metallic groans filled the air and the sound of people screaming accompanied it.

I fell down and with a roar slammed my blade into the head of the mech, pouring my Arc energy into it. Electricity and light flickered all around the mech and a wave blasted outward as the last of my power poured out.

A groan filled the air and I flipped off the mech before it collapsed forward and smoke billowed out from the back.

I coughed as I landed and shook my head. Using that much Arc power was hard on the body. Sure I could come back to life but using it for too long could still overwhelm me.

Suddenly the back of the mech popped open and Hana flipped out, firing a pistol at me as she went.

I immediately drew Last Word and dove to the side as I fired.

The civilians around us screamed and instantly broke off, scattering to the buildings and taking cover behind cars or anything they could find.

Several shots of her pistol hit me, but my shields held well, and my shots missed. Of course I had intended to miss, I wasn't trying to kill her, but my shots scared her enough to push her into cover behind her downed mech.

I snuck a glance at a couple hiding behind a car, and I knew I had to end this before anyone innocent got hurt.

I blinked forward and landed next to the mech, then spun around it.

Hana was there and she fired at me point blank, but I ducked and drove my elbow into her gut. She grunted and I spun around her, simultaneously drawing my knife, then wrapped an arm around her throat and placed my knife at its base.

She froze but her look of disgust never left.

"Drop the gun." I ordered. She compiled and it clattered to the floor.

"Good." I loosened my hold just enough so she wouldn't choke. "Now, can we talk or are you still gonna try to kill me for no reason?"

Before she could respond the sound of thrusters filled the air and I looked up just as three more mechs landed in a triangle around us, each of them aiming their canons at me.

Now her team was here. Great.

"Geunyeoui gaja , alae seoissda."

D'Va spoke up, "he speaks english."

I nodded.

"Let her go and stand down." Another one of them then ordered.

I rolled my eyes. This day just sucked.

"Will you let me go?" I asked with a laugh.

"No."

"Well then it seems we're at an impasse." I replied pressing my knife against Hana's neck. I really didn't want to hurt her, but geez she was stubborn, and so were her friends.

One of the mech's took a step forward, "let her go, lay down your weapons, and I promise you'll be treated well."

"Uh huh." I nodded. "Well, seeing as I'm surrounded and you guys could probably rip me to shreds with those canons, I feel like dropping my weapons is a bad idea."

"We will not harm you." The one speaking reassured.

I bit my lip. What choice did I really have? I could use golden gun and knock out two of the mechs, but I'd be tired as shit and would still have the third and Hana here to worry about. Raze Lighter could block the shots for me but it couldn't last forever
andthey were too far for me to try and lunge at them.

Still, I highly doubt they would just let me go, especially if Hana's actions were anything to go off of.

So what to do?

If I-

Hana back stepped onto my foot, I jerked, and she slipped through my hold before turning and jamming her fist into my chin. It was good technique but she lacked the strength to back it up, I raised my arm and brought it down on her elbow before grabbing
/it and yanking her towards me. My knee slammed into her gut, and suddenly Last Word was pointed at my face-

It was a knight. It was dark. I heard screams. I saw the blood on my hands.

I roared and knocked the hand canon away before driving my fist in the knight's face, before pulling my blade and sinking it into soft…. soft flesh….

I went wide eyed as my vision returnedto normal. D'Va, Hana Song, gasped, my blading protruding from her rib's, right under her breast. I could feel her tremble, I could feel her step forward and her weight fell on me.

Then the red started to flow.

Then the canons started firing.

"Nate!"

I acted and wrapped my body around hers, letting my shields and armor tank all three of the other mechs canon fire so Hana didn't have too. Still her body jerked several times as a few shots made it past me and into her.

I heard cracks, my shields started to blare their alarm as they dropped.

I thought I was better.

I….

I….

"Nate! Sparrow is ready! If you don't get her treated right now she'll die!"

My mind spun and instantly my sparrow, Time Breaker, appeared in front of me. I tightened one arm around Hana and boosted right to my sparrow.

My shields broke and I felt pain in my back as one round of canon fire made it past my armor.

I grabbed one handle, and in one swift motion, pulled myself on with Hana tightly pulled against my chest and just over my lap.

The engines instantly powered up and my sparrow shot down the street.

Canon fire raced after me, but with both feet now on the pedals I blasted off into the main street where the parade had taken place.

I drifted and turned down another major street even as police sirens filled the air and civilians screamed and pointed at me.

They became blurs as I pushed the sparrow to one hundred twenty kilometers an hour.

"Nate, I've got the ship dropping in."

"Why?" I asked, my voice shaking as I spoke.

"I scanned her. Several tears in her internal organs, collapsed lung, fractured ribs, ruptured kidney, and internal bleeding. No hospital here can help her, but we have the equipment on the ship to at least stabilize her."

I nodded. "Okay."

No reply came and I kept going.

Police sirens wailed behind me and I glanced back. They were all racing after me, but I kept going. I weaved and drifted through traffic, turning here and there for what seemed like an eternity but I knew was only a minute at most.

Even through my gauntlets I could feel the warmth of blood.

I clenched my teeth.

What happened back there?

How did I-

"Nate, ships on the next right. Ramp is lowered, all you have to do is boost in." Dig informed me.

I pushed the throttle even harder, and the all too familiar wailing of the engine beginning to overheat filed my ears. I hit the brake and turned to my right, letting the sparrow skid over the asphalt before hitting the boost.

My ship was there, floating a foot or two above the street, cars veering around it, and a moment later I hit the brakes and my sparrow rocketed inside, slowing just before I hit the wall that separated the miniature hangar from the rest of the ship. Bastion
/stood off to the side of the hangar, beeping adamantly about God know's what.

The ramp instantly started to raise up, and I jumped off the sparrow when the ship jerked slightly and announced its ascent into the skies.

"Dig, take us into low orbit. We don't want any undated company."

I hefted D'Va up and carried her bridal style as I ran into through the sliding doors and into the rest of my ship, ignoring Bastion's call. There was the main room, then the cockpit, and to my right was the bedroom. The main room though had two couches,
asmall screen built into the wall, a weapons rack and a small table meant for four. I raised her up and placed her onto the table.

"Dig, get me everything form the med-kit."

Instantly gauze, advanced gels for stitching skin back together, anti-coagulants, wraps, needles, antiseptic and an IV line appeared.

I grabbed my knife from my thigh.

"Where's the most damage?"

"Lower left side under her heart. You're blade plus the rounds that hit her caused a lot of damage." Dig appeared next to me in a shower of light.

I huffed out a breath and grabbed the spandex suit, before pushing my knife into it and prying the front half open.

Dried and fresh blood coated her chest and her bra was a deep red now. I could see the openings in her flesh and the raspy movements of her chest as she tried to breath. I grabbed the antiseptic.

It wasn't my first surgery, not even close, but I hadn't done one since…. since…

"Dig."

"Do it. I'll guide you."

I nodded.

"Here we go."

A/N So here it is! the next chapter! Sorry for the wait but I've had a busy couple of weeks, and this chapter was longer so it was hard trying to get everything out in time. Anyway, Nate meets D'Vabut well PTSD is a thing even for Guardians, and now her life hangs on a thread.

(edit: I just noticed as of now, the 1st of July, that the site doesn't accept D'Va's actual name. Hence why its misspelled. Sorry to anyone who read this before and there was a name missing at places)

banditobane: You'll have to wait and see who Nate's romance will be. And do you mean like male or female? Or human or Awoken? Well he's a dude, and he's human. It's shown when I described his pale skin and dark hair, but its kinda easy to miss so I see where the confusion comes from. Also he's a hunter.

GJAM: Guardians are basically immortal, especially in a world where darkness is absent, but I don't think dying is a fun thing so generally Nate is going to avoid it as best he can.

helkil: He will protect humanity at all costs, hence why he just jumps into situations to help. However, the fear of death is instinct and after years of fighting the darkness and thinking "is this the time I really die?", he suddenly doesn't have too anymore, but its programmed into him to fear death. Again I don't think death is fun so he;s ogling to avoid it.

The Keyrim: Good advice. Thanks!

Novawolf13: Well, for me, in destiny I think of it as every class can use every subclass but they have a dominant one, so for Nate I;d say he's best at being a baldedancer, but he likes to dabble in the other two because they each have their uses.

SilverstormXD: He does, but none of, what are called his, super powers. He does here briefly when fighting 's mech though.

Back to the main A/N, in case anyone wonders what happened to Nate at the end, he panicked. He was in a high stress environment and well you'll learn why when a pistol was drawn to his face why he freaked. He's not invincible.

Most chapters will have two separate POV's, this is an exception.

Anyway hope you enjoyed! God bless! Review please!

-Metal4k