Chapter 32
Neo Chicago
"Diana, did you hear that?" Her Ghost asked as it focused intently on the discussion taking place between Zavala and the fireteam at the Earth's core.
"Does it look like I can listen to all that right now!?" Diana hollered in response as she and a pair of Guardians held up some collapsing debris, shouting for the people to clear away to avoid being hurt. Once the citizens had taken some distance from it, the three of them allowed it to drop to the ground with a heavy thud.
Neo Chicago was in a state of panic. The powerful tremors were causing buildings to go down left and right. Fortunately, the Guardians within the city reacted to the emergency with urgency. There wasn't much they could do at the moment to keep the city intact, but they were doing what they could to preserve lives.
With a heavy sigh, Diana looked around at the damage that had been done to their precious home. The roads were uneven, homes now lay in ruins, but at least the tremors had stopped for the time being.
"What's going on right now?" Diana asked as she watched the two Guardians she was with begin to direct the citizens to a safer area.
"That's what I was trying to tell you." Her Ghost stated as it flew around her head, finally receiving her full attention. "Eris has identified the Daughters of Oryx doing something to the Earth's core. The Vanguard has been trying to contact you."
Blinking a few times, Diana began to hear the voices on the comm line that her helmet was linked too. She had tuned out everything as the tremors began, rushing off to aid the residents of Neo Chicago.
"Commander Zavala, this is Diana Amano checking in. What's the situation?" Diana asked after her Ghost had established a direct link with Zavala.
"Good, we were getting worried that you might have been injured in all of the commotion." Zavala said, clearly relieved that Diana had finally contacted them. "We have a fireteam at the Earth's core who has engaged the Daughters of Oryx. Unfortunately, their arsenal of weapons and abilities is useless against them. Eris says that you're the only one capable of turning the tide of that battle."
Diana furrowed her brow. She had never fought the Daughters of Oryx. They had fled when they arrived at Oryx's throne room on the Dreadnaught. How could she be the only one that could sway the course of this battle?
"Alright Commander, just tell us what we have to do." Diana's Ghost declared.
"A transmat has already been prepped for you to join them. We need you to join them immediately and put a stop to whatever it is the Daughters are doing." Zavala stated.
With a snort, Diana couldn't believe how much her day had changed in the space of thirty minutes. Things had been so slow lately that she had been growing used to it, but the chaos of being a Guardian returned in an instant.
"I'm ready now, let's go." Diana said as she gave her Ghost a nod.
"Opening the transmat now." Her Ghost said.
It was hot! Diana shrieked at the sudden and drastic spike in temperature, but just before it felt like she was going to melt away, she was cooled instantly.
"Sorry for the slight delay Diana, I didn't calculate how long it would take me to catch up to you." Her Ghost explained as Diana began to pat her sides, amazed that they were still there. For but a moment it felt like she her body had been burned away.
"I'm good." She replied, taking a moment to check her surroundings. Looking down, Diana found herself staring at the massive molten sphere. It was magnificent to see the array of fiery colors that radiated from the core, but Diana immediately took note of the black whirlpools that draining the color from it. But as she looked down, Diana realized that she was standing on something. A circular platform that stretched around the very top of the core. She never would've imagined that there would be something to stand on this close to the planet's core. Was this even possible?
"It looks like the Daughters of Oryx have twisted this area to suit whatever it is that they're trying to accomplish." Her Ghost noted before turning to face the trio of Guardians that were approaching them.
"Captain Diana, it's good to see you made it." The Titan better known as Captain Prusa called out, waving to her.
"You can drop the title, Diana is just fine." Diana replied as she waved off his earlier statement.
"I'll fill you in quickly." Prusa began as he pointed out a tall pillar a fair distance from them. Floating above it was Ir Halak who had her hands extended toward the funnel that led out to the whirlpool. "They have some sort of shield that protects them from our attacks. We've tried everything we know and nothing has affected them in the slightest. Whatever is shielding them is impervious to the Light."
"Diana, they possess the Aura of Immortality, something I know you must have dealt with when you fought Oryx." Eris said over the comms. "Surely you know how to remove it from them."
Recalling what Toland had taught her in the Ascendant Realm, Diana nodded slowly. She knew what she had to do. Toland wasn't here to guide her like when they fought Oryx, but the repetition from that battle would last a life time.
Quickly looking around the area they could walk on, Diana spotted a raised platform. On top of it was the same design as the platforms within Oryx's throne room. It was exactly the same.
"Okay, so in order for us to kill them, we have to take down that shield. The only option really is for me to steal it from them. You see that platform; there should be three more just like it. Spread out and locate them." Diana explained as the fireteam of three gave her a nod. They all dash out them, quickly circling around the zone that had been created by the Daughters.
Soon enough, each of them were standing beside the platforms that Diana had described.
"Okay, we found em'." One of them called out to Diana.
"There's this black cloud above my platform." Prusa pointed out.
"That's what I'm looking for." Diana stated as she quickly made her way over to the Titan.
"What do you want to do with it?" He asked in return.
"Its kind like a portal, that lets me cross over into another dimension. When I cross over, there's something called the Brand which I can use to steal the shield that the Daughters have." Diana explained as she stood beside Prusa, preparing to leap onto the platform. "Once I cross, each of you has to jump onto the platform you're standing by, one at a time. This will build a pathway for me to collect the Brand. Don't leave the platforms until I give you a signal, alright?"
"You've got it." Prusa said as he watched Diana jump up into the smoke. She vanished from his sight following this, but recalling her orders; he jumped onto the platform and motioned for his teammates to do the same.
Diana looked around, recognizing the monotone world that she returned too. All of the bright oranges and yellows that surrounded the core had been swallowed up, leaving her with nothing but black, white and gray around her. Glancing around the area, it didn't take her long to spot the twinkling star high above them. The Brand.
Looking to her left, the platforms began to form, creating the pathway that would take her to it. As Diana began to jump from one to the next, she could see that a fight had broken out down beneath her. The Taken had been summoned by the Daughters, likely because they recognized the threat in Diana as she approached the Brand. The Taken were doing all that they could to try and the force the Guardians off of their platforms in an attempt to stop Diana's progress, but the Guardians fought back valiantly, refusing to abandon their positions.
Reaching the final platform, Diana placed her hands around the sparkling light, and suddenly she returned to the colored world that she knew. She then looked down, realizing that she was directly above the Earth's core now, and in position to jump to either Ir Anuk or Ir Halak.
"Get ready guys, I'm going for the one on the left. Focus fire as soon as the shield is gone!" Diana declared to them as she jumped from the floating platform she stood on. Descending down to Ir Halak's platform, Diana slammed her hand against shield as she made contact with it, snatching away the protective dome that had been covering Ir Halak.
She shrieked with disapproval, raising her arms as she began pelting Diana with energy blasts, but the Warlock was unaffected. The attacks were simply eaten up by the Aura of Immortality that was now protecting Diana.
"Get her!" Diana shouted as she jumped from Ir Halak's platform, leaving her to been bombarded with bullets from the three Guardians down below. "Don't hold back, give it everything you've got!"
The screams from Ir Halak escalated as the Guardians began to use their heavy weaponry, hitting her with shells from their rocket launchers that detonated on impact, vaporizing various parts of her body. The Guardians fired away mercilessly, whittling away at her.
Looking through the sights of her Gjallarhorn as the weapon rested on her shoulder, Diana felt a smirk form on her face as she heard it begin to hum. The tracking system locked onto Ir Halak, and Diana tightened her grip on the trigger. Compared to how lengthy their fight had been against Oryx, his Daughters weren't even close to him in terms of power or durability. It seemed as though this one shot from her Gjallarhorn would be the end of Ir Halak. And then they would have to do this once more to kill Ir Anuk as well.
Pulling the trigger, there was a high pitched screech as the shell left the barrel of the rocket launcher which gained the attention of the three Guardians with Diana. Lowering their weapons, they all watched as Ir Halak lowered her arms, staring dreadfully at the approaching Gjallarhorn rocket. The explosion was massive, completely enveloping whatever was left of Ir Halak and vaporizing her thoroughly. There wasn't anything left for the Wolfpack rounds to clean up as the Guardians gave a few cheers over this small victory as the black whirlpool from Ir Halak faded away.
'Sister, your sacrifice will be remembered. Once we defeat the Children of the Light, I will restore you.' Ir Anuk said as she lowered her hands. The whirlpool that Ir Anuk had been directing vanished as well, giving her a moment to look at the Guardians, focusing on just one of them in particular. Diana. 'Even though you are a Child of the Light, I can sense the Darkness within you. I wonder what the future holds for you.'
"This isn't over just yet guys. We've got to do that one more time." Diana called out as she looked around the platforms for her new starting point. But a shriek from Ir Anuk put everything on hold. All four of the Guardians looked toward Ir Anuk where they could see that she was beginning to rise up from her platform.
"Whoa, what's going on?" Prusa exclaimed as a seam opened up above Ir Anuk, widening to the point where she could pass through it. Sparing the Guardians one final glance, Ir Anuk then disappeared into the seam, leaving this team at the center of the Earth.
"What the heck just happened?"
"She…left?" Diana said, a bit confused as well. She could understand why Ir Anuk had fled since they had made quick work of her sister, but to abandon their plan so quickly seemed rather odd.
"What's happening?" Zavala asked through the comm line.
"One of them got away Commander." Prusa replied.
"We did stop them from messing with the Earth's core though."
"Good work Guardians, come back to base for now."
Saturn
Dreadnaught
Mausoleum
Performing a front flip while she was airborne, Carmen evaded the blade of the Hive Knight she had engaged and positioned herself to land on its shoulder. Snapping its head to the side to stare at Carmen, the Hive Knight found itself staring down the barrel of her Ace of Spades, which she didn't hesitate to fire. The Knight burst into pieces, leaving its armor to fall to the ground while Carmen quietly landed on her feet. Looking toward the Acolytes that had been watching the duel, Carmen shrugged her shoulders, waiting for them to act.
"Well, are we going to do this or not?" Carmen asked them. It was a total of five of them, all of which glanced at each other.
The command structure of the Hive on the Dreadnaught was collapsing as the Guardians steadily removed the higher ranking soldiers of the Hive. Knights and Wizards were becoming scarce, leaving Acolytes and Thrall to fend for themselves against the Guardians' assault. The lack of leadership was beginning to show as the foot soldiers of the Hive were left indecisive and defenseless.
One of the Acolytes screeched as it pointed toward Carmen. All of them then turned to her as well, raising their Shredders to gun her down. But before they could fire, two of them exploded after taking a throwing knife to the head.
"Too slow." Carmen said as the remaining Acolytes began to fire at her. Glancing over her shoulder, Carmen spotted a sheet of raised metal that had fallen from the Cabal ship above them. She could use that as cover. Performing a pair of backflips, Carmen then leapt into the air to vault over the sheet of the metal, shielding herself from the purple energy that Acolytes were firing haphazardly.
Pausing for a moment now that Carmen was hiding, the Acolytes nodded to one another before they began to approach where Carmen had gone. But a flash of orange light caused each of them to freeze in their tracks. Carmen then jumped onto the top of the sheet metal, balancing herself on the thin surface she had with ease. She was glowing orange, with a flaming pistol in hand. Rattling off three shots in an instant from her Golden Gun, the Acolytes were left as nothing more than embers that were swept away.
"Hah!" Carmen exclaimed as she spun her Ace of Spades on her index finger before sliding it back into its holster on her thigh.
"They were the last group I detected in this area. That should do it for now Carmen." Her Ghost said as it formed beside her.
"I told those guys I could handle it myself." Carmen noted as she crossed her arms in front of her chest. "The Hive are pitiful right now."
Roughly a week after the fall of the Darkblade, Carmen returned to the Dreadnaught to aid in the effort to clean out the ship. With most, if not all of the Hive leader's dead, the ship had become nothing more than a massive Hive breeding ground, which the Vanguard intended to stomp out. Cleaning out the Dreadnaught was nothing compared to the Taken campaign back on Earth. Everything had gone smoothly as the Guardians put the Hive in the chokehold, cornering them into various parts of the ship where they would eventually wipe them out.
"The area where the Guardians found the Darkblade is close to here. From the reports I heard it's become a nest for the Hive." Her Ghost explained as Carmen scaled one of the nearby pillars, climbing to the top of it to gain a higher vantage point of the area. She had been patrolling this area for the past week alongside a fireteam, but even after seeing it so many times, she still couldn't help but marvel at the enormous gorge toward the back of the area and the shining light above it.
"That just means we'll have to round up a group of Guardians and clean it out again." Carmen declared. That was all they were doing as they wiped out the Hive across the ship.
"Holy crap!"
"What the heck was that?!"
Carmen perked up hearing these shouts on the comm line between herself and the fireteam she had been working with.
"Hey, what's going on guys?!" Carmen asked urgently. "Status check?"
"Is everyone alright?"
"Yeah, I'm fine. That energy blast caught me off guard though."
"We're out at the breach in the Dreadnaught Carmen. It was quiet before we suddenly detected a huge energy signature. It's headed in your direction!"
This warning caused Carmen to take a hold of her Ace of Spades in preparation. But even though she was presently located in a large and open area, she found herself struggling to keep her balance on the pillar as the ship began to shake. A gong resounded through the area, gaining Carmen's attention as the Rupture at the edge of the gorge opened up.
"Here it comes!" Her Ghost called out as it marked the location on the interface of her helmet where this enemy would be coming from.
"What's going on?!" Carmen exclaimed as she looked out at the Rupture. A seam opened up above it, becoming wide to let the large form of Ir Anuk descend from it, placing her right in front of the Rupture. Carmen immediately recognized her at first glance, recalling the short period of time where she had seen Ir Anuk and Ir Halak within the Ascendant Realm. "What's she doing here?"
Earth
Neo Chicago
The Mulligan
"So what have we gathered so far?" Zavala asked as he looked around the commander center. The operators had been compiling all of the data they could in order for them to reach a verdict on what had just taken place.
"We can confirm that the Earth's core is intact. Whatever they were doing, it was affecting the magnetic polarity of the Earth. But now that they're gone, those fluctuations have stopped as well." An operator explained, allowing Zavala to release a deep sigh of relief. But at the moment, that seemed like the only positive they could draw from this situation.
"And what about the damage to the city?" Zavala asked softly.
"The emergency response frames and the Guardians have been working non-stop since the tremors ended, but the causalities are still being calculated."
Zavala closed his hands into tight fists, irritated that such an event had taken place.
How could they have allowed the Daughters of Oryx to reach the Earth's core of all places?!
"Eris, are you alright?" Zavala asked, looking up as he waited for a response through the comm line. She was on one of the upper levels of the base, and he could only hope that she had weathered the storm as well as they did.
"Yes, I'm fine." She replied.
"Do you have any thoughts on what just took place?" Zavala continued.
"I am…uncertain. Their motive is unclear to me. As far as I have ever known, those two have only served their father. But with the recent development on the Dreadnaught, their actions have no direction. This could be their own doing." Eris explained.
"This is unsettling." Zavala said as he looked down, placing a hand on his chin.
"Don't forget Commander, we did manage to kill one of them." One of the operators pointed out, reminding him that their present foe had just experienced a significant loss.
"We need to nip this in the bud." Zavala stated as he looked up now. It had taken them nearly a year to defeat Oryx, and put an end to the threat of his armies. They didn't need to face such a threat again so soon. "Put all of the Guardians across the system on high alert. We need a location of Oryx's remaining daughter now so that we can eliminate her."
"Commander Zavala, we just received a report from the Dreadnaught. I'll play it back for you." One of the operators interjected as Zavala turned to look at them.
"This is Carmen Fox reporting from the Mausoleum on the Dreadnaught. My Ghost and I have just spotted one of Oryx's kids entering a Rupture here!" She declared, causing Zavala to furrow his brow. It almost seemed too convenient that a member of Undaunted would be the one to confirm Ir Anuk's location.
"Patch me in to her." Zavala stated, receiving a nod from the operator.
"And…here she is."
"Carmen, this is Commander Zavala. Gather any nearby fireteams and hold that position. You're teammates are on route." Zavala replied before looking back at the operator again. "Make a channel for fireteam Undaunted, I have a mission for them."
"Well, it's been almost three months." Niko said as he looked across the cabin at Tobias and Diana. "I was just starting to get used to not having you guys around."
"Oh please, I know you missed us Niko." Diana retorted with a smirk.
The three of them had been reunited in the Mulligan not even five minutes ago before they were ushered into Diana's jumpship and told to make their way to the Dreadnaught.
"Did you guys think we'd be back out in the field so soon?" Tobias asked curiously, causing Niko and Diana to glance at one another.
"Our work is never done." Niko commented as he leaned further into his seat. To be honest though, he was trying to contain his excitement. The past few months had been so boring after Oryx had fallen, and he had been anxious to dive into the heat of battle again. He welcomed the mission they were about to embark on.
"So what's the mission?" Tobias asked as he looked toward Diana. He had heard over the comms that she had been among a group of Guardians that went to the center of the Earth.
"A fireteam discovered the Oryx's daughters within the Earth. I joined them and we worked together to kill one of them, but the other escaped before we could do anything to her." Diana explained.
"I'll bet you didn't have a Hunter there." Niko interjected, raising his brow at her.
"Oh shut it Niko." Diana said to him. "Anyway, Carmen was on the Dreadnaught and was actually the one to spot the remaining Daughter. So we're meeting up with her to take care of this one."
"I was wondering where that little squirt ran off to." Niko said with a chuckle. She hadn't said a word to him about going back to the Dreadnaught.
"What about Gale, is he with her?" Tobias asked, noticing that their smallest teammate was missing as well.
"No, Zavala didn't assign him to us for this mission." Diana replied.
"Why not?"
"Originally he was assigned to our team, but after reaching the rank of Colonel, Zavala pulled him. He requested to join us for the raid on the Dreadnaught, but he's not officially a member of Undaunted anymore." Diana revealed to them.
"Plus he's a huge asset for the Vanguard, so I'd imagine they want to keep him as close to them as possible." Niko added, getting a nod of agreement from Diana.
"So what, we'll only see him for the big missions?" Tobias inquired.
"Maybe." Diana said as she shrugged her shoulders. "That's if there's any left. Oryx was a monster and I can't imagine what could be stronger than him."
"I wouldn't worry." Niko said as he placed his hands behind his head. "As long as you guys have a Hunter around, there's no threat we can't handle."
Diana rolled her eyes in response, getting a chuckle from Tobias.
Saturn
Dreadnaught
Mausoleum
"Man, coming back to this place reminded me of how disgusting it is." Diana commented as she, Niko and Tobias trekked through a tight tunnel, following the beacon Carmen had placed at her current location.
Niko looked down at the ground as he led the group, spotting one of the small parasites that had surfaced from the ground beneath them. Whipping out his hand cannon, Niko put a bullet into it, getting a screech from it before it became motionless.
"Ugh, really Niko?" Diana exclaimed as the grotesque sight Niko had left behind, gaining a chuckle from him.
"Hey, I'm just doing my job. Letting those things live means we're giving it a chance to grow into the Hive we've been fighting." Niko pointed out.
"You're so full of crap Niko." Diana stated as she stepped over the worm, continuing down the tunnel until it finally opened up into area where Carmen's signal was coming from.
"Carmen, do you read us?" Tobias asked as they looked around in search of their teammate.
"Sheesh, I beginning to think you guys weren't going to show up." She replied, getting a snort from Tobias as their helmets revealed her exact location. She was waiting for them on top of a raised platform where all of them could see the Rupture that she had reported.
"Better late than never." Niko replied as the three of them journeyed up to the platform where they discovered that a number of fireteams were present at the location with Carmen.
"Captain Amano." One of the Guardians began, approaching Diana. "We've secured the area and intend to hold it while your team proceeds with your mission."
"Captain?" Tobias whispered to Niko who stood beside him.
"Yeah, it's official now. Zavala publicly named Diana as the leader of fireteam Undaunted. A lot of people look up to us, so it's no surprise that she'll get a title attached to her name." Niko replied, a small smile hidden underneath his helmet. He knew how much heartache Diana had gone through after Briggs had been lost, and he was proud to see her earnestly trying to fill his role now.
"Well excuse me." Tobias said with a grin.
"Carmen, I want a summary of what took place here when you saw Oryx's Daughter." Diana said to the small Hunter who looked up in thought.
"Uh, I was shooting stuff. And then that big ol' witch showed up. That's about it." Carmen replied, causing Diana to deadpan. Carmen's Ghost immediately took shape beside her, giving a deep sigh.
"My apologies Captain." Her Ghost said, rolling its only optic. "We were here with another fireteam doing a routine patrol. Just when things had started to quiet down we detected a noteworthy energy signature which was followed by the appearance of Oryx's Daughter. We witnessed her entering the Rupture which closed abruptly once she had gone in."
"Thank you." Diana said kindly to the Ghost.
"It's not a problem Captain." Carmen's Ghost replied.
"Kiss up." Carmen said under her breath as Diana turned to the rest of Undaunted.
"Alright guys, prepare to mobilize." Diana declared.
"Where to?" Tobias asked curiously as Diana looked at the Rupture.
"I'm not exactly sure myself, but we're going into the Ascendant Realm." Diana replied as she recalled some information that Toland had shared with her after they had killed Oryx.
"The death of Oryx is indeed a critical blow to deal to the Hive, but your fight against the Hive pantheon isn't over. I feel as though you will have to return to this realm at some point." Toland said to her as the two of the stood in front of the portal that would take Diana back to the Dreadnaught. Everyone else had already gone through, save for the Warlock who had opened the portal.
"Will you help us again if we return?" Diana asked him curiously. Toland's guidance had been crucial in their assault of the High War. Without him this mission would have ended in failure.
"Certainly. I'll be waiting for you." Toland stated.
Even though they were going in blind once again, Diana was sure that with Toland's guidance they would find Ir Anuk and end this situation.
The area shook as the Rupture was ripped open by Diana, surprising most the Guardians that were aiding Undaunted. None of them had been in the Hall of Souls the first time she had opened a Rupture. It was certainly something to see.
"Let's get moving." Diana stated as she motioned for her team to follow her in.
"Good luck Captain!" The Guardians called out to Undaunted as one by one they disappeared into the Rupture.
Ascendant Realm
Crossroads
"Man, if there's one thing I'm not going to get used to, it's how cold it is here." Carmen mumbled as she rubbed her hands on her shoulders, trying to warm herself up a bit.
"Ugh, don't remind me." Diana said as she shook herself, doing what she could to ignore the sudden temperature drop as well. Looking around the area, Diana took a short breath as she recognized the platform they stood on. They were surrounded by deep space once again, waiting on a small ledge for the Hive Tombships to start appearing.
"Sweet, we have to do this again." Niko said with a small grin. The adrenaline rush from jumping from one ship to the next was incredible last time. He never thought he was have an opportunity to do this again.
'Where are you Toland?' Diana asked herself as she looked around.
"Hey, there she is!" Tobias hollered as the Tombships began to appear. Out in the distance, Ir Anuk took shape as well, looking away from them as she floated above one the ships.
"We can't let her get too far ahead of us. Come on, let's follow her!" Niko called out as the first Tombship formed in front of the ledge they were standing on.
"Diana, what's the hold up?" Carmen called out to her now that she, Niko and Tobias had boarded the ship. Diana was the only one how was still on the platform, looking around anxiously.
Toland was nowhere to be found, and he was the reason they had gotten through this puzzle the first time. But without him, how were they going to find their way across this time? She didn't have the slightest clue what ship would take them where. Where would they end up if they attempted this on their own?
"Nothing." Diana said as she joined them. There was no time. They couldn't let Ir Anuk escape them.
Together the four of them now stood together on the roof of the Tombship which rose slightly before it began to move forward, journeying out into the area where the other ships were moving about. Everything was calm as all of them watched which ship Ir Anuk had jumped to next, which they would catch on the next rotation.
It was easy at first. But not for long. Far out in the distance, multiple gray platforms began to take shape, followed by Hive Acolytes and Knights spawning on top of them. Without any mercy, these enemies began to fire away at the Guardians, bombarding them with their shredders and boomers
"Aww yeah, now we're talking!" Niko exclaimed as he summoned his Stillpiercer. Raising his weapon, Niko picked off the closest set of enemies, shooting down the group of three before he reloaded his weapon.
"Niko, Tobias, you guys take care of the enemies. Carmen, you track Ir Anuk on which ship we have to take next." Diana said quickly. Everyone quickly took their positions.
Niko and Tobias began to pick off the their Hive opponents with their long range weapons, but as they cleared them away, more of them continued to replace the ones they had shot down.
"We're not getting anywhere with this." Niko grumbled as he lowered his sniper. He had already cleared off the same floating platform three times, and any group of Knights had already formed on it once again.
"Just keep shooting." Diana advised him while she and Carmen kept up with their task. "Our next ship is beneath us, we're jumping to my left so get ready!"
Seeing the next ship slowly come out from below them, the four of them jumped down before glancing up at the ship they had just left. It went on a little bit further before it disappeared as if it had never been there.
Carmen kept her eyes glued to Ir Anuk, keeping track of the each ship she moved to and pointing out them out to Diana.
At first it was simple. There was only a single ship for her to track. But as they continued, multiple ships began to appear, offering them choices. Carmen though, didn't allow herself to be distracted by the other ships remained focused on Ir Anuk, remembering the pathway they would have to take.
"Carmen, where are we going from here?" Diana asked as she glanced at the Hunter beside her.
Carmen bit down on her lower lip for a moment, squinting a bit to recall where Ir Anuk had gone. There were three ships approaching them from three different directions. Niko and Tobias were caught up in trying to keep the number of enemies down, and Diana was trying to keep everyone organized. It was all on her shoulders to guide them.
"The one on our right." Carmen declared as she pointed out the one they would be jumping to next.
"Nice." Diana said as before barking the order for Niko and Tobias to follow them to the next ship. "We'll rotate back and forth now Carmen, to keep track of Ir Anuk."
"I don't think…we'll have to." Carmen said slowly as she looked out ahead of them. They could see Ir Anuk way out on the distance, still on the same ship. The Hive stopped spawning around them as well, and gradually the Tombships began to disappear until the ship they were standing on was the only one remaining.
"Did we, make it?" Diana asked softly as Tobias and Niko lowered their weapons.
"It looks like it." Tobias said as he placed his Tlaloc back into the holster on his back.
Niko narrowed his gaze as Ir Anuk now faded away as well, leaving them completely alone now.
"Where'd she go?" Niko voiced his concern as everyone began to look around in search of their target.
"O-kay, this is getting creepy now." Carmen muttered as she edged herself behind Niko.
"What are you hiding behind me for?" He asked her.
"Human shield, just in case." She replied with a cackle.
"Oh, you're going to regret that once we get back to Earth." Niko retorted.
Tobias stifled at laugh at the usual antics between these two, amazed that they could talk so freely despite their current situation. But a suddenly flash caused him to look away from them in search of the source.
"Did you guys see that?" Tobias asked as he turned back to his teammates. But they were gone. Everything…was gone. "Guys?"
Making a full three sixty now, in search of anything, Tobias was shocked to see that his previous setting had vanished along with his teammates. The Tombships, the starry heavens. All of it.
Taking a tentative step forward, Tobias reached for his Tlaloc, but his hand only grasped empty air. Tobias felt his stomach drop at this. What was going on?! Looking down to grab the belt around his torso that his holster was attached to, Tobias discovered that he was no longer wearing his overcoat and slacks. Now he was in polo shirt, with a pair of jeans and a heavy jacket. Why was he dressed like this?
What happened to everyone? His team? His weapons?
"Tobias!" A voice snapped at him, causing him to whirl around. But there was still nothing behind him. Turning once again, it was then Tobias discovered that he had regained some surroundings. He was in large lobby, with many men and women scattered around the room, looking up at a large monitor that was mounted above the reception desk. "Tobias!"
It was the same voice again. But this time, a hand had been dropped on his shoulder which nearly made him jump out of his skin. Glancing over his shoulder, Tobias found a dark haired man standing behind him, a look of concern on his face.
"Are you okay?" He asked Tobias, who blinked a few times before giving him a nod.
"Yeah, I'm fine." Tobias replied before the man pointed up at the monitor.
"The latest news is coming in right now." He said, directing Tobias' attention to the monitor. The room had become deathly silent as the newscast resumed. The camera panned in on the front of the United Nations building in New York where several notable figures from around the globe had gathered. But the President of the United States separated himself from this group of people, stepping toward the podium where he began to speak.
"As I'm sure you all know, three and half days ago an extraterritorial landed off the coast of San Francisco. The Coast Guard attempted to communicate with it, but all attempts failed as it attacked the city of San Francisco." He explained to the audience. "From that point forward, the United States Armed Forces has engaged this enemy several times, and have been unsuccessful in stopping its campaign across our land."
As he spoke, various images were shown to those watching this broadcast. The remains of the Golden Gate Bridge. The ruins of the Space Needle in Seattle. Tobias could hear several gasps around him in response to these pictures.
"An evacuation of the United States has already begun, but after meeting with the UN, we have determined that a full scale evacuation of the Earth is in order." The President declared. However there was uncertainty in his voice, as if he couldn't believe he was saying this either. "Launch sites have been prepared across the eastern hemisphere to take us to the colonies beyond the Earth."
"Are you serious?" The man standing beside Tobias exclaimed. "We're actually going to run?"
"From what?" Tobias asked him. "What's going on?"
"The end of the world, that's what." He replied. "This, thing, came down from space about a week ago. It landed in the ocean, off the west coast of the U.S. And, it just started to slaughter any and everything."
"Well, what is this 'thing'?" Tobias demanded to know. The man pointed back at the monitor again.
Tobias felt his heart jump into his throat at the sight of Oryx hovering over the ruins of a city in an image captured by their satellites.
"Oh my god, I'm back at the Collapse." Tobais said in a whisper, unable to believe what he was seeing.
"The what?"
"Uhh, nothing." Tobias replied he shook his head.
"So this is really it. We're on the run now." The man said with a sigh as he looked at the exit to the lobby where they could see the people working at this facility rushing out of the building. "You should call your wife and make sure she and Adrian made it out of Charlotte."
"How do you know…my wife?" Tobias was dumbfounded as he asked that question. And this caused the man to furrow his brow, giving Tobias an odd look.
"Earth to Tobias, it's me, Reginald." He stated as he motioned to himself. "We've be working together here for practically the last decade."
Reginald? Who had said that name before?
"Now come one, the nearest launch station is a few miles from here. We can take one of the transports to it and wait for your family there."
"My family?" Tobias repeated. They were alive?!
Reginald clapped his hands in front of Tobias' face to prevent him from falling into a daze.
"Come on, we have to get moving." He declared, leading Tobias out of the lobby, taking him down the large stairway that led up to the facility. There was a lot of commotion outside as hundreds of people were scrambling into transports. "Wow, everyone's rushing right now. If we don't hurry, we'll have to wait for the next round of transports."
Feeling the cooler temperature now that they were outside, Tobias zipped up his jacket. There was thin layer of snow on the ground, and he could see his breath as he exhaled.
"Where are we?" Tobias asked.
"Moscow, you should know that. You've been coming here for six months every year. Where is your head at today?" Reginald asked him as Tobias came to a stop to check his surroundings. Turning around to look at the large building they had just left, his eyes were drawn upward to the massive white sphere that was hovering over the compound.
'The Traveler?!' Tobias exclaimed. What was it doing here?!
"Tobias, quit day dreaming and get over here!" Reginald hollered at him. He was standing in the doorway leading up into one transport, motioning for the driver to wait for Tobias despite protests from the other passengers. "If we miss this transport it'll be an hour before they get back!"
"I'm coming." Tobias called out as he took one last look at the Traveler before sprinting over to the transport, joining Reginald inside. Every seat had been taken so the two of them had to stand up, holding on to the handle bars that hung from the ceiling.
"Call incoming!" A mechanical voice said suddenly as Tobias felt something vibrating against his chest. "Caller identification, Michelle."
"Oh, she's calling you." Reginald noted with a bit of a smirk as Tobias reached into his jacket, pulling out his small hand held phone. Two options were projected for him, to accept or decline the call. Placing the tip of his finger against 'accept', an earpiece materialized over his right ear, and the first thing he heard was a loud crash causing his heart to skip a beat.
"Hello?" Tobias said immediately, waiting for an answer. "Hello?"
"T-Tobias…" A tender voice said softly. It was indeed his wife! Her name was Michelle. How beautiful.
"Is everything okay, I heard something just now?" Tobias said anxiously, causing Reginald to look toward him with concern.
"That monster, is here." She stated, almost whispering to him.
Tobias felt his chest become tight from this news.
"Are you serious?" Tobias whispered in response, hiding his voice which was beginning to tremble.
Was this what happened to his family? He lost them to Oryx without a fight. He was on one side of the planet and they were on the other, facing certain doom!
"What happened? Weren't you supposed to be on a transport out of there already?" Tobias asked her as she took a pained gasp of air.
"There weren't enough. There were so many people leaving from New York and Florida that a lot of us were stranded here in Charlotte." She explained slowly, causing Tobias to close his hands into tight fists. Tobias bit down on his lower lip, looking up as he struggled to contain his anger. How could such a thing happen?!
"What's the matter?" Reginald asked him, noticing the change in his expression.
"They were left in Charlotte. Right there in the freakin' station!" Tobias said before taking a deep breath to ensure that his anger didn't bubble over.
"You can't be serious." Reginald exclaimed causing Tobias to shake his head with a dark expression.
"Michelle, what's going on over there?" Tobias asked her.
"We were attacked at the station by that monster. Only a few of us survived, but we're trapped now, and we have no idea if that thing is coming back." She explained to him. Tobias then heard a small voice speak to her for a few moments. "Shhh, sweetie. We're alright…we're alright."
Was that…his son?
But before Tobias could ask, several cries rang out.
"Everyone stay low, it's coming back!"
"Don't say a word!"
"Michelle?" Tobias said.
"Tobias, I'm sure you know this already but I just, feel the need to say this again. I love you." Michelle stated.
"Michelle?" Tobias repeated, raising his voice this time. But there was no response. "What's going on? Michelle!?"
"Oh god, it sees us!"
Tobias could hear a loud crash followed by a shriek, then the call came to an abrupt end.
He could only stand there in shock for a moment, blinking his eyes furiously. Did that just happen? Did that, really, just happen? He was absolutely stunned as Reginald leaned toward him a bit to check on him.
"Tobias?" He said, placing a hand on his shoulder
He had gotten so close. He could remember his wife's beautiful face. He had heard her lovely voice. But he would never feel her touch…
Tears began to roll down his cheeks, causing Reginald to assume the worst. Tobias fell to his knees, gaining glances from the other passengers, but Reginald kneeled down beside him while motioning for everyone else to carry on with what they were doing.
"What happened?" Reginald asked him softly.
"They're gone…" Tobias whispered in response, a lump in his throat. Trying to blink back his tears, Tobias still found them running down his cheeks though. He couldn't stop them.
"Tobias, calm down." Reginald whispered to him.
"They shouldn't have been in Charlotte still. I should've gone home to get them." Tobias reasoned softly. "They're gone now and…it's all my fault."
"Nothing, is your fault Tobias!" Reginald said firmly, cutting him off before he could reason any further. "It's not your fault. So please, don't put yourself on a guilt trip. No one could have accounted for-"
Tobias stared straight at Reginald, but his voice was fading away. All he could hear was his heart thumping. Reginald gave him a soft shake, refocusing Tobias on him, but he still couldn't hear the man. Tobias felt his breath become short as he took in a few shaky gasps.
He had just lost…everything. His world was falling apart. His family was gone. They were leaving the Earth. What was he supposed to do?
Noticing that Reginald had jumped away, and all eyes were on him, Tobias looked down at his hands which glowed brightly. Void Light was coursing through them, much to the awe of the passengers.
'I still have, the Light?' Tobias asked himself. 'But how?'
Looking up, Tobias imagined the top of the transport that they were inside of, and then he Blinked to the roof of it where he now stood his feet, needing a moment to establish his balance. He could still channel the Light. It was there within him still. Why it was there though…?
That didn't really matter to him now. He could stop Oryx, right here, right now!
Taking a deep breath, Tobias felt his chest become hot. But this feeling quickly spread throughout his body as became enveloped in light. Closing his eyes for a moment, Tobias remained silent as he felt his skin become more sensitive, the chilling air rushing around him.
Looking down at his appearance, Tobias could see that his casual clothing had been replaced by the white robes he had when he channeled the Radiant Light. He had successfully entered his Radiant Form. And now, he would put Oryx to rest before he could do anything else to the Earth. Rising from off the roof of the transport, Tobias looked to the west and thrusted himself forward, surpassing the speed of sound in an instant.
Within a few moments he was already crossing the Atlantic Ocean, glancing back at the landscape that quickly faded into the horizon. As he crossed over to the western hemisphere, Tobias could sense the Darkness that was likely radiating from Oryx. This was a beacon for him as he flew toward the area where it was the densest. Oryx had to be there.
Reaching to east coast of North America, Tobias raced into the heart of the Darkness, charging over the remains of a city as his target came into view.
Hovering over what was left of Charlotte, Oryx held his cleaver loosely, unimpressed with the inhabitants of Earth. They were by far the most pitiful race he had ever encountered. He couldn't understand what made the Traveler stop here for so long, but this would prove to be its greatest mistake. He would kill the Traveler here.
Oryx perked up a bit, finally sensing something on this planet that actually had a presence. Turning to the east, he only had a moment to realize it was racing toward him before he received a blow to his head that sent him crashing down to the ground. Unharmed from this attack though, Oryx rose up to see one of these human's floating in the air as well, and he could feel the malice within this one.
"Oryx!" Tobias screamed, and in response Oryx hurled his cleaver at Tobias. But Tobias merely batted away the weapon with his forearm despite the immense size of it. Quickly recognizing Tobias' strength, Oryx raised one hand to call back his cleaver which had been sent flying before he burst forward to charge at his opponent. Tobias rushed at Oryx as well, his hands becoming engulfed in a white light as he neared Oryx.
Time seemed to slow down for Tobias as he stared at Oryx. He had done this already. He had fought Oryx. He had killed Oryx! So why was he doing this now?
'Yes, why are you doing this Tobias?' The Traveler asked him as the scene froze completely. Oryx was roaring, his cleaver raised to cut down Tobias. Meanwhile Tobias had both his hands cocked back, read to unleash the Light at its fullest onto the Taken King.
"He just, killed my family." Tobias responded as he stared at Oryx.
'That happened centuries ago Tobias. You know that.' The Traveler reasoned with him. 'You wouldn't have these powers otherwise.'
"Then, what's happening right now?" Tobias asked himself. The Traveler was right. He couldn't have possessed the Radiant Light during the Collapse. The Traveler was still alive back then. So was this some sort of test?
It had to be. But from who? Who would put him in such a situation where he could avenge his family almost immediately? Who would put him in a position to stop the Collapse from taking place? Was any of this even real?
"I stopped living in the past." Eva stated. "I was clinging onto things that weren't there anymore."
"You can't let events in the past dictate what you do now." Diana told him.
"You can't bottle things up or else you'll end up doing something stupid." Carmen said.
That's right. He was still making the same mistake, despite everything that had been through since becoming a Guardian. He was still thinking about the past when that was no longer his concern.
"A world without the Darkness…? I can't even begin to imagine it." Anari said as she looked up in thought.
"Maybe if we beat the Darkness we might reach a second Golden Age." Niko pointed out. "I'd love to see that."
The present and the future was all he needed to think about.
Looking at the scene around him once again, Tobias could see the remains of the city that was in such a state because of Oryx. He then looked at the Taken King who was still frozen in front of him. This fight didn't matter. It wouldn't change anything because it would never happen. He was dreaming…
His surroundings shattered, leaving Tobias dazed and confused as his setting changed dramatically. He was back out in the void of space again, resting with a large room with open walls. It was just like Oryx's throne room back on the High War.
"Where am I?" Tobias asked as he blinked a few times, clearing up his vision completely.
"My my, I didn't expect you to break out of my illusion so quickly." A feminine voice noted, causing Tobias to whirl around. His heart nearly stopped as he stared at the creature that hovered just above the floor behind him. It was similar to a Hive Wizard, but it possessed a trio of glowing green eyes, and it possessed legs as well unlike other Wizards. But its legs were merely a silhouette beneath a cloth like garment that hung from is waist. This was Wizard was smaller than Tobias, looking up at him at the moment. But Tobias' gaze was then drawn to the much large presence behind it.
Ir Anuk was hovering behind this Wizard, looking down at him.
Jumping backward to put some distance between himself and these enemies, Tobias then saw his teammates who had been standing beside him. They were all lined up, remaining completely still as they looked upward.
"Guys, behind you!" Tobias hollered at them, earning a laugh from the small Wizard.
"They can't hear you dear. Each of them is caught in one of my illusions at the moment." She replied as she slowly approached Tobias.
"What did you do to them?!" Tobias demanded as he drew his Tlaloc, taking aim at the Wizard.
"I've been waiting for an opportunity to succeed my brother Oryx, and you Children of the Light proved to be the perfect means to do so." The stated as she rose up, placing herself on Ir Anuk's shoulder.
"Brother?" Tobias exclaimed softly. Was he still dreaming? Or did that Wizard just say it was related to Oryx. "Who are you?"
"There's a time and place for everything sweetheart." She replied with a laugh. "Now is the time to fight."
Tobias raised his weapon again, taking aim at the Wizard, but he was forced to jump to his side to avoid behind hit by a pair of throwing knives. Looking down, Tobias could see that his teammates had begun to move again, but they were walking toward him, activating their most powerful abilities, all of which they aimed at him.
'Oh crap, I'm screwed.' Tobias muttered to himself as he realized he was now fighting more than just the Hive. They had managed to turn his own teammates against him.
A/N
Hello everyone, back with another chapter for you all and I hope you enjoyed it. This next fight is going to be pretty hectic, so buckle your seat belts because you're in for a very wild ride over the course of the next ten chapters or so. Can't wait to get the next part out for you guys.
One thing I forgot to explain back when they were fighting Oryx, was the Crossroads. Toland gave an explanation in the story, but just thought it would make sense to make this as simple as possible.
The jumping ship puzzle in King's Fall, is the Crossroads in my fic. But it applies to the Ascendant Realm as a whole, not just the High War where Oryx was. Think of the Tombships as a means to get to any Hive Throne World, or any of the Ruptures the Hive use around the galaxy.
As always, thanks for the support and clicks everyone, and I'll see you again soon!