"I've got a bad feeling about this."

"Oh relax. You're always feelings nervous about these types of things."

"This time I'm serious. Something is wrong about this place. I mean, look at these things."

Garrus jabbed one of the statues with the barrel of his Black Widow rifle, as if it might start moving on its own at any moment.

"Looks like something out of a Cultish House."

Shepard eyed the statue, and she had to admit, it was definitely unsettling. The strange, jagged form, kneeling as if in prayer, alongside at least half a dozen others, all kneeling so that they were facing the large metal ring embedded in the stone floor. Liara walked round the ring, her omni-tool alight as she scanned it, no doubt taking notes as well. Shepard tore her eyes from her teammates, glancing at the room as a whole. Opened ceiling, a red cloudy sky with lightning flashing across the clouds, but the thunder itself was distance. The walls were stone, with metal bands running across the stone, running down to connect with dark colored metal cube, half buried in the ground. Past the ring on the floor, was a small flight of steps, leading up to a pedestal, with a much larger ring set into the wall behind, and some kind of dish within the ring. The ring itself was metal, and looks almost as if it had been built from plates of metal without much thought, and yet it was precise and intentional.

Shepard stepped up to the ring, tilting her head as she studied it. Liara suddenly came up beside Shepard, a brow raised as she stared at the ring with Shepard. And Garrus, he had moved to study one of the cubes by the wall, kneeling down as he ran a hand over its surface.

Suddenly the ground rumbled, as if an earthquake was setting in. In reaction, Shepard extended an arm and grabbed Liara just as she began to fall forward, preventing her from slamming into the ground. Shepard then extended her second arm, helping herself and her friend remain balanced as the ground continued to shake. Garrus unfortunately, due to crouching, was not so lucky, and found himself sprawling on the ground as it continued to rumble beneath his feet. Then, just as suddenly as it had started, the rumbling stopped.

Shepard glanced around, confused. Her eyes met with Liara's and she saw fear in the doctor's eyes. Another noise then caught Shepard's attention, but this time, it wasn't coming from the ground. She turned to face the sound, and her eyes widened at what she saw.

The kneeling statutes, they were moving! Small slivers of light, like hairline fractures, spread across the surface, cracking the stone and causing it to shudder. Slowly, the statues began sitting upright, their shoulders and heads slowly turning to face behind them. And they were staring at Garrus.

"Garrus! Get out of there!"

Garrus slowly stood from his kneeling position, glancing up and spotting the moving statues. His eyes went wide, and he lifted his rifle defensively.

"Spirits help me."

Shepard moved to help her friend, but found herself stopped by a shield of some kind. It was invisible, until she touched it, causing white energy to form in front of her, keeping her in. She glanced down, and gasped in horror. Her and Liara stood within the large metal ring, which glowed as cuboidal walls of energy were projected from the ring. They were trapped inside. Shepard glanced back at her friend, eyes wide as she beat her fist against the shield. No! No, this couldn't be happening!

She could do nothing but watching in stunned horror as the statues stood, the stone falling away to reveal darkened forms covered in armor, slowly advancing on her friend. The ground rumbled again, and a light appeared behind her, but she ignored it, instead locking eyes with her best friend, and seeing the fear in his eyes.

"GARRUS!"


Shepard bolted up right, panted loudly as she awoke from her dream. Slowly, she calmed down, her mind calming some, but the images wouldn't leave. That was no dream. It was a memory. She slowly lifted her hands, staring at them as they shook. Garrus was gone. Possibly injured, or worse. Those…things. They were responsible for her arrival here, and for the disappearance of Garrus. Or, were they. She couldn't tell. It was all so bizarre, and it buzzed her mind, making it difficult to think.

Throwing the blanket off of her, she sat up, placing her feet on the floor as she glanced to the side. Tri sat in his recliner chair, laying back as her rested, his eyes and other lights switched off, no doubt in a power saving mode similar to sleeping. It was strange to Shepard, seeing a machine that simulated human life so well, and yet still proudly showed off its mechanical traits. He reminded her of the Geth, in some ways, but from what she had gathered from his ghost Sparks, he functioned far differently. Unlike them, he was a single consciousness, operating on his own and fully sentient. Also, he was far kinder then any Geth she'd met before, so that was a bonus.

She shook these thoughts from her head and stood, grabbing her pants off of the nearby coffee table. Slipping them on, she strode to the other side of the room, where Tri's sink and fridge were. While he wasn't required to eat or drink, he surprisingly was still capable of doing it, and thus kept a fridge full of soda and snacks in his room. But, she wasn't feeling anything like, so she just grabbed a glass and filled it with water.

As she took a drink, she glanced out the window on the far side of the room, which gave her a clear view of the City beyond. It glowed softly, casting its light upon the bottom of the Traveler, which hung silently overhead. It was dark still. A quick glance at her activated Omni-tool confirmed it. 3:52 AM. Honestly, it didn't surprise her. She'd been having trouble sleeping these past few nights, and who could blame her. The thoughts of her dream buzzed in her mind. Garrus was still out there, and it was highly possible that he was captured, injured, or even… She refused to believe that final possibility. No. He was alive, and she would find him, even if it meant…

"You're certainly up early."

Shepard jumped from the sudden voice, and turned to face its source. She was greeted by the sight of Tri's orange shelled ghost, Sparks. The ghost spun the back half of his shell, twisting to the side slightly as he examined Shepard, bathing her in a pale blue light. She sighed, taking another sip of water before shooting him a slight glare.

"Yeah. What of it Sparky?"

The ghost's eye narrowed, as if he didn't approve of the nickname. This earned him a chuckle from Shepard, much to his grief.

"Your bio-scan shows that you are mentally troubled, and your body is suffering from the effects of fatigue. If I had to guess, I would say that you have been having difficulty sleeping as of late. Correct?"

Shepard sighed, glancing to the side to avoid the ghost's gaze. She didn't like the idea of Sparks reading her so easily just anytime he wanted too. But, perhaps this was something that needed to be talked about after all. She finally glanced back at the ghost locking eyes with him.

"So what, I'm sure lots of guardians have trouble sleeping."

"With good reason, yes. And the only reason I can think of for you is that you have a friend who is still missing. Correct?"

Shepard froze, surprised the Sparks had figured out that kind of info. She sighed, grinding her teeth some before answering.

"Fine. You're right. I'm worried about my friend Garrus. I'm….having dreams about what has happened to him."

Sparks spun his shell slowly, then moved forward, staring at her before stopping. He was closer now, but still respected her space.

"What's happened to him, if you don't mind me asking?"

She was silent, thinking. She wasn't one to open up like this to most people, but then again, she trusted Sparks, and wouldn't lie to someone she trusted.

"Visions about… how we arrived here. I'm still confused about exactly what happened. Most of the details are still… fuzzy. I can't remember all of it. But what I can remember is a, stone room, with a metal ring placed in the floor and a larger one on the back wall. Stone statues, kneeling if in prayer, face the ring. Then, the ground rumbles, the statues come alive. A flash of light… and, and I awake in the wastes of Russia."

"Sounds like the Vex to me."

Shepard glanced at Sparks, who simply stared back, as if the information was just common trivia. She then looked away again, hardening her face.

"They took Garrus. He was separated from us, and those… statues. I remember them moving towards him. I fear he may be injured or captured."

"If the Vex took your friend. I'm afraid that he's already dead. Vex don't take prisoners."

That bit of information struck Shepard like a Krogan sucker punch. Dead? No. Not possible. That couldn't be true.

"I refuse to believe it. Until I see proof, I'm going to believe that he's still alive. And, that he can be found."

The ghost sighed, a strangely human gesture that surprised Shepard.

"It is foolish to believe that, but if it makes you feel better, I won't stop you."

Sparks dipped himself in a gesture mimicking a dipped head, then turned, flying towards Tri before vanishing in a flash of light. Shepard watching him leave, then turned her eyes to the window again, gazing out at the shining city. Her friend was out there. She could feel it. He was alive, somehow. And she would find him.


A cave, deep beneath the earth, buried far from prying eyes. Large stalactites hung from the ceiling, and massive stalagmites jutted up from the ground, together forming the appearance of a vast, hungry maw. The floor was polished, coated in stone slabs, converting the area into some sort of alter. A large Hive Crystal, similar to Crota's soul stone, hovered on a pedestal, green energy holding it up by magic. Three pale eyes stared out from the crystal, yet they weren't harsh. They were more slit shaped, and gazed as if in sorrow. Suddenly, as if they sensed a presence, they flashed, the whole room buzzing as images appeared on its surface.

Fallen, draped in cloaks, their faces covered by hoods and wraps, held the chains of captive Hive, which snarled and fought against their captures. One Fallen, his form thin yet imposing, stood above the rest. Massive spike jutted out from his back, a large cane, covered in skulls in his hand. He glared at the chained Hive with burning green eyes, the rest of his face hidden in shadow. The Crystal appeared again, buzzing and humming while several Fallen, dressed in ornate robes knelt before it, chanting and siphoning beams of green energy from the Crystal. The eye within shuddered, as if in pain.

The image changed to space, where a titanic Hive vessel lay in orbit, its hull pitted with breaches, belching out smoke and fire. Within, Hive fought against Hive. Flesh against Bone. Fire against Blood. Oryx over saw it all, blackened streaks, like tears, running down his face as he watched his children tear each other apart.

The fabric of space suddenly shattered, red tendrils of energy shattering empty space like a cracked window. Walls and floors distorted and warped as snarls filled the air. Clawed hands erupted from the fractures of space-time, grappling at everything around them. They burst from the walls, from the ground, from the air itself, waving hungrily before grabbing Guardians, civilians, Fallen, Hive, Vex, and Cabal, anything that they could. The grabbed their screaming victims and dragged them back through the wounds of space-time, which all closed with crashes of thunder and ground shaking laughter.

Eris's head shot up, a short gasp escaping her lips as she jerked herself from her dreams. She groaned, lifting a hand to rub her aching temples. This was the third vision in the past two days. Even for someone like her, this was unusual. Her three eyes opened again, unblocked due to the removal of her head wraps hours before. However, this had led to unfortunate consequences. Without her wrappings, the bioplasmic ooze that dripped from her grafted Hive eye-plate like constant blackened tears had dripped onto the documents below, soiling them as she slept. She growled softly to herself for the blunder, then began gathering the blackened documents. At least nothing important had been ruined.

"Burning the late-night hours again Eris?"

She froze, then slowly spun in her chair to face the owner of the voice, Ikora Rey. The Warlock Vanguard was leaning against the door frame, her arms crossed. She was dressed in nighttime robe, most likely because Eris had either waken her, or she had gotten up for some other reason. Ever since Eris had moved in with Ikora due to not having anywhere else to sleep, the woman always tried to look out for her well being, much to Eris's grief. Reaching up a hand, Eris brushed some of her thin, pale black hair out of her face. She didn't like it when it was soiled by her oozing face.

"I had another vision; the wretched things are keeping me from sleep."

Eris turned, and glared at her Hive orb, which rested upon its pedestal on her desk. It was buzzing and flaring unnaturally again, something that had become normal as of late. A sigh broke the silence, and Eris turned to face Ikora, who now stood just behind her.

"Do you mind sharing what these visions are about? I might be able to provide some helpful information."

Eris muttered under her breath. "Unlikely."

Ikora rested a hand on Eris's shoulder, grabbing her attention.

"Eris. You can trust me. I am a friend after all."

The dark guardian glanced over her shoulder at Ikora. She was right. Since her arrival, Ikora was one of the first to befriend her. She was also one of the only ones who understood her. True, she didn't know everything, but it was close enough. With a sigh, she gave in.

"I see… Fallen. Dressed in robes, with eyes glowing green. They chained up Hive, and seem to worship their artifacts. I see Hive fighting Hive, a rift between Oryx and his follower that has become a civil war that threatens to consume everything. And… a presence, one unlike anything we have fought before. It lies just beyond, and its minions tear through the fabric of reality to abduct its victims. But not just guardians or civilians. Every living thing is taken, dragged from this world into another. I… I have never seen something that makes my blood run as cold as this does."

Eris glanced up at Ikora, and saw a troubled look on the woman's face. She was chewing on her lip, deep in thought. It was a face Eris had seen her make many times before.

"Well, parts of this vision do line up with recordings and reports from the field. The Hive do seem to be engaged in some kind of civil war, tearing at each other with reckless abandon. The Fallen you've seen also coincide with some reports I've heard from my Hidden. Fallen dressed in robes, their eyes glowing green, capturing Hive and hauling them away. But this presence, I'm not sure I know what that is. Was there anything else?"

"There was… a Hive Crystal. Vast and powerful, much like the one that held Crota's soul on the moon. It seemed to be calling out to me, showing me these visions too…"

Eris stopped, a realization coming to her. The Hive fought a brutal civil war. Oryx mourns for the loss of his son, but something more. Fallen who worship the Hive hid in the dark. A Crystal, containing the soul of a Hive. A powerful Hive. She stood, the information falling together. The abrupt action startled Ikora, causing her to step back some.

"I need to leave. Something I have to see for myself."

Eris snatched up her orb before quickly moving to the back of the room where she began applying her head wrappings and helmet. She was quickly followed by Ikora.

"No. No way are you leaving Eris. You haven't left since…"

"Since I came here. I'm aware. But I must do this. It's why I'm having these visions. I think I know why our enemy is behaving strangely."

"But to put yourself in danger over a hunch. We need you Eris. We can form a squad to investigate for you. They can…"

"No. I must do this myself. I shall not rest till it is done."

With that, Eris turned, and strode out of the room without another word.


"So, where are we going again Tri?"

Tri glanced over his shoulder at Shepard, he was standing just behind him in full gear, though her helmet was off.

"Eastern Russia. We're going to search the area for Hive and Fallen presence, engage if necessary, and report back to the Vanguard."

"So, a scouting mission that can turn into a shootout if we wish?"

"Basically, yeah."

"Wonderful."

Tri chuckled at the woman's sarcasm before turning back to the ship's controls, preparing it for their departure. With that, Shepard pushed herself off of the wall, then strode back to the main room. There, she found Crystal outfitting Liara in Warlock gear, preparing her for ground combat. It had been a bit difficult convincing Ikora to allow Liara to depart, but with some proper coaxing, she granted permission.

Glancing over her friend, Shepard couldn't help but smirk. The armor that Crystal had put her in was a dull silver color, with a relatively simple design, armored plates beneath a cloth cloak. Blue bands lined the cloth, as well as formed decorations, adding some color to the grey. However, if she knew Liara, she knew that the Asari would be annoyed by the coloration of the armor. But, she'd get over it. Finally finished, the Awoken patted Liara on the back with a smile.

"There you go. All ready for a Fallen raid. How do you feel?"

Liara lifted a hand, examining her gauntlet with a frown, confirming Shepard's assumption.

"To be honest. Bland. Is this coloration really all you have?"

Crystal chuckled and nodded slowly.

"Unfortunately yes. I don't have any shades on me, and that was the only spare armor I had that would be suitable for this mission. I'm sorry, but you will just have to make due."

Liara huffed in the typical fashion that she did, earning her a chuckle from Shepard.

"Don't be so dramatic Liara, it could be a lot worse. Hell, I've seen you fight wearing far less protective gear than that."

She glared at Shepard, then sighed, turning back to Crystal, who chuckled before patting her shoulder.

"You'll do fine. Just remember to tap the black box for your hand cannon ammo and the green one for your sidearm. Don't want to get those mixed up."

Nodding slowly, Liara took out a hand cannon, the polished orange surface shining slightly in the low light. She frowned before putting it away. If Shepard had to guess, she wasn't happy with its size and weight.

The door then opened behind them, causing all the women to turn and glance at the entryway as Tri stepped in.

"Alright ladies. We are nearly there. Is our new companion ready for patrol duty Crystal?"

"Indeed she is. As ready as she can get without a Ghost that is."

"Well, we unfortunately can't help with that at the moment. Perhaps when we get back we can speak to Zavala about getting you two ghosts."

"Oh joy. I might get my very own Sparky to keep me company. Just what I always wanted."

At the mention of his name, the Ghost materialized above Tri's shoulder, glaring at Shepard.

"You know. I actually thought that with Amber gone I would be spared from such insults. But it appears that I was wrong."

She laughed at this, slightly proud that he was comparing her to the eccentric Hunter. While she was annoying, Shepard was starting to enjoy her company.

"That reminds me, where is Amber? I would think she'd love an outing like this. Seems her style."

"And you'd be correct, but she is currently otherwise occupied. Cayde had a secret mission for her to do, real tight lipped. Whatever it is, it was urgent, so she couldn't be with us."

"Approaching the drop point Tri."

"Right."

He turned, glancing at the women as his helmet appeared under his arm.

"Alright. We'll be coming in hard a fast. To prevent the Kings from picking up any evidence of us being here, we need to do a running drop off with our Sparrows. Liara. You're with Crystal, stick with her and you'll be fine. Shepard. You're with me."

They all nodded, then slipped their helmets on, Crystal stepping up to stand next to Tri. Shepard stood behind him, and even placed a hand on his shoulder. Liara did the same with Crystal. A few more minutes passed, then the world went white as the transmatt initiated. When the light faded, Shepard found herself sitting on the back of Tri's sparrow, her hands on his shoulder to brace herself as they fell the last 10 ft. Just as the ship passed by overhead, the sparrows revved up, their anti-gravity catching their fall and sending them off. Glancing over, Shepard spotted Crystal on her sparrow. Liara sat behind her, clutching her tightly and no doubt with a wide eyed face of terror at the sudden arrival. Unfortunately, her face was covered by a helmet, but Shepard could paint a pretty good mental image of what was happening, and it was enough. Straight as a bullet, the four guardians zipped across the wasteland towards their objective.


Amber pulled her sparrow to a stop atop of a large hill, overlooking the valley below. According to Cayde, a village in this area lost contact with the City about a week ago. A Hunter had been sent in to investigate, but he lost contact last night. Apparently, the only reason that Cayde was concerned by this at all was because the hunter had been broadcasting a signal before it was abruptly cut off, as if something had attacked him. So, Cayde was sending in Amber to investigate the disappearances and radio silence.

"Buggy. Anything I should be informed of?"

The ghost materialized above Amber's shoulder, spinning her shell while glancing at the valley below.

"Well, Veronica is looking into a new sniper rifle. She says she found one that is even more powerful than…"

"About my mission Buggy, not gossip."

"Oh. Well, this is the right area, though I am detecting no life signs in the valley below. Though, I can't be completely sure from this distance."

Amber sighed, tilting her head to the side to pop her neck before leaning forward and revving up her sparrow. Like a shot, she zipped down the hill into the valley below.

This was her first time being in the Americas, and honestly, she wasn't terribly impressed. Having heard so many tales about the great beauty and wealth that this land had to offer had gotten her hopes high. But seeing the desolate, barren wasteland, where the snow was replaced with sand and the biting cold replaced by searing heat, her hopes had been dashed. Maybe she was judging the landscape too harshly, but still, this place was over hyped and when push came to shove, just boring. Hopefully some action would happen, but knowing her luck, she'd wind up regretting that statement.

Finally, she reached the town, pulling up along the outskirts and hopping off her sparrow. The wind whipped her cloak, howling as it blew the dust from the ground. Drawing her Scout Rifle, Amber walked towards the town, scanning the buildings as she did. This was unnatural. There was no sound at all. No insects, no birds, nothing but the wind. Moving into the town itself, it was the same. Nothing but the wind blowing against the metal and wooden walls of the buildings.

"I don't like this? Where is everyone? Do your scans say anything Buggy?"

The Ghost materialized, her shell pulsing as she scanned the surrounding area. She then remained out, staring in silence.

"Buggy?"

"It's… I don't know. It's unlike anything I've ever seen. Its dead, but the whole area seems to buzz with energy. I can't explain it."

Amber makes a face, not finding any comfort AT ALL in the report that Buggy gave her, but she pressed on nonetheless, checking the buildings and alleys for signs of life. Nothing. No trails. No bodies. No blood. No signals. NO NOISE! NOTHING! She growled, kicked the side of a doorframe.

"I don't get it! Where is everyone! I know they went silent, but surely there'd be something here! Anything! Hell, I'd take a monster at this point!"

The word monsters triggered something, and the crash like thunder sounded. Amber froze, confused by the sound. Then, it sounded again, deep and rumbling, and it shook the ground beneath her, forcing her to place her hand on a nearby wall to maintain her balance. Then, as suddenly as it had begun, it stopped, leaving Amber confused. She whirled about, rifle raised, searching for anything abnormal, but she could see nothing. She lower her rifle, and glanced at the nearby wall.

Suddenly, a horrid noise split the silence, like a window cracking. Amber jumped, gasping loudly as the he air itself behind her fractured. Slivers of red energy, like cracking glass, formed in the air itself, spreading out like a shattering window, causing the air around it to distort. A clawed hand, shimmering silver with bands of red power, shot out of the fractured space-time, groping at Amber and barely missing her. She leapt back again, actually tripping and following down on her back. She shook her head, then backed up, staring in horror as the hand groped around as if searching for her. Being unsuccessful, it then slammed against the still shattering air, gripping it like a wall as it pulled the rest of itself forward.

A form, humanoid yet horrid, pulled itself from the fracture, hitting the ground with a heavy thud. Its body was made of silver metal, with thin red bands of power, almost like external veins, weaving up the limbs to meet at the chest. The limbs where thin, almost skeletal, and the waist was abnormally thin, attaching to a rib cage like chest, where a glowing box was held in the center of the chest. It was similar to a mind core, and yet, different, with a less open design and glowing a dull red instead of white. The vein like bands of energy all connected to the box, and pulsed like a heartbeat, giving the thing an eerie appearance. The right arm had some sort of weapon built onto it, pronged and boxy, with a glowing red orb built between the three barbed barrels. The red, vein like tendrils continued down from its chest, twisting round its stomach and waist before traveling down its thin legs. The tendrils wound round the leg before terminating at the hoof like feet. It stood there for a moment in silence, its left hand twitching slightly, the claw like fingers longer than normal.

The head then slowly turn up to face Amber, glaring down at her. A single red eye, placed in the center of a triangular face. Metal teeth and a jaw, like a skull, sat below the eye, giving it the horrid face of a metal skeleton. Two thin metal spikes jutted backwards and out from the skull, and a third one stuck back directly from the top. If these three were linked at the tips, it would form a fan shape. The mouth hung slack, allowing its mouth to hang open and expose a dull red glow inside of the mouth. Amber froze in horror, a hand lifted to her face as the thing glared at her. It was Vex, and yet, wasn't! It was far more horrid than she'd been prepared for, and it was now glaring down at her.

The things head then twitched, the jaw dropping down as a loud, droning screech came from its mouth. It sounded like a screaming child mixed with a thrumming engine, trying to start but refusing to turn over. Its gun arm then shot up, pointing directly at Amber as red lighting began sparking from the barrels. Her eyes widened, and she finally snapped out of her stupor.

Rolling to the side, she barely dodged the torrent of red bolts that slammed into the ground where she lay only moments before. Springing to her feet, she decided distance is better than immediate retaliation and took off in a sprint, dodging the bolts the whizzed past her as the thing droned again. Glancing back, she spotted the thing lurching after her, its joints throwing off red sparks as it ran after her with an awkward, yet strangely quick gait. It honestly reminded her of a headless Vex. She swore, it was keeping up with her. How could this get worse. Rounding the corner to the main road, she released that the situation had just gotten worse. All along the street, similar fractures in the air were forming, with more of these monstrous machines clawing their way out. They all glared at her, droning as they opened fire, turning the still night into one of horrid droning and gunfire.

Swearing loudly, she dove behind a building. Buggies voice then filled her ears, sounding as panicked as she did.

"What the hell were those things!? No Vex care a signature like that!"

Amber poked her head around the corner, swearing as she saw even more arrive.

"Doesn't matter. I need higher ground to deal with these basterds."

"On your left."

She turned, and found a ladder to the left, leading to the roof. Quickly pulling herself up, Amber flipped onto the roof with little difficult. She then ran to the edge of the roof, dropped to a knee, and opened fire upon the lurching machines.

Her aim held true, the rifle rounds, slamming into the deranged Vex, staggering them with each shot. Deciding that normal anti-Vex tactics would probably work, she aimed at the red box in one of the things chest and put a bullet into it. The red box split open, spilling glowing red fluid out from the front of the machine, causing it to groan as it dropped to its knees. The pulsing glow faded from its veins and eyes, and it collapsed into the puddle of red fluid, small specks of green mixed in the sludge as well. Satisfied, she did the same with the others, dodging the shots when she could. However, the huge volume of shots soon forced her to dive back and take cover. These things fired far faster than normal Vex, and their bolts did more damage. But her bullets did more damage. She was making a dent in their numbers. In a few more minutes, they'd be…

Suddenly, Amber heard another cracking sound, then yelped as she felt a cold, bladed hand grab her ankle and pull her to the ground. Looking back, she spotted another one of those fractured portals, one the metal arms grabbing her leg and trying to drag her into the rift. Clutching her rifle, she awkwardly rolled to her side and began firing at the arm, desperately hoping not to hit herself and to hit the arm. Finally, the arm snapped at the elbow, splattering her leg with red fluid as the metal limb tore free, the stump flying back into the fracture with a screeching roar.

Quickly kicking the limb from her leg, Amber scrambled back to her feet, and was greeted by the sight of even more fractures shattering the air above the streets. More of those horrid machines filled the streets, all droning and lurching towards her. This place was overrun by these things, and if she had to guess, they were the reason that everyone was missing.

The ground suddenly shook again, causing one of Amber's shots to go high, blowing the head off one of the machines instead of killing it. In traditional Vex fashion, the machine berserked, flailing wilding as it sprinted towards her, energy surging over its body as it fired none stop. However, unlike other Vex, when she shot the head off this one it release an unholy shriek, and continued to shriek as it charged her, firing madly. Trying to put that one down resulted in another lifting its free hand and hurling a burning red sphere at her, landing right at her feet.

"Grenade!"

Spotting the danger, she threw herself from the roof, escaping the blast just in time. Standing back up, she slowly glancing back to at the horde closing in on her. She had to get out of here and report this. This was too big of a threat for just her.

Acting fast, she turned and sprinted for the city outskirts, teeth clenched while she fired back at the following horde. Another bellowing cry split the air, louder than before, and when Amber glanced back to see what caused it, her heart jumped into her throat. Another, larger fracture was splitting the air on the main street, and an equally massive construct was tearing its way through. Its shoulder were wide, with massive arm, each on with bladed, sparking cannons built into them. The large head sported two large crests, running across the head before jutting up and back. An inverse triangle shaped eye glared out from beneath a horned brow, placed up a skull like mouth, pistons in place of tendons. The same red box with tendrils that covered the smaller Vex covered this one as well, causing its entire form to pulse with red energy.. Dropping its jaw far lower than Amber thought possible, the machine bellowed at her before charging, firing its twin dripping cannons as it went.

"They've got a Minotaur!"

Ignoring her ghost, Amber decided to simply run, run as if the devil himself was chasing her. But she could feel that it was gaining, forcing her to dodge the explosive blasts the deformed the nearby buildings and road. This combined with the standard fire from the (supposed) goblins was resulting in her shielding screaming at her as it threatened to fail.

"Buggy! Get me the HELL out of here!"

"Ships enroute outside the city."

A low screech filled the air, barely visible over the droning screams and weapons fire. Glancing up and spotting her ship, she sighed in relief, quickening her pace as she neared the outskirts. However, her hopes were shattered as quickly as they arrived. Seeing her ship, the Minotaur and at least half of the goblins all aimed upwards and opened fire on it. Amber, noticing that bolts where no longer flying at her, glanced up just in time to witness and large sparking sphere slam into her ship, detonating its back half in rolling flame.

She swore and dove to the side just as the debris crashed into the ground, exploding again and flinging Amber into the air. Finally skidding to a stop, she whimpered in pain, her eyes blurring up from tears and fuzziness. Her ears were ringing, her arm felt weird and her leg ached terribly. Slowly, her eyes opened up again, head still buzzing from the explosion. Her ship was gone, and with it, her sparrow and long range communication. She lifted her head and glanced at her left arm, which hung limply from her side. Dislocated. She was certain. She then turned to her left, and bit her lip to prevent herself from crying out. A large piece of shrapnel was embedded in her leg, jutting out of the back side of her thigh. A fresh wave of nausea slammed into her gut, and she gagged, trying not to vomit in her helmet.

Gritting her teeth, she sat up, and scanned the surroundings. A large pile of burning metal lay 20 yards away. Her ship had fallen, and the resulting explosion had flung her 20 yards up a hill. She could see the horrid Vex still moving towards the wreckage, their attention temporarily off her. But, she knew they'd find her again soon. She didn't have much time. Buggy's voice then spoke through her comm, staticky yet still there.

"Amber! Can you hear me? Are you alright? Can you walk?"

She nodded slowly, still gritting her teeth she shifted her weight and tried to stand. She suppressed another scream, releasing a pained whimper as slumped back to the ground. An idea came to her, and she pulled her sniper from her back. She'd lost her Scout rifle in the blast, and with it nowhere in sight, she didn't have time to retrieve it. Luckily, her sniper remained on her back.

Deciding that she needed it more for this now, she drove the guns butt into the ground, gripping the barrel as she hauled herself to her feet, whimpering as she did. No finally standing, she slowly began moving up the hill. Thankfully, the top was less than 10 yards away, but even then, there wasn't any shelter in the general area. She'd be walking for a while.

Glancing back on final time, she watched the monstrous Vex surround her ship and begin to rip the remains apart, no doubt searching for her body. With luck, she'd get some distance between them and herself before they realized she was gone.

"We need to move. Won't be long before they lose interest or wise up."

For one of the first times, she completely agreed with her ghost. She nodded weakly before turning back and limping away, blood dripping from her impaled leg and her left arm hanging limply. She had a long, painful night ahead of her.


Author's Notes: Hey everybody! I hope 2018 has been going well for you so far! I apologize for this chapters delay. I've gotten VERY busy at college, and my focus prevents me from getting the drive to write. Also, due to my busy college schedule, I cannot guarantee when the next chapter will come out, but I shouldn't be too long a wait, so there's that. But, have no fear, The Chosen Few will continue, as will its accompanying tales. Got a little more personal there at the beginning, and some more snippets of teases showed up as well. I hope nothing I've put forward are too weird or unrealistic. I hope not. But, oh well, I'm rambling. ANYWAY! Some more fun with the Mass Effect crew, and the enemy has FINALLY revealed itself! Or has it? MAHAHAHAHAHA!

Please share and review! I want to know what my kind readers think and have to say! Predictions are accepted and welcome. Also, whoever the guest was that bet their 200,000 Souls from Dark Souls 3 on the villain's identity. I expect my payment within the month. UNTIL NEXT, ZOMAN signing out!