Ch. 9

So we waited. Celeste quickly grew antsy, having a hard time resisting the call of the wild now that sitting still wasn't mandatory. I spent time reading and re-reading every scrap of information that Elgan could get me on Jaeger-10, which wasn't much. It did seem a certain pattern to his movements was beginning to emerge, however I couldn't quite put my finger on it and frustration began to set in. Deciding to take a break and try again when my mind was fresh, I set the problem aside. Scott-20 poured over the recovered data from the Ishtar facility. At first, I thought Zillah was going over it with him as well, then I caught a quick glimpse of her data pad and noticed a flash of the emblem of Mara Sov, Queen of the Awoken.

The Queen had been believed dead ever since the Awoken faced off against Oryx when his dreadnaught entered the solar system. Curious, I strode over to where she sat and took a seat nearby. She was so absorbed in her work that she didn't notice me at first. I cleared my throat, and she glanced up, blinking her yellow eyes as if having to refocus on her surroundings. I was momentarily struck once again by the exotic beauty that the Awoken generally possessed.

"Mind if I ask what you're working on?"

"What, it isn't enough that you lecture me on my behavior, now you want to monitor everything I do?" she retorted.

"Not at all," I said, holding up a hand in a placating gesture. "I just noticed it looked like you were working on something different than Scott and was curious. I figured you would be pouring over the Vex data."

"Oh, that?" she glanced quickly at the Exo and looked away. "I don't particularly care about that. I mean, all information has value, of course, but I didn't come to Venus looking for any insight into the Vex, as fascinating as they can be."

"Then why the mission?"

"I needed to come to Venus for my own purposes, and thought it best to come with a fireteam," she said with a shrug. "I'd worked with Scott in the past and was more than happy to help him accomplish his goal if I met my own."

"And did you?"

"No." The answer was quiet and seemed to carry a lot of weight for so small a word. She closed her eyes and reached up to rub the back of her neck. "I thought I could find something. Or at least something to point me in the right direction. If I could only..." A pause. "Well, it doesn't matter now. I'll have to start over once I can get back to my study, search for new leads."

"It sounds like it was something important to you. For what it's worth, I'm sorry you didn't find what you were looking for."

"It could have changed everything," she whispered, her eyes gaining that far-off look again, before snapping back into focus. "I think that is quite enough for now. If you'll excuse me, I need to get back to my work."

What ever moment of vulnerability had been there disappeared. The Warlock's face became impassive as it turned from me. Before she even had time to turn back to the data pad, however, our time of waiting came to an abrupt end. It turns out that hiding from infected Guardians in a Guardian facility, even if it is only known to a small number, isn't the best of ideas.

I didn't look up when I first heard the door. Guardians had been coming and going, well, mostly going, since the quarantine was lessened. The sound has become somewhat routine. The pounding of footsteps that followed were less so. I saw Zillah's eyes widen and turned my focus just in time to see a Titan slam into a nearby Hunter with a shoulder charge, sending the other Guardian flying across the room. Behind the Titan, two more Hunters had entered the room, igniting their Arc blades. I only had a moment to notice the strange beads of light that flitted around all the interlopers before the Titan unleashed a Fist of Havoc, and everything went black.

I woke to a moment of disorientation that was replaced quickly by a feeling of pure joy. All the strain and weariness I had been feeling was gone, replaced with elation. I had never felt so free. A small voice in the back of my mind tried to put a damper on these feelings, tried to talk of an infection, but louder words shouted it down. Infection? That spoke of disease or infirmity. This was the best thing that had happened to me, short of being reborn by the Traveler. I felt better than I ever had. Any dissenting voices were quickly washed away.

I felt all the years I'd spent since my resurrection melt away. What use was worry? What did I have to fear? We were Guardians, blessed by the Traveler and filled with might. We had killed gods of the Fallen, Hive, and Vex. The Fallen were disorganized scavengers. The Hive were leaderless and felt neutralized as a threat. The Vex were time travelers, if they could actually stop us they would have gone back in time and done it already. The Cabal were stuck in a quagmire on Mars. Why were we hiding behind a wall? We should be spreading out across the solar system!

I let out a small chuckle that quickly grew into uncontrollable laughter. I tried to rise to my feet, but slipped and that just made me laugh so hard that tears formed in my eyes. My entire body shook, and I rolled around on the floor, struggling to get to my hands and knees. After a few moments, the laughter lessened enough that I managed to get fully upright.

A sudden urge to spread this sensation washed over me. Everyone should feel this good. How cruel would it be to keep this from them? I put my helmet back on, feeling a driving sense of need to find others. Others? There were other Guardians here! I glanced around, but I could sense that everyone around me was already affected.

"Infected!" a voice tried to yell a correction in my ear, but I ignored it. The people around me were strong and hale. I could physically see the light pouring from them, burning brighter than ever before.

There was nothing I could do here, so I needed to leave the Hunter lair. Needed to find more to share this feeling with. I started toward the exit. Something inside my armor tried to resist, to gain control of the motor functions, but I was stronger. Pushing through, I made my way out of the still-opened door.

I stepped into a downpour, a strong Venus rain pounding the landscape. Cupping my hands, I let the water pool in my palms before throwing it back toward the sky with a laugh. Venus was so beautiful, even now. I stood for a moment, listening to the rain pelt my armor, watching it run in rivulets across my vision, then continued my search. I hadn't gone far, when I ran into a Vex patrol.

Incompatible, a voice sounded in my mind.

I felt a moment of pity for the poor alien machines. There was so little light emanating from them. How sad to burn so poorly, and to be unable to experience what I now felt. Those thoughts passed quickly, replaced with notions about just how good it would feel to punch them. I raced forward with a feral grin, moving so quickly a Bladedancer would have been jealous. The Goblins barely had time to turn when I was on them.

I planted my foot on the hood of a rusted out car and launched myself with a yell. My fist slammed into the first Goblin, which exploded into Void energy. My other hand struck the next in line, alien metal crumbling beneath my gauntlet. I then grabbed the crippled Goblin and flung it at the next, both falling down in a flailing pile of metallic limbs. I grabbed a leg and pulled, ripping it off, and then proceeded to smash both Vex with it until they stopped moving.

A Harpy bleated out an alarm, then opened fire. Two more spun into view, having been shielded from my view by some rubble. I threw the leg and then jumped onto the first, fingers prying into the seems near its eye and pulling violently. The Vex machine screamed as it tore in half, each piece becoming a projectile I could launch at its compatriots. They fell, impaled by shards of the first victim.

I stood, breathing heavily, and glanced at my hands. Something deep inside recoiled from what I had just done, but again, vanished quickly. I now stood of two minds. One wanted to continue to savage the Vex, reveling in the violence. The other wanted to return to our original purpose, finding more Guardians. The second thought won out and I decided transmat up to ship. There were better places to look than Venus. Something locked me out of the system, however.

"You aren't leaving the planet, Claney," the annoying voice from earlier sounded in my ear again. My mind quickly put a name to the irritant.

"Elgan," I stated, unexpected venom in the word.

"Yes, of course. You are clearly not in your right mind, so I am taking matters into my own hands. It's for your own good."

"My own good?" I responded, "What could be better than this? I feel fantastic! More alive than I ever have. At least, more alive than I have since you decided it would be a good idea to bring me back into this nightmare world. Who knows, maybe I was much happier in my old life. Or being dead, if you want to believe most religious teachings. I guess I'll never know, since I can't remember any of it."

"Claney..."

"No," I shouted, cutting him off. "I'm here because of a decision you made. Well, you don't get to make my decisions anymore. Get out here."

"I don't think I'll be doing that. And you are not leaving Venus." With a squeal of static, the Ghost cut off the internal communication line.

"Elgan!" I yelled and ripped my helmet off, throwing it away from me and bouncing it off a rock. I knew that wouldn't get rid of him, but at least I didn't have to hear his smug little voice anymore. Just to make sure he didn't bother me, I grabbed the Kumakatok still strapped to my back and fired at the curved shape, cursing him silently as I emptied the clip.

Other places would make for more target rich environments, but there were Guardians on Venus. It was just a matter of finding them. I motioned to summon for my sparrow, then realized that Elgan would have to do it. No transmat, no speeder, and thanks to us traveling here with Celeste, I didn't even know where on the planet I was exactly.

An overwhelming despair settled on me then. I was stranded on this planet; isolated with rain now beating down on my exposed face and scalp. I had no where to go and no way to get there. I dropped to my knees into the mud, hopeless. Thoughts of falling face first into a puddle and just laying there until I choked on it pass through my mind, but I knew Elgan would just bring me back and I'd still be stuck here. Instead, I gave up and fell backward, face toward the Venus sky.

A lone batadactyl braved the rain, searching for prey. I watched it struggle with the wind and rain, and felt deep empathy for the solitary creature. Watching it circle, I realized that its high vantage point gave it an advantage over me. I hated the wretched beast for a moment and considered trying to shoot it down, then it dawned on me that I could take advantage of altitude as well. I could climb a tree, get a lay of the land, and see if I could spot any familiar landmarks.

The despair I'd sunk into disappeared in a moment, replaced by the elation of hope. I rose from the muck I'd been lying in and bounded to the first tree, leaping up to grasp a branch. I climbed and jumped, gaining as much height as I could before the tree started to bend under the unexpected burden. I laughed again, exhilarated by the act of making my way up the trunk.

I surveyed the surrounding area and was startled to see that we were so close to the Ishtar Commons. It made sense that any attempt at building a base would be near the place Guardians had the firmest hold on, but made it more surprising that Hunters had kept it so secretive. Filthy, sneaky Hunters.

Leaping from the tree, I thrilled at the free fall, activating Lift just before I struck the ground, giving me a soft landing. Instantly, I was on the run, heading toward the Commons. I was sure to find Guardians there. Not having a sparrow would slow me down, but right now I felt like I could run forever.

The rain began to relent, slowing to a light drizzle. With fewer rain drops, the flicker of small beads of light became more apparent. They distracted me enough that I missed a tree root and tripped, sending me sprawling across the ground. I laughed at how ridiculous it must have looked to anyone else. The beads caught my interest again and I lay there, watching them dance around me. When I tried to touch them, the flowed around my glove like water. It was captivating.

I would have stayed there longer but the insistent voice in my head chimed in again, reminding me of my mission. I pouted like a petulant child for a moment. All I wanted to do was watch the pretty lights. It reminded me I would be able to see them all around me if I passed them on to other Guardians, and that was all the motivation I needed. Back on my feet, I set off on a sprint again, this time careful to watch for hazards.

I am not sure how much time passed as I ran. The dense cloud cover made it difficult to see the sun or stars, and without a HUD I had no other way to judge the passage of time. I finally reached the Commons, only to find it empty. I couldn't see any Guardians or Vex, and had no sensors without my helmet. I cursed the Ghost again for making me destroy my helmet like that. With no other idea of what to do, I climbed into the remains of an old vehicle to wait.

Time passed slowly, and I eventually fell asleep. I woke to the sound of voices, and burst from my resting place, hoping to find people. Instead, I saw that traitor Elgan, obviously in communication with someone.

"What do you think you're doing?" I asked angrily.

He spun to face me, his shell spinning around anxiously. I knew I had caught him plotting against me, his guilt was obvious. Anger surged and my jaw clenched.

"Claney," he began, actually backing away from me slightly. "I was in communication with the Vanguard. Owl Sector found a way to stop the nanites. There is a shutdown code that can be transmitted to them, shutting them down completely. I just need to scan you and I can deactivate them."

"No."

"I... what?"

"I said no," I stated firmly, glaring at the floating ball of metal. "I don't want them 'turned off'. I like feeling this way."

"That isn't you talking, it's the tech mites," the Ghost started again, but I cut him off.

"You don't know what you're talking about."

"Actually, I do." Always so smug. "What you've been going through fits exactly with recorded reactions to the nanites. You've been erratic and experiencing wild mood swings, which is nothing like the Claney I know. Please, just let me scan you and you will feel much better."

"Not going to happen," I responded, suddenly finding the Kumakatok in my hand again, pointed at the Ghost.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm not going to let you change me back. I don't want to shoot you, but I will."

"You realize that if you kill me, you lose connection to the Light," the little machine said, trying to reason with me. "No more Ward of Dawn. No more resurrections. The next time you die, that would be the end of you."

"Maybe I would rather die than give this up."

The Ghost hesitated, shell spinning quickly now. I saw the sections begin to open in a scan, and I pulled the trigger. Elgan disappeared, and panic set in.

"No! Elgan! What... what did I do?"

I dashed forward to the spot where he'd been hovering, but saw no dead Ghost or shell fragments. I stood confused, until I noticed a glow emanating from behind me. The little sneak had dematerialized and popped back in behind me. I turned, bringing the hand cannon to bear again. Halfway around, I collapsed, slamming hard into the Venus soil.

The little motes of light that had danced in my vision disappeared. All of the wildness I'd been experiencing vanished suddenly, leaving me feeling emotionally drained. I felt hollow. Elgan drifted back into my peripheral vision, but I didn't acknowledge him.

"Claney?" he asked. When I didn't respond, he opened up and scanned me again. "All vitals returning to normal. I'll let the Vanguard know the shutdown codes worked."

I struggled to my feet, feeling weak as a newborn. The colors around me felt muted, all my senses feeling dulled. My arms hung limp at my sides, the hand cannon still laying on the ground where I'd fallen. I never wanted to touch it again.

"Claney?" Elgan tried again.

"Take me to my ship," I whispered. "Get me off this planet, and then leave me alone."

"I..." he started, then stopped. "Of course. Transmatting."

The familiar sensation of being transported from one location to another gripped me and I left Venus behind.

…

So, we're back on track here. Sorry about the last couple updates. Both were rushed, as I suddenly realized, "I haven't updated in a month" and hurried to get something up, rather than actually taking time to work on the story. No longer spending 7 ½ hours a day sitting in front of a computer has changed the way I have to approach this, and I have not properly adapted. Real life has too many distractions.

That being said... I can do you better. And you deserve better, oh reader mine.

Daydreamer B.A - Thanks for the favorite here and on Tales We'll Tell. Glad you are enjoying the characters. The characters tend to come to me before the story, so I have to figure out what sort of wringer to put them through.

Jayfeattheris Awesome – Sorry you don't have much interesting to read. I haven't been paying as much attention, and haven't read every entry that I've been notified about lately, but it does seem the general amount of postings has slowed down. Probably has something to do with schools being in full-swing, as a number of authors here seem to be students.

Order and Chaos – Qui Iudicant – Yes, that didn't push things forward very much. I probably could have condensed the last two updates into one to move through faster, but... see introductory paragraph here.