Trust.
Cool night air bushes over his neck as he leans back anxiously against the wall. Nervously, he flicks the black card through his fingers, giving away the feelings hidden by his otherwise relaxed demeanor. This mission does not require his weapon or abilities, but he can not seem to calm himself. After a quick look around, he lets out an audible breath. "Maybe she didn't feel good enough to come out? Doc said she needs bed rest anyway," he says to his companion.
Floating beside the man, Spark shakes her light subtly. "She said to wait for her here, around this time. I'm sure she will be here soon."
Klutz pockets the strange card and stands away from the wall. "She could have changed her mind or Eyran could have said something to her…"
"Come on, Klutz. I know you're scared, but you need to hear her out. If she doesn't show soon, we should at least head inside and check on her. We owe her that much."
"Don't think I'm exactly welcome in that building anymore…"
Just then, a sound catches the pair's attention. A slow creaking, only perceptible in the quiet of the late night.
"Hey, Guardian? You out there?" a woman's voice whispers from around the corner.
Spark looks at her surprised partner and spins her shell before vanishing.
Taking a deep breath, Klutz prepares to face her. He quickly turns the corner and sees the parted shutters of an open window, lamp light pouring out from within. "Marin?" he asks quietly, even though he knows the answer.
"Of course, you son of a Shank! Now hurry up and hop through this window."
Straightening his robe, Klutz looks around the well lit room. The walls and shelves are decorated by a surprisingly large collection of trinkets and strange treasures.
To his left, on a shelf near the door, he spots an old Hand Cannon propped up on a stand next to a pair of large serrated knives, polished to a shine. To the right, he sees a tattered cape, decorated with some kind of alien symbol, hung underneath a large imposing helmet that must have belonged to a Fallen warrior that was killed long ago. On the wall above the bed, a broken bow is on display. Snapped in two at the limb beneath the grip. When he finishes his quick gawk around the room, he settles his attention on the huntress.
With noticeable effort, she stands up from the bed and stretches her arms above her head. Her raised arms lift her loose blouse enough to reveal the bandages wrapped around her abdomen. "Pretty cool stuff, huh?" she boasts. Mid stretch, she flinches and lets out a stifled grunt before slowly lowering her arms and cradling her injured side.
Klutz reaches out to try and support her. "Are you oka-"
"No, I'm not okay… But I'll live…" she interrupts and waves the man away. "Hurts like a son of a bitch, if you hadn't guessed." She laughs softly and looks at him with a pained smile. "You don't look too worse for wear. Hell, even your clothes are patched up."
"Yeah, Spark is a miracle worker…" he says a little awkwardly.
Sensing some tension, Marin shifts her tone. "I'm not mad about what happened, if you're worried about that. Ain't your fault how things turned out anyway. I appreciate that you got me out of there, when everything was done and dealt." She releases her aching side and does her best to stand strong. "Enough about that for now. I called you over 'cause I've got something to show you."
Klutz looks at her quizzically.
"Now pass me that cane or you're gonna have to carry me."
Patiently, the Guardian follows the injured woman out the door and into the main hall.
Marin stops for a moment and sweeps her lantern around the room. "Eyran's been at my bedside almost all day. Had to pull teeth to get him to sleep in his own room." She smirks. "Had you come in the window 'cause I'm sure someone would tell him you dropped by, if he didn't see you himself." She speaks quietly.
"Uh, any reason we need to be so discreet? Did he say something to you about… staying away from me?"
She looks back at the man with a concerned expression. "He didn't say anything out of the ordinary. Y'all get into another argument?"
"Not exactly."
"Hmm. I know he's got our people's interests at heart. My interests. He can just be a little… overbearing."
"I'm sure he's got his reasons," Klutz says as he looks toward the ash filled fireplace.
Marin looks at the man a moment longer before continuing. "Well anyway." She guides the man slowly across the hall and stops at a door. "This is why we need to be discreet." She opens the door to reveal a short set of stairs leading down into a dark room. Her lantern lights the way as they descend.
Unsure where his night is headed, Klutz follows the woman's careful steps into the darkness. "So uh, where are we going?"
"Have some patience, Guardian! You'll see in a sec." The steps end in a large celler. Jars of brined vegetables and barrels of salted meats fill the space and leave a strong smell in the air.
"We're gonna steal some pickles?" he jokes.
"Was thinking bacon, but have at it if dill is more your thing." She passes by the full shelves until she arrives at the back of the room. A lone, tall tower of shelves is neatly filled with old dusty boxes. Marin drops her cane, sets her lantern on the floor, and grabs hold of the shelf frame. "Wanna help me with this?"
Klutz grabs the other end and the pair slowly slide the shelves to the side. As soon as they move it far enough, a large sheet of wood that was propped up behind comes falling forward, revealing a strange indented section of the wall and a dim red light glowing above. "Wha-what is this?" He asks after a moment of stunned observation.
Marin leans carefully against the dusty back wall and softly rubs her ribs above the bandages. "I think it's a door. This village was built on the foundation of some old remote town from back in the Golden Age. Door must have been here when Eyran and the other founders arrived." With a half groan, she pushes away from the wall and looks up directly at the red light. "Always been curious what was behind this thing. It's gotta be something worth hiding if they built it to stay powered after all this time."
"I saw something like this before… Back in Old Chicago…" He instinctively grabs for the black card in his pocket.
"Thought you might know something about it." She approaches the door and wipes away a thick layer of dust, revealing a large worn emblem decorating its front. The white emblem depicts a tall arch surrounded by three smaller symbols. A hand, a hook, and a butterfly. "When I was young, some of the older folks were still set on getting this thing cracked open. They tried prying at it, tried knocking it down. Hell, one time, this geezer named Pete used an old hand grenade to try and blow the thing open! Didn't work of course, but I waited upstairs, so excited for it to pop." She smiles at the thought. "Not long after, Eyran called it a lost cause. He said every few years or so, folk would get the idea that they could get her open. Said all that ever came of it was damaged tools and disappointment. He wasn't wrong, but every time I'd come down here, I'd daydream about seeing what's back there." Her smile weakens. "Not long after you showed up, I saw you fiddling with that little black card. Thought it was a little strange, but city people tend to be a little strange, so I didn't think much of it. Then that one night, when we were talking by the garden, I saw it in your hand again. Saw the marking on the front. It'd been awhile, but I didn't even have to check. I knew it matched the one on this door."
Klutz pulls the card from his pocket and holds it up to compare.
Spark appears, and shines her bright light to illuminate the card and the door. Easily out shining the dull lamp on the floor. "It's definitely a match!" she declares with enthusiasm. "This is all very exciting!"
"Eyran wouldn't want me showing an outsider this," Marin says as she limps closer to the cardholder. "He doesn't trust easy and to be honest, I don't either." She reaches out and puts her arm around his shoulders to support herself. "But I trust you."
The Guardian feels warmth wash over him. "Thank you," he says quietly, and gently squeezes the hand slung over him. He walks closer to the sealed door.
Marin picks up her cane to stand on her own.
"When Spark and I found a door like this before, it hid some kind of development facility for Golden Age weapons"
"Much more advanced than any Golden Age technology I'd seen before!" Spark points out.
"Inside we found a weapon you'd really have to see to believe."
Marin crosses her arms. "What? Did it shoot rainbows?" She scoffs sarcastically.
"Black holes."
"Close enough," she says with a giggle. "You're right. I really do need to see that."
"Unfortunately, Klutz lost it during our escape…" Spark explains. Disappointed they can't show off the Golden Age wonder.
"Yeah, and believe it or not, I don't think it's worth going back for right now," he says with a disturbed look at his Ghost.
"Think you can get this one open too?" Marin asks with a hopeful voice.
"Let's find out." He holds the card up directly in the path of the red light and waits expectantly.
After a few moments of patient excitement… nothing.
He twists his brow in confusion. After a few more seconds with no result, he lowers the card and inspects it for signs of damage or some other explanation for the unsatisfactory result.
Marin leans in to look at the card herself. "Something wrong with it?"
"I don't know. Last time I just held it to the light for a few seconds and it popped right open…" His voice filled with equal parts disappointment and embarrassment.
"Guess I'll have to wait a while longer to find out what's back there…" Marin says somberly. She steps back from the man and takes an extended look at the door.
Klutz clenches the card tight in his hand before quickly stashing it. "I'll find a way to get it open, Marin."
She looks at him with a vague smile.
"Whatever's in there could be real useful for you and your people." He pauses to stare at the taunting red light. "I want you to have what's inside. I want to help."
Marin turns her eye back to the door. "Right now, you can help me move this shelf back."