Last Hope.
He feels at peace when his senses start to return. He feels the gentle pressure of a hand on his arm and the far less comforting feeling of wet blood pooled in his helmet. He rises quickly, pulls off the headwear, and drinks in the air deeply. A quick hiss ekes out as the helmet is removed, blood drips from the bottom. He wipes his face clean and feels the comforting hand move from his arm to support his back. He parts his eyes finally and sees his Ghost floating above, remnants of blue light escape her as her shell closes. Then he looks to his right and sees the woman at his side. She is knelt carefully and cradles his back with her left hand, in her other hand she holds a large worn hand cannon, a small wisp of smoke leaves the barrel. He sees her strange expression, a blend of horror and relief. In front of him lies the Marauder. It's head has been blown off almost entirely, leaving its tattered hood to wave in the cool breeze. A bloodied sword rests in its dead grasp.
"Welcome back, Guardian!" Spark says enthusiastically.
"Thank you, Spark." he replies, getting his bearings and finding his feet. "And thank you too, Marin." He looks at the body of the Fallen and then at the woman holding the revolver. "Are you okay?"
Marin reflects the question. "Am I okay!? I watched that thing kill you! It skewed you and I popped it in the head as fast as I could, but…" She swings out the weapons chamber and lets the sole bullet casing drop into her hand. It burns slightly at the touch, but she looks at it in her palm with an almost remorseful expression before she hides it in her pocket. She then places the gun back in her small leather bag and looks at the Guardian with troubled eyes.
"It's alright, Rin. I've got Spark with me for more than just good company," Klutz says with a comforting smirk.
"Yes, I'm also an excellent cook and I have a great singing voice!" Spark boasts playfully.
"Is everyone inside?" the Guardian asks.
Marin shakes off the shock and stands up from the ground. "Yeah, we've got everyone inside. You sure you can get that thing open this time?"
"One way to find out, I guess."
When the door creaks closed behind them, Klutz sees a number of men and women readying arrows and aged firearms under the old hanging rugs around the hall. The bulk of the villagers have crowded the cellar down the stairs, but a few brave souls stand ready above ground to defend their community.
Eyran walks up the cellar stairs and passes through the door into the main hall. "Marin! The Guardian is with you?" He rushes over to guide them down to the packed cellar. "I was beginning to worry. We have everyone here, but there is barely room to breathe down below. We must get into that 'armory' if we wish to survive another attack."
When they reach the floor of the cellar, Eyran joins the crowd and speaks in encouragements and reassurances. Klutz makes his way through fearful families and frail old folks, packed shoulder to shoulder in the small space. He approaches the door with Marin close by and stares up at the taunting red light. All manner of doubts and bad thoughts race through his mind. What if this Armory is much different than the one in Old Chicago and has no room for all these people? Could the Fallen break in? What if the Spider simply burned him and the badge fails to open the door? He collects himself and remembers he can not live his life based only on 'could's' and 'if's.' He takes one more deep breath and holds the badge up to the light. He hopes and begs with every fiber of his being that something will go right for once. A few deathly silent and agonizing seconds go by as he waits for his answer. Then suddenly, the dark cellar is lit with a bright green light.
Marin beams and squeezes the Guardians hand. For a moment she does not feel the dull ache in her side. She only feels brilliant relief and hopeful excitement.
The villagers work quickly to move food and supplies into the expansive space. They rest crates on clean work tables and gawk around in awe of the brightly lit facility. Beautifully crafted weapons, in various states of assembly, line the walls in sealed displays. Powered terminals light up at desks, as if to welcome the new visitors. There is plenty of room and utilities to house the entire village for a short time, even the ones prepared to fight upstairs.
With the door sealed and the last of the villagers inside, Eyran finds the Guardian alone in a small corridor, away from the noise and commotion. He stops for a moment, before entering the Guardian's view, and thinks. He closes his tired eyes heavily for a short time before approaching the Lightbearer. "Guardian," he says as a greeting.
Klutz turns his head toward the Awoken.
"I know we have had our… differences. And I know I have been quite the unwelcoming host toward you during your time in our little corner of the world." Eyran speaks thoughtfully, his voice waivers a little. "It is difficult for me to say this, but I feel it is the right thing to do. I apologize for my behavior."
Klutz is at a loss for words. His only reply is his stunned expression.
"I don't know if I will ever be able to truly trust your kind, but I do know that I am grateful for what you have done for us today."
"I… really appreciate that, Eyran. I know we both just want what's best for people," Klutz says after a moment of slight disbelief.
Eyran nods silently. "Whatever happens next, I know now that the universe has an ironic sense of humor. I've spent most of my life with hate in my heart for Lightbearers. Now I count one amongst my people." He smiles warmly.
Klutz smiles back with pride.
"I know Marin was looking for you only moments ago. I'll let her know where to find you when I next see her." The elder nods once again and returns to the other room.
Thinking on the warm yet conflicted feeling in his chest, Klutz eyes over the Golden Age bunker he has sought refuge within. The rooms and equipment bear a strong resemblance to the weapons lab he uncovered in that nightmarish tunnel in Old Chicago. This facility uses the same ingenious Golden Age engineering in most every inch of its space. Although there are differences in its layout, its purpose seems similar, if the multitude of advanced weaponry is anything to go off of. Klutz looks over the thick walls made of a strange dark alloy and up at the low ceiling, hidden beneath the old village. "What do you think our chances are down here?" he asks.
Spark phases into form and answers, "Much better than out there."
Klutz gives her a less than amused expression.
"This place seems very tough. I suppose it would need to be to survive all this time," she says, somehow shadowed with a strange doubt. "My fear is the door…"
"Think they could blow it open?"
"If the Fallen are determined enough, I bet they could bomb this place out of existence," Spark says morbidly.
Klutz grimaces at the thought.
"Although, I'm sure they are saving most of their munitions for the City's defenses…"
"The City has got to have them beat, right?"
"Personally, I would never bet against Guardians. But we have never faced a threat as large as this… I imagine it will be a bloody battle on multiple fronts…" Spark's shell hangs low and somber.
Klutz reaches out his hand to comfort his troubled Ghost. "I'm sure it will be tough, but I believe in them. I believe in us."
Spark perks up a little.
"You mentioned you were concerned about the door to this place? Anything we can do to make it more secure?"
The Ghost's shell shifts around. "If the Fallen try hard enough, they will get in. If it comes to that, you will need to go out there and stop them if we are going to keep these people safe."
Klutz nods with focus.
"However, I'm worried they may just drop some kind of small ordnance on us. Not enough to cave in this facility, but enough to collapse the buildings above." Spark tilts upward. "If the community hall fell into the cellar outside our door, escape would be very difficult. With your power, I'm sure you could get us unburied eventually, but digging through about ten thousand pounds of debris with no tools would be long and tedious work, even with help. After the battle ends, we can hope the City sends someone to assist, but something about this place blocks our comm signal, so I don't know if they would even know we are here…"
"Yeah, that's not really my preferred scenario, if I'm being honest." Klutz chuckles lightly then sighs.
"Right now, our best option is to just wait it out and be prepared to fight if it comes to it. Speaking of being prepared, we should delve deeper into this place. We may find something special." Spark's eye lights up and her shell swirls around quickly.
"You think there may be another 'black hole gun' in this place?" A smile starts to cross the man's face.
"With luck, we may even find something better!"
"Better than a gun that shoots black holes?" a feminine voice asks doubtfully. "Guess I'll believe it when I see it." Marin walks toward Klutz with a little assistance from her cane.
"Hello, Marin!" Spark says happily. "Is this place as interesting as you hoped it would be?"
"Hi, little Ghost. This place is amazing. I had no idea it would be this big. Crazy to think it's been hidden under our feet all this time." She looks up for a few seconds. "So did I hear you guys are gonna find yourselves another super weapon?" Marin asks curiously.
"Hopefully. Need every advantage we can get against the Fallen," Klutz says as he stands from the wall to greet his friend.
"Planning on taking 'em head on?" the woman asks with a cocked eyebrow.
"Trust me. If we find one of these guns here, their heads won't be on for long," Klutz boasts in a half joke.
Marin giggles a little. "Because the gun is that good or because the guy shooting is?"
"A little bit of both. Mostly the undeniable skill of the devilishly handsome shooter." Klutz strikes a humorous pose.
"Alright," Marin laughs. "Whereabouts can we find this thing?"
Spark floats between her human companions. "In the facility in Old Chicago, I found the weapon contained in a secure box near the back of the lab. I think it may have been packaged for transportation at the time, but I suggest we check around the back of this place anyway… Or maybe…" Spark zooms past Marin's head, deep into the unexplored area of the armory.
Klutz and Marin share a look of confusion before following the strange little light.