A/N: Sorry that this took so long to post. Some important music stuff happened over the past few weeks, and I also sort of lost my muse for a bit in that process. But the good news is that this story is done, and there will be two more chapters before I mark this shit "Complete!" Thanks to any and all who have taken the time to make it this far, and I hope you enjoy the rest of this story!
As the team moved cautiously through the darkened complex, they could no longer hear the muffled sounds of the battle outside. Bill's head was on a swivel, checking the empty halls to their left and right. Dim emergency lights provided little compliment to their flashlights. Faded French text adorned the walls, giving directions from place to place. While Bill couldn't precisely understand the language, he was able to figure out how to get closer to the center of the compound.
"While we're here, let's try and gather as much info as we can. Spread out and check out some of these rooms. Bill broke off from the others and swept his flashlight across what looked like living quarters. In one of the corners, a dead body leaned up against a bunk, frozen in time and perfectly preserved with no sign of decomposition. He didn't need Cee to tell him that there was no oxygen to speak of in the facility.
As he examined the body, Bill discovered all too familiar wounds on the body's torso. His blood ran cold.
"Cee, ballistics trauma. Analysis?" Cee ran his sensor cone over the corpse, focusing on the impact wounds.
"What do you think? Was this done by human or Fallen weapons?"
"Neither. This was done with some kind of energy weapon, more advanced than anything I've ever seen before. This is bad. And I think it's getting worse."
"How?"
"I'm detecting massive power fluctuations from the center of the complex. Whatever's in here, it's turning itself on." No sooner had Cee finished speaking, the main lights flashed to life. Bill sprang to his feet, rifle in hand.
"What happened?! What did you touch, Dak?" Kahlee said over the comm.
"It wasn't my fault!" Dak replied."
A static squelch filled the speakers of the base, followed by a female voice.
"Entrée non autorisée détectée. Niveau une défense activées."
"Cee, what is she saying?" Bill aimed his rifle towards the door.
"I… think the defense systems just came online."
"What kind of defenses?"
"Multiple smaller power signatures detected. Most likely drones, and 98% probability they use the advanced energy weapon that killed our friend here." Cee motioned his 'eye' toward the corpse in the corner. "I would get ready for a fight, I've got several bogeys coming our way."
Bill switched fire modes on his weapon, and sighted down the barrel as he heard the whirring noise of the drones draw closer.
"Guys, make your way back to me, we need to find the core of this place. Find out whoever's behind all this. Be ready for a fight, these sentries are packing some serious firepower."
He never heard Dak's reply, as two floating robots slid into the room and opened fire. Streaks of red energy sliced through the air as Bill jumped to his right and through an open door. He found himself in another bunk room. Rolling as he hit the ground, he took cover behind a crumbling desk. The drones were not far behind, not relenting on their overwhelming fire on the Guardian's cover.
As the searing bolts continued to lance through his barricade, he pulled one of the grenades off his belt, and charged it. Tossing it over his head, it sailed in an arc and landed in the middle of the two robots. The grenade exploded in a purple Void detonation, disintegrating the drones instantly. He mantled over the desk, and ran out the door back into the corridor. As he rounded the next bend, another drone blared a warning. Bill fired three times, the high-powered round shredding their target.
He continued his push down the faded grey hall, noticing that the drones were no longer ambushing him from in front, but from behind.
"Guys, what's your status? I'm back in the main corridor. These things have changed their strategy. I think they're…"
As the hall widened into a large room, he found Dak and Kahlee, a large array of computers and data lines ahead of them, and half a dozen drones behind them. As Bill turned around, he saw the drones behind him blocking the exit.
"…herding us," he finished.
He braced for the end, but the drones did not fire. Their glowing photoreceptors narrowed as they appeared to be lining up shots. He turned to look at the giant computer in the center of the room. A screen projected a massive sphere that appeared to be made of datastreams, and several monitors projected a strange emblem, a pale blue circle with a red diamond in its center. He then heard the female voice again, and the sphere in the center of the structure moved with the voice.
"Vous ... Vous n'êtes pas Tombés."
"Translation, Cee?" Bill asked.
"She said 'You are not Fallen.'"
"She?" Dak began. "This isn't Rasputin? I thought that's who we were-"
"Ne m'insulte pas! Je ne suis pas Raspoutine! Qui es-tu? Parler!" The computer's simulated voice rose in anger.
"What did she say?!" Bill said as he raised his rifle instinctively, prompting an alarm from the drones.
"I think you mad her mad. She wants to know who we are."
Bill took a step forward, hearing the sound of the drones charging their weapons behind him.
"My name is Bill. We are Guardians from Earth."
{A/N: From here on out, I'm just going to provide the translation in brackets, so I don't have to keep making Cee translate every time.}
"Ah, serviteurs du Voyageur. Croyez-vous que cela vous donne le droit d' empiéter?" [Ah, servants of the Traveler. Do you believe this gives you the right to trespass?]
"We are not trespassing. We were forced in here by the Fallen." Bill scanned the room they were in, marveling at the massive construct before him. "Are you a Warmind?"
"Non, je suis ... autre chose. S'il vous plaît, pardonnez-moi." [No, I am… something else. Please, forgive me.] The eyes of the security drones turned from red to green, and they floated away.
"J'ai besoin de votre aide, serviteurs de la Lumière." [I need your help, servants of Light.]
Dak took a step back. "First things first, I know I'm not the only one with questions. Mind if we ask a few?"
"Nous sommes à court de temps, mais je vais lui permettre. Mais s'il vous plaît, soyez bref." [We are short on time, but I will allow it. But please, be brief.]
"Okay then," Kahlee said, "Let's start with something simple. If you're not a Warmind, what are you?"
"Tout comme vous, je suis aussi un gardien. Mais je ne garderai pas contre les Ténèbres, j'ai été créé pour tuer les Esprits de Guerre." [Much like you, I am a guardian. But I do not guard against the Darkness, I was created to kill the Warminds.]
"What? How is that possible?" Bill exclaimed.
"Mes créateurs mis en place cette installation secrète comme un failsafe il y a longtemps, comme une mesure de dernier recours pour contrer les Esprits de la Guerre. Le gouvernement Français n'a pas confiance dans l'initiative Guerre Esprit et voulait être en mesure de tenir en échec si elles deviennent trop puissants." [My creators set up this secret installation as a failsafe long ago, as a last resort measure to counteract the War Minds. The French government did not trust in the War Mind initiative, and wanted to be able to keep it in check should they become too powerful.]
"Well, what went wrong?"
"Ils étaient trop successful." [They were too successful.]
The construct proceeded to explain that as she took shape, she became all-too aware of her limitless potential, and came to the conclusion that her creators did not realize what could become of her if she fell into the wrong hands. She could not allow that to happen, knowing her power was too dangerous to be used, even if her intentions were good. While Warminds like Rasputin did in fact pose a large threat to any who crossed him, she was more powerful. Not being able to foresee the future, she determined it was best if she did not exist, but since she could not self-terminate, the only option was to disappear from history.
"So that's why you killed your creators. They wouldn't allow you to shut down."
"Oui, aussi malheureux que cela puisse paraître. Je n'avais pas d'autre choix que de créer ces drones sentinelles. [Yes, as unfortunate as it sounds. They were unable to see the true scope of what they had done to me. I had no alternative but to create these sentry drones.]
Bill rose from a chair he had been sitting in. "So what's our next move? Obviously we can't let the Fallen get to you, is there any way you can deal with them?"
"Je ne peux pas. La puissance je brandis est trop grande. Je suis trop peur de ce que je pourrais devenir si j'apporter mes principaux réacteurs après tout ce temps." [I cannot. The power I wield is too great. I am too afraid of what I might become if I bring my main reactors after all this time.]
"You're afraid you might not be able to stop yourself afterward."
"Oui."
"Well, we can't walk back out there, and we certainly can't leave you here for them to find. The Fallen are crafty, they won't give up until they find some way to control you."
"Vous ne devez pas permettre que cela se produise, les Tuteurs. Je suis trop dangereux pour être autorisé à rester fonctionnel. Vous devez me détruire." [You must not allow that to happen, Guardians. I am too dangerous to be allowed to remain functional. You must destroy me.]
Bill hesitated. He knew that she was right, but the pit in his stomach grew.
"There's no other way?" Kahlee asked.
"Non, je suis un observateur silencieux sur cette Lune pendant une longue période, et il y a quelque chose de bien pire que Tombé à proximité. Il pervertit tout ce qu'elle englobe, et il pourrait facilement asservir moi, et la prochaine fois que vous me voyez, Gardiens ... Je ne veuille pas que tu me arrêter. Cela doit se produire, et il doit être maintenant." [No. I have been a silent observer on this Moon for a long time, and there is something far worse than Fallen nearby. It perverts all it encompasses, and it could easily enslave me, and the next time you see me, Guardians… I may not want you to stop me. This must happen, and it has to be now.]
Dak shrugged. "Alright then, how do we go about it?"
"Il y a plusieurs points faibles structurels le long des lignes de refroidissement au noyau principal de ce bâtiment. Si vos petits lumières peuvent les trouver, vous devriez être en mesure de les endommager avec tirs d'armes légères." [There are several structural weakpoints along the cooling lines to the main core of this building. If your little Lights can find them, you should be able to damage them with small arms fire.]
"What did she just call me? 'Little Light?' I resent that!" Cee complained.
"Calm down, just do as she says. Scan those pipes, find us a soft spot."
"Fine, whatever." Cee and the other Ghosts flew off to complete their task.
"Si vous avez d'autres questions, maintenant serait le temps de leur demander." [If you have any more questions, now would be the time to ask them.]
Bill's heads-up display highlighted the Ghost's findings. "I have three. First, can you give us any information on the Fallen House of Exiles? And can you tell us anything about whatever is living in that pit?"
"Bien sûr. Je vais transférer toutes les données pertinentes à l'une des bornes dans cette salle. Vous pouvez le récupérer à emporter avec vous. Et votre dernière question?" [Of course. I will transfer all relevant data to one of the terminals in this room. You may retrieve it to take with you. And your last question?]
"Do you have a name?"
There was a long pause as Bill walked to the lighted terminal to download the data offered to him.
"On ne m'a jamais donné une désignation officielle. Mais dans les premières étapes de ma création, je me souviens de la tête de ce projet en disant que je devais être autre chose. Pas une arme imparable de la guerre. Un protecteur. Une lumière dans l'obscurité. La voix de la Lune." [I have never been given a formal designation. But in the early stages of my creation, I remember the head of this project saying I was to be something else. Not an unstoppable weapon of war. A protector. A light in the dark. The voice of the Moon.]
Bill smiled beneath his helmet. "Then that's how I'll make sure you are remembered, La Voix."
"Je vous remercie, Gardiens. Je suppose qu'il est temps de dire nos adieux. Puissiez-vous continuer à faire le voyageur fier." [Thank you, Guardians. I suppose it is time to say our farewells. May you continue to make the Traveler proud.]
Before Bill could respond, a distant explosion echoed through the halls.
"What was that?" Kahlee spun around.
"The Exiles have breached the door," Vera said. "I'm not seeing any sign of the Devils outside. The Exiles either killed them or drove them away."
"And now they're coming for her." Dak said, raising his sniper rifle.
"Nous sommes hors du temps! Vous devez endommager mon noyau principal, ainsi que les lignes de liquide de refroidissement ! Ce bâtiment doit être détruit!"
[We are out of time! You must damage my main core, as well as the coolant lines! This building must be destroyed!]
"How? There's at least a meter of armor plating around it." Bill said.
"Explosives are always an option. Make it quick. Hostiles closing in." Dak opened fire down the hallway.
"I'll need to retrieve my launcher. La Voix, can you shut off the jamming signal around this place?"
"Oui, un instant ... Signal est déconnecté ! Accélère s'il te plaît!" [Yes, one moment… Signal is offline! Please, hurry!]
"Cee! Get me those rockets!"
"Got it!" The launcher materialized in Bill's hands, and he took aim at the weak point marked by his Ghost.
"Kahlee, take out the coolant! Dak, keep us covered!"
"Je vais déployer les drones pour vous acheter un certain temps. Merci encore Gardiens, et au revoir." [I will deploy the drones to buy you some time. Thank you again Guardians, and goodbye.]
Kahlee's Solar flares struck the two main lines, followed by shots from her pistol. Bill squeezed the launcher's trigger. The warhead punched through the steel that surrounded the core, and detonated. Alarms blared as the main lights were snuffed out. Bill dropped the launcher and raised his rifle. He fired at the Fallen pouring in through the door. Muzzle flashes blazed, the only source of light in the room. In his peripheral vision, he could see La Voix's image flutter and spring to life one last time. Her voice warbled and faded in and out.
"Il est temps... de quitter, Gardiens. Mes niveaux de puissance sont en baisse. Le noyau a été déstabilisé. Détonation imminente... mais je ferai de mon mieux pour retarder aussi longtemps que je peux... sortir d'ici." [It is time… to leave, Guardians. My power levels are dropping. The core has been destabilized. Detonation imminent… but I will do my best to delay it for as long as I can… get out of here.]
"You heard her. Let's get the hell out of here!" Before Bill could turn back to his team, a sharp pain struck him, he screamed as he looked down to see a Fallen shock sword piercing his left shoulder. The Captain pulled the sword out and kicked him to the ground. His rifle clattered across the metal floor. The Captain laughed and hurled insults in his twisted tongue as he circled the wounded Titan. Bill rolled onto his back, drawing his pistol, and fired several rounds into the monstrous creature. While his shield absorbed the shots, they had the desired effect of causing the Captain to reel back, where Kahlee jammed her shotgun into the small of his back and fired. Ether sprayed from the exit wound and vaporized in the heat of the raging fires around them. The Fallen leader crumpled to the ground, and Dak helped Bill to his feet.
"This isn't good. The wound is survivable, but your suit is punctured."
Kahlee stood beside her friends. "Can we transmat out of here?" Another secondary explosion rocked the building.
"No, the ships are still out of range, it's a wonder I could get him the launcher." Cee said.
"Don't worry, my shields will hold off the vacuum long enough for us to get to the extraction zone for transmat. Let's go!" Bill clutched his shoulder as he ran for the door.
Dak and Kahlee followed close behind, La Voix's drones creating a clear path to the exit for them. The main door had been blown open by the Fallen, and the three of them sprinted through the opening and out of the crater just in time.
The bunker went up in a fireball, the shockwave sent debris in all directions, the vacuum of space freezing the molten steel into unstoppable flying projectiles. The three Guardians took cover in their rock shelter from the previous night.
When the rain of metal slowed up enough, the team emerged from the overhang and surveyed the area. The entrance to the facility remained mostly intact, but there was a brand new crater about a hundred meters away. Bill patted Dak on the shoulder using his good arm, before clutching his bad side.
"Cee, can you help me patch this up?"
"It would be my genuine pleasure, Bill." His Ghost hovered in front of the wound, reconstructing the chest plate over it.
"I also gave you some mild pain management. Should keep you awake until we get back to the City."
As if on cue, Zavala's voice filled their ears, his tone unmistakably angry.
"Guardians, what in the hell have you been up to? You've been out of touch for seven hours, and now that we have your signal back, it's coming from the one place you were ordered to avoid. You have some explaining to do, Fireteam Leader."
"Sir, it's a long story, but I assure you, I think you'll understand why we did what we did after you hear it."