Tormented
Give Them a Chance
I'm actually on time for once! Especially with Iron Banner going on last week! Anyways, I was squealing all week because one of my many theories of there being Guardians who are like pacifists (if you read the quest for Iron Banner there will be a quote from Shiro-4 talking about Guardians living in the outer systems) living their lives under the radar was actually confirmed! Was happy man! And it not only added pacifists but others as well! (I forgot who else. Shiro used some words I didn't recognize lol). Was giddy all week!
Anyways, thanks RainbowOverload and mysterious Anon for the reviews!
RainbowOverload - Oh dang! Well good thing you found it again! ^_^. Would suck to accidentally lose a good read lol. And oh! Tell your friends thank you and thank you for spreading it around! :D
Anon - Oh! Thank you! ^_^. Really appreciate the review! And yes, I do realize the first few chapters are a bit confusing to read so I had debated going back and fixing it when I have the chance...which is almost never since a combination of both work/laziness is preventing me from doing so lol.
Edited: 11/14/2021
Ace just couldn't help it.
Every time they even glanced in the direction of their Guardian, they had to chortle.
Every.
Single.
Time.
And Ianos could hear them from his position from the throne, easily telling from the way his brows furrowed, his eyes going sharp. Ace knows that Ianos wants to say something, wants to retort, but cannot do much with the presence of the guards just standing at the foot of the stairs.
The reason for Ace's amusement?
Ianos' current attire.
His usual attire of robes and his gear were all replaced with leather and cloth, all colored in black, violet, and strips of gold. This gives Ianos a look of royalty, but with their years of being the Warlock's Ghost, to Ace, he just looked ridiculous. Especially with the circlet rounding around Ianos' head, the silver clear under the lighting of the throne room.
Then again, Ianos didn't really have much of a choice.
With their Queen missing, many of the Reef's inhabitants were not pleased that the throne was quickly filled by a Guardian, an 'outsider', and they showed this displeasure by disobedience and havoc. Fortunately, Ianos quickly put a stop to it; a quick display of his light plus the reminder of Mara's demands had been enough. For now, at least. There were still enough where they still caused headaches, crying that only a Reefborn with high status could take up the mantle.
Ace snickered at the thought, if only they knew the truth.
A sigh brought the Ghost out of their thoughts, the breath muffled by the clear respirator wrapped around the lower half of Ianos' face; without his helmet and armor, they had to use the prototype, which of course prompted more outcry; an ill King isn't suited for the throne, they claimed. Not like that would matter, Ianos wasn't going to stay long anyway. At least, that is what Ace hopes.
"I am not in the mood today, Ace."
Perking up at the irritation in their Guardian's voice, Ace decided to glide over, eyeing the Royal Guards warily.
"The Nobles complaining again?" Ace whispered and judging from the exasperated look they received, they were right, "Is it about raising the taxes on them again?"
"Yes." A breath, a whisper slipped from Ianos, "they wanted me to tax the lower class more to gain the needed funds to trade for food."
Hearing that, Ace couldn't help but scrunch their shell together, a look of displeasure settling into their optic.
"Greedy bastards." Ace heard Ianos snort before they saw his eyes dart towards the guards; judging from the way he let out a breath of relief, they took it as a sign to continue, "They will have to deal with it, just like the other previous times when you have taken their wealth."
"It is only a small percentage." Ianos groaned as he rubbed his eyes, "If Mara and Uldren had to go through this every day, I am astounded at their patience."
At the mention of the twins, Ace couldn't help but worry; it has been a few months now since they have disappeared but yet, there was still no sign of them. Even with the help of Variks taking up the temporary mantle of the Master of the Crows could not find anything. At the rate they were going, Ianos is going to take up the throne longer than anticipated.
As if reading their mind, Ianos heaved out a sigh and, now uncaring of the presence of the guards, slouched in his seat.
"Any news from the others?"
In response, Ace shrugged, "Nothing new but then again, receiving a frequency here takes a while to reach us." They glanced around before spotting the piles of paper stacked in front of Ianos, "While we wait, want to read these before more come piling in?"
There was a breath, a sound of frustration but nonetheless, Ianos straightened himself out and held out a hand.
"Give them here."
Chuckling, Ace beamed their light around the documents, grabbing it before casually carrying them over to their Guardian. Releasing their light so that it promptly drops in Ianos' hands, Ace then glided over and settled onto his shoulder, snuggling in so that they could read alongside their Guardian comfortably.
That is when static permeated from their core.
"Guardian Ianos."
There was huff from Ianos, a deep scowl forming on his face at Ikora's frequency. Ace too cannot help but be annoyed; this was their only chance to garner some calm before the chaos of the throne catches up to them once more.
"Did I interrupt?"
"No." Despite the calm in his tone, Ace can easily feel the frustration, "We were not doing anything important, what do you need?"
The brief pause from the frequency meant that Ikora knew that, yes, she had somehow interrupted but nonetheless, it only took her moments to answer, "Originally the Vanguard had planned a patrol for your team but relinquished it to another when they claimed that they already planned a patrol of their own."
Now that, caught Ace's interest, the Ghost lifting themself off from their Guardian's shoulder and gliding to the front of Ianos; judging from his furrowed brows, he was thinking the same.
"And this somehow involves me?"
"We were just curious if you know anything." Ikora clarified, "I understand that teams plan activities together, but it just seemed strange to us that after months of at the Tower, that they would organize a patrol to the Cosmodrome the same day as we planned to assign them one on Mars."
Ace shifted their shell closer to their core; that does sound curious. And suspicious. An irony considering their team's name.
"I am afraid I cannot help you there." Ianos said which was the truth; they have yet to receive a message or even be contacted by their team. Either it has yet to reach them or, whatever they are doing they are trying to keep it to themselves. Another concerning matter.
"They have not contacted you?"
If there had been a visual, the Vanguard would have seen the blandest look that Ianos had ever given them.
"I recall any normal Guardian does not have the proper equipment to properly send a frequency to the Reef." He said, "and the only reason you are able to communicate with me now is that the Vanguard have a specialized line that could reach any ally that is outside of Earth's atmosphere. What makes you think that they would have been able to contact me?"
Again, truth, but not the whole truth. Thanks to Angel's tech smarts and his connections to the House of Spirits who somehow always find rare materials, the group had made a knock-off variant of a line like the Vanguard's. It just takes some time before they receive any message. More than likely they have yet to receive anything from Redacted. Yet.
"We understand."
Judging from Ikora's tone, Ace was relieved to know that the Vanguard have yet to discover their little extension; Ace highly doubts that they will be pleased to know that they have hidden a rare technological resource to themselves.
"We will contact you again if we have any more questions." Ikora said before she finished, "We apologize for interrupting you."
No sooner had she finished speaking when Ace heard a 'click'; a sign that the line had been cut.
"Any reason why Akiva and the others would deny an assignment from the Vanguard?" Ace decided to ask.
A thoughtful look glazed over Ianos' eyes and Ace heard him hum softly.
"I do not recall anything important in the Cosmodrome." Ianos admitted, his brows furrowed in thought before his eyes suddenly grew wide, "Unless…"
It took Ace a mere moment to understand Ianos' realization and they couldn't help a wheeze and a choke.
"Ra-"
They paused suddenly, going rigid as Ianos raised a finger to his lips, nodding to the Guards just at the foot of their throne; judging from the way they remained statue still, they hadn't heard. At least, Ace hopes so.
"Do you think Pluto will get involved?" Ace asked and they couldn't help but be worried when Ianos scowled.
"Anything to do with them he usually gets involved." He answered, "But with the Clan…"
No doubt Pluto will be torn, but Ace wouldn't be surprised if they chose Sun and Rasputin in the end; Sun was the one who took him under his wing after all and the Clan are extremely loyal to each other. There is a reason why Pluto was able to retrieve all the bodies of the last remnants of the Galaxy despite being deep in darkened territory.
"Too bad we cannot join them." Ace lamented, "At least, not until we find Mara or Uldren."
Ianos grumbled, "Who knows how long that will be?"
"Hopefully soon."
Another grumble, another heavy sigh before Ace watched him lift the papers, seeing his eyes scan the contents. They took the opportunity to take their rightful spot back onto his shoulder and read the documents as well.
Xxxxx
"This is amazing." Their optics grew wide in awe, scanning the data flicking across the screen, "with this, we can learn more about the Traveler." The Exo grinned and looked up, lingering over the core, "Great job, Rasputin. With this, humanity might find a way to help those unaffected by the Traveler's Light."
Russian permeated through the room and the Exo snorted in response.
"I know they promised me that they will let me outside if we gather this data, but I doubt they will let me out." They glanced towards a door a sense of longing settling into their core, "not unlike the other times."
They sighed, then went into attention when the aforementioned door opened, and their optics settled over familiar white coats. The Exo didn't have to guess what they want.
"The data is right here." They said as they gestured towards the data still scrolling on Rasputin's screen, and they watched as one of the humans walked over and took a quick glance. It took them only mere moments before the individual turned and gave a nod to the others or, in the Exo's optics, to the man standing in the front, the one in charge.
"Good job, Alpha." The Head Scientist smiled as they walked over and patted the Exo on the shoulder; just like the other times that they had helped gather data with Rasputin, "This is exactly what we needed."
"Thank you." The Exo smiled nervously, eyeing the other humans behind the Scientist; there were more in number than previously, "I appreciate your praise but if you do not mind, I have other data to sort through."
That is what always happens after all; as soon as they handed the team the data that they had 'requested', they would then request another, and then another, always giving out the same false promise. That if they were to find this important data, then they would definitely be allowed outside.
So, they couldn't help but reel and blink when the Scientist gave them a puzzled look and asked, "Do you not want to go outside?"
"What?"
"We promised you that you would be able to go outside if you gave us this data, did we not?" The human waved their hand towards the data on the screen, "Well, you gave us your part of the bargain, now it is to keep ours."
The Exo narrowed their optics, staring suspiciously at the Scientist; despite the joy, the excitement building up in their core, doubt lingered. After years of denial, why are they suddenly letting them have access outside. That is when Rasputin's voice rang out, a warning, and his words prompted the Exo to shift towards the human that was near Rasputin. And from there, they spotted the grip of a gun, hidden just behind their coat.
Warning flared in the Exo's mind, and they took steps back, only to stumble backwards when one of the humans lunged and narrowed missed them my inches.
"Stay back!" They warned as they sprinted towards the opposing side of the room. They couldn't suppress a noise of protest when one of the humans walked over to one of the many consoles and started typing, "What are you doing? Leave Rasputin alone!"
Rasputin's droning voice echoed in response, the Exo hearing his protests, his anger. But if the humans noticed, they showed no sign, and instead, the one in charge turned towards them; the Exo saw that the friendliness in his eyes were gone.
"As you know, when Rasputin was first created, his coding and intelligence were so advanced and unique, that he refused to work with anyone who was, as he called us, organics." The man explained, "As such, that is why we decided to create you, Alpha, to operate and connect with Rasputin, to help gather data that would have been otherwise inaccessible to us. And it worked. But it worked 'too well'."
The Exo froze when he saw the man with the gun turn and remove the weapon from their belt.
"The two of you were 'too' close, too bonded for Rasputin to ever work with humans properly. Therefore, for Rasputin to bond with humanity, you have to be out of the picture."
That is when Rasputin's voice resonated, screamed throughout the room, and the Exo snapped their attention to the Warmind's core, crying out, "Rasputin!"
The instant they tried to take a step forward, to help their friend, Rasputin's voice abruptly stopped, silence, and it took the Exo only a mere moment to understand that they had shut the Warmind down. That is when they ducked to dodge the shot of a bullet.
"Why do you have to kill me to bond with Rasputin!?" They shouted leaping to the side to dodge being grabbed and then running away once more; they cursed at the small proximity of the room, "Why not just separate me from Rasputin? Give me another task?"
"And risk Rasputin pushing aside Humanity completely?" The Scientist retorted, "No in order for him to be bonded to humanity, he has to be reset, and all of you terminated."
There was a brief pause, a moment where it took the Exo a while to take in the man's words.
"All of…" Their voice faded, horror and grief settling into their core, "The others…" The faces of the other Exo, their friends, flashed into their mind, "What have you done?"
"We needed to get rid of the 'garbage'." Another of the humans answered, "It took us a while to hide their termination from you, but a few memory wipes quickly solved that problem."
That is when the Exo pressed a hand to their head, trembling, "Wipe my…"
They had gaps in their memory, fragments missing where they couldn't find an explanation. The Exo had back then, waved it off, thought because it was the endless hours of work, the tireless days of gathering data. But now, it makes more sense.
"You were so easily fooled," The Scientist continued, "All we had to say was that you were going in for a simple checkup and once you were powered off, the process proceeded unprompted."
They stared, stared as they tried to comprehend the human's words. Wipes. Memory wipes. Is that why the same Exo they would pass in the hall, Exo that they had known for all their years in the facility, would stare at them blankly, confused at their simple greeting? Because they too had their memories wiped? All for the convenience of the humans here?
They screamed. Screamed at the injustice of their use, injustice of their existence. Why? Why were they created just to be simply used and tossed aside? Them and their fellow Exo. Their friends.
"What have you done to them!?" They shouted, screeching, "What have you done to my-"
A force to the side of their head interrupted their words, their vision going blank before static allowed them a semblance of sight. They stumbled, trying to be catch anything within arm's length but only grabbed at air, and the next thing they knew, they were on the floor on their side.
They rasped and gaped, shock and the pain reverberating through their senses as a shadow walked into their vision. A click can be heard.
"You have done well, EXO-COM/AP."
Their full designation in their sensors, the Exo closed their eyes and took in a deep breath.
"Wait for me, my friends, I am coming."
A single shot was then heard, and the Exo felt nothing.
Xxxxx
Sun took in a rattling gasp, alarms flaring in their mind as they abruptly sat up, swinging at the first presence they felt within their vicinity. They heard a yelp and a curse.
"Watch it! Matchstick!"
Blinking rapidly, Sun swayed as they slowly turned, "Carina?"
"Yeah," There was a brief pause, a hesitation, "and you Sun-7?"
Flinching at the number next to their name, Sun simply groaned as they rubbed their optics with the palms of their hands. They will never understand why they had decided to put that next to their back then newly found name. More than likely their newborn mind wanted to follow the 'trend' of the other Exo.
"I lost control, didn't I?"
There was a scoff from Carina, "You think?"
Lifting up their optics, Sun saw her cross her arms, helmet hiding her glare, "You nearly killed me, Psycho. If it wasn't for that song Rasputin played, I would have been toast. Literately."
Sun couldn't help but frown, "Song?"
This earned them a huff, "I thought you would have answers but, from the look on your face, I'm not going to get any."
Scowling to themself, Sun furrowed their brows, searching through their memory. It took only a brief moment until their optics widened, "It worked."
They felt Carina's optics turn back on them, "So you 'do' know what I am talking about then?"
"Yes."
Slowly rising to their feet, Sun winced and placed a hand to their head; it was pounding painfully.
"The 'Song' you heard was a protocol that both Gaia and I created years ago, not long after the City was built." Sun then hesitated, pondering on their next words, "It was created in hopes that somehow it would ease, and at best, cure the Darkness that had infected my light."
A shrill cry, one filled with triumph, interrupted Sun, prompting them to turn their attention towards Carina only to see his fellow Exo reach out with the back of her hand and smack her Ghost; strong enough to send him reeling but gentle enough to not cause any serious damage. When they gave Carina a questioning look, all they received were crossed arms, a blank look, and another question.
"I am going to take a guess that since you got possessed and tried to attack me that the Song didn't exactly work as intended?"
"Not fully." Sun admitted, "It did ease the Darkness but, not as well as we would have liked, and it did nothing to even improve my condition. As such, when we decided to stay with Rasputin, we put it into his records, in hopes that perhaps one day, we can make improvements."
They sensed the confused look behind Carina's visor.
"But it seems to work fine." She argued, "I mean, it took you out of that Darkness induced possession, or whatever you call it."
Unable to help but be amused, Sun forced it down as they clarified, "Yes, it worked, but only for now. More than likely it won't work in the future."
"What do you mean?"
"It is not strong enough." They couldn't help but smile bitterly, "Despite our best efforts, the Darkness is on the verge of completely corrupting my light. It won't be long now until I am completely turned." A laugh, filled with irony and scorn escaped them, "I fought for 'years' to prove to humans that Exo were more than 'war machines', but yet, I am going to become one soon." Taking in a deep breath, Sun let their smile fall from their face before turning to Carina. They decided to change the subject.
"If you do not mind, let us save Rasputin, shall we?"
Before the Darkness completely consumes me, they wanted to add, but judging from the looks of concern that they are now receiving from the younger Exo, Sun decided to say nothing. Carina is full of potential, a fiery spirit that Sun hasn't seen in years. But she's also young; last thing they want to do is distract her from their objective.
Nonetheless, before Sun could even turn and lead the way, they heard Carina say, "You know, back at the Tower-"
"You think I haven't look into Little Light's contraption?" Sun couldn't help but snap, "When he first visited here, I sensed the Darkness within his light and I had Rasputin scan him to see why his condition is 'stable', especially in comparison to mine." They then waved a hand at her, "We were able to replicate it but, it is too late for me. Nothing could save me now." They close their optics, squeezing them shut, "The only thing I can do is at least ensure Rasputin is safe and that Gaia…" They released a shuddering breath at the mention of their Ghost, "That Gaia will survive to find another Guardian."
"Not another Exo?"
Sun's optics snapped open and turned towards Carina, narrowing their gaze at the younger Guardian's question. At first, they were going to shout, yell that of course they want Gaia to find an Exo; after all, that is the only race that Gaia can fully understand, to work well with. But then they spotted the way Carina went rigid, her hands flexing around the frame of her shotgun, her feet squaring out, as if preparing for a fight. It didn't help matters that her Ghost even disappeared into the safety of her mind.
This fizzled out any sense of anger, any energy to raise their voice, and as such, Sun decided to say nothing and sighed. Once again, Sun had tried to turn to lead the way, when Carina's voice permeated into their sensors.
"Look, I understand your 'hatred' for organics." She said, "But to hate 'all' of them? That's not realistic."
This made Sun to stop abruptly, the annoyance, the frustration slowly simmering back to the surface, "Oh? And you know more about 'organics' than 'me', 'newborn'?"
Sun could easily see how their words affected her; her grip on her shotgun went taut and they could hear her grinding her jaws together.
"I maybe younger than you but a significant amount but, at least 'I' tried to make friends with organics."
The restraint on Sun's anger almost completely collapsed at her words.
"You think I have not tried!?" Sun watched as the younger Guardian jumped back at their shout, her body shifting defensively as they continued, "I attempted to give organics 'chances'! Plenty of it! But each time they decided to betray my trust! To selfishly take advantage of my kindness! My attempts at friendship!" Before they could realize what they were doing, Sun found their hand grabbing the front of Carina's armor, pulling her close. Or to be more accurate, lifting her off of her feet, "Tell me, 'newborn', do you know how it feels to trust someone to watch your back, only to have that same individual stab you and leave you for dead? Or making proclamations of never abandoning you and then fled at the first sign of danger, leaving you alone? Or tried to kill you once your 'usefulness' has passed?"
Sun would have continued on with their rant, if it wasn't for the fact that they heard Carina take in a sharp breath, feeling her go tense in their hands. They narrowed their eyes at her.
"The latter then?"
Receiving no answer, Sun instead scoffed, dropped her back onto her feet, and then shoved her way.
"You are young, Carina." They decided to say, "Come and talk to me about 'organics' once you experience 'half' of what they will do to you 'out there'."
Sun then turned once more and once again, tried to make their way down the hall.
"Then what about Ianos?"
Sun couldn't help a wheeze, a choke, at Carina's question, abruptly turning around and giving her a wide-eyed look. All they received was a tilt of the head.
"You think I didn't hear you call him 'Little Light'?" Carina huffed, shaking her head, "The only time Ianos is ever called that is by Pluto and he claims that anyone else is dead."
"Stop it." Sun said.
"And Pluto never uses it except to be endearing." Carina continued; they then felt her give them a blank stare behind her visor, "I want to know why you hate organics but yet, treat Ianos with the same care you treat other Exo." She crossed her arms, "Fucking hypocritical if you ask me."
Anger quickly took over Sun's senses and the next thing they knew, they had grasped Carina by the front of her armor, easily lifting her off of her feet again. She was cursing at him, hitting their arm in a vain attempt to make Sun lose their grip.
"Do not talk like as though you know every circumstance, 'newborn'." Sun snarled, keeping her at arm's length so that her kicks missed their mark, "You 'do not' know the history behind Ianos and I."
Then, with one swift motion, they shoved Carina back and, much to their frustration, she easily landed on her feet; fumbled, but landed on her feet, nonetheless.
"Then tell me your history!" Sun released a frustrated noise, "I want to understand."
"My history is 'long', newborn."
"Then tell me about Ianos. How does he fit into your life that you accepted him but not others?"
Sun couldn't help but turn their optics away, contemplating on Carina's question.
Their mind wandered back, back before the City, back before Guardians were called 'Risen'. Back before Sun's trust towards organics were completely broken.
Sun decided to take the opportunity to walk, go at a fast but brisk pace; they heard Carina let out a frustrated huff but nonetheless, they heard her footsteps follow.
"We met, a long time ago." Sun decided to say; from the corner of their vision, they saw the younger Guardian perk up, "back before the City, back when the Guardians were called Risen."
Xxxxx
"Gaia? Gaia!"
Feeling the fogginess of their mind clear, Gaia blinked before groaning, lifting themself from whatever they were resting on, "Where are we?"
"In Rasputin's power core."
Catching their attention, Gaia snapped their optic up, connecting with the front of Aleeza's visor.
"Where what?"
They looked around and sure enough, Aleeza's words held true; the familiar color of buttons and consoles flickered in Gaia's vision and the core, the large glowing cylindrical core stood in the middle, unharmed and protected by a familiar violet dome.
"We were able to make it in not long after you fell unconscious." Gaia turned their optic towards a section of the room, only to pause as they spotted Akiva, the Titan seated on the floor, helmet in his lap. He looked ragged, spots of exhaustion can be seen in his eyes and his hair clung to his face, "We cleared the room, but they just kept coming."
"That is why we resorted to that." Aleeza said as she nodded her head towards the Ward around the core, "and why Akiva looks like shit."
"It's working so far!"
"But for how much longer!?" Aleeza retorted back, "Keeping your Ward up for this long can't be easy and not to mention you can't summon one for us."
"Then let us just pray that they will give up. Soon."
Gaia recognized the voice of Angel, prompting the Ghost to turn towards the entrance of the room, only to spot the Hunter leaning against the frame, a slump in his shoulders.
It was then Gaia felt Aleeza grasp leave them, and they watched her raise her pulse rifle from her other hand, "Come on, we can do this. Who knows, Pluto may have gotten your message, Akiva, and is on his way here now. We just have to wait a tad bit longer."
"I hope so." Akiva said as he stumbled back onto his feet, slipping his helmet back over his head, "I don't know how much longer I can keep the…"
Note the fade in his voice, Gaia glided over just as Akiva placed a hand to the side of his helmet, and in response, the Ward flickered around the core.
"Akiva?"
Aleeza's voice was laced with worry, prompting her to walk over and place a hand onto the Titan's shoulder.
"I'm fine, I'm fine." As if to put strength behind his words, the Ward settled and then solidified, "Just a lapse in concentration."
More like light exhaustion, Gaia wanted to say, but the worry and concern that oozing off of Aleeza reigned them into silence.
"Don't overexert yourself." She said before Gaia saw her turn their way and raise a hand. They gave her a puzzled look in return.
"If you do not mind, could you stay with me?" She must have noticed the blank look that Gaia gave her for she then added, "It is safer than staying out and being exposed, right?"
Although not wanting to verbally admit it, Gaia saw truth in Aleeza's words and as such, reluctantly gathered their light and materialized into the safety of the Warlock. It didn't take long for the familiar HUD to flash into their vision.
It was a strange experience but familiar, seeing the type of weapon Aleeza had, the amount of bullets she had with her, and the amount of shields that were still intact. Shadows of memories filtered to the surface, Gaia recalling seeing something similar back when Sun was still defending the City, back when they were still a Guardian.
"I do not mind sharing, but Aleeza is 'my' Guardian, understand?"
Snapping out of their memory, Gaia then felt the presence of Lena, sensing her possessiveness.
Knowing how protective Ghosts are of their Guardians and to appease her, Gaia answered, "I understand."
They then heard a small 'hmph' from Lena but, they felt the tension from her fade.
"Incoming!"
Angel's shout was soon drowned out by the dreaded screams of the orbs of darkness, a flash temporarily blinding Gaia but, there was no need; they already know that meant that the Taken presence is already here.
Gaia heard their screeching cries first, blinking past the flash in time to see Aleeza hit a Taken with the palm of her hand, her void energy causing it to disperse into particles of light. It didn't take long for her to lift her weapon and start spraying into the crowd that started filtering into the room.
"Angel!"
No sooner had the name escaped Aleeza's lips, when Gaia saw the Hunter dash into their field of view, his body layered with arc light. Spotting his Arcblade in his hand, it didn't take long for them to understand why.
As the Hunter slashed his way through the crowd, Gaia then saw through Aleeza's eyes shifting her attention towards an orb and started firing her weapon at it. With her pulse rifle, it did quick work and it soon dispersed in a flash of black and white.
"One down!" Aleeza cried out as she dashed towards another entrance of the room, and that is where Gaia saw Akiva appear into view, the Titan punching back a Taken Psion before returning fire at another Taken Orb.
"Heads up!"
Fire then filtered into Gaia's vision before they saw a Solar Grenade light up within Aleeza's palm, blazing like a mini sun. After, they saw the edges of her vision flicker with flames and they felt the burn of Radiance permeate through their senses. That is when she started tossing her grenades.
A dying art but a fascinating one as Gaia watched as the grenades exploded as they landed onto the floor but then quickly started eating away at any Taken that were fortunate enough to survive the initial blast. Their screams told of how quickly it did its work.
Angel then burst back into view however, absent of his cloaked arc light and he tossed his knife at the last Taken Orb, the hit being enough to disperse that one as well. That is when Gaia heard the Hunter let out a heave as he leaned his hands against his knees, stumbling as he tried to support himself. It didn't take long for Gaia to realize that the room was now empty. For now.
"Is there no way to close the doors?" Angel rasped out as he stumbled towards a wall, leaning his shoulder against and, and moving to his hand cannon around his waist; knowing Guardian standards, to reload it to be ready for the next fight. Or to check on ammo, if the way Angel stared into the chamber and winced a telling sign.
"If I had access to a console perhaps I can." Gaia offered, "However, with how easily the Taken are bypassing the doors, I hardly think it will matter."
"Perfect."
"At least we cleared out another wave." Akiva huffed out, Gaia watching him roll his shoulders and shake his arms, mostly likely to rid of the tension of the recent battle, "but damn it, I feel like no matter how long I rest, my light isn't rejuvenating fast enough."
"Must be the Darkness." Gaia found everyone turning their eyes towards them – or perhaps Aleeza- as they then added, "Since the Taken have broken into Rasputin's bunker, the Darkness has become quite prominent here."
"Then that means we can't die either." A sigh can be heard from Angel, the latter of which leaned his head against the wall, "or at least one of us has to stay alive long enough to run around and revive the others."
"I would say that's possible if it wasn't for the fact that we are in a small room with only two entrances, both of which are an entryway for the Taken." Akiva snorted, "And we have to be careful not to be over run, especially with those Taken Psions. Their replication can easily overwhelm us."
"It also doesn't help that getting close to those Orbs of Darkness slows our movements if we get too close." Aleeza decided to add him, "and in order to stop their number we 'have' to destroy them, otherwise, the more we kill, the more it will summon."
A tired breath could once again be heard from the youngest of their group, Gaia watching the Hunter push himself away from the wall.
"How much longer do you think we can last?" He asked, "At least, unto the Taken gives up?"
Until they have Rasputin's core, Gaia wanted to say, but decided to stay quiet when the two older Guardians stayed quiet, the Ghost seeing through Aleeza's vision glancing towards Akiva, and felt her shift uncomfortably beneath them. They wouldn't be surprised if they also came to the same conclusion as they have.
"I believe they will go away once Carina and Sun make it to Rasputin's main core." Aleeza finally decided to answer, and Gaia had to give her credit; she had give Angel the truth but a vague enough of an answer where things wouldn't seem too dire, "if they secure their positions there, perhaps the Taken would believe their mission would be compromised and fall back."
There was a brief silence, Gaia watching as Angel's attention shifted towards the floor then, back towards Aleeza. "What happens if they fail to secure the Core room?"
That is when Gaia saw Aleeza's line of sight shift, her view turning downwards at her feet before it lifted back towards Akiva and Angel. They heard her take in a deep breath.
"Then we stand our ground and pray to the Traveler we are given a miracle."
There was a huff from Angel, almost like a laugh but he didn't say anything else, but instead leaned against the wall once more, gaze towards the floor. This is where Gaia expected them to announce their failure.
They had seen this before, a matter of hopelessness where many of Sun's teams would try to abandon the objective, to save themselves before the lives of others, and in their cowardice, would have left their Guardian behind.
As such, they couldn't help but feel shocked when Angel let out a breath and said, "Well, I don't know how much longer I can fight, especially with little ammo I have but, it won't hurt to try."
There was a laugh from Akiva, the Titan hefting his shotgun in his hands and said, "Let's make it last."
That is when another scream echoed through the room.
Watching through Aleeza's eyes as she snapped towards the entrances, the familiar Orbs of Darkness exploding into view. The edges of their vision then started to filter with Solar Light and it didn't take long for it to light up with bullets and light.
Blinking past the chaos, Gaia then whispered to themselves, "I do not understand. Why are they staying? Why would…?"
Thinking hard on a reason, Gaia then jumped as they heard a snort, one filled with amusement; right, they were sharing.
"I do recall Carina telling you this but, not all 'organics' are the same." Gaia paused at Lena's words, shifting their attention towards Aleeza; either she had heard and opted to ignore, or she is too distracted by the fight around them to pay attention to the Ghosts.
Moments later, Lena sighed, "Do we have to force it into your tiny little core to understand?"
Gaia scowled but said nothing else, apparently a sign for Lena to continue.
"Look, do you think that your Guardian was the only one who was discriminated their entire life?" Gaia winced at her words, "There are others who experienced the same as your Guardian but yet, still chose to trust organics, for they know that not all are the same." There was a snort from Lena, "Look at Carina and Pluto, they know exactly what Sun went through and yet, they learned to work with others, others who treat them as equals."
Once again opting to say nothing, Gaia weighed upon Lena's words and knows that there is truth in her words. But yet, the distrust still lingers.
As if sensing this, Lena sighed once more, "I can assure you, if you give this team a chance, you won't regret it. They are not like the others."
Still remaining silent, Gaia instead to focused their attention back onto Aleeza's field of vision, watching her finish off a Taken with a Solar enhanced punch – or slap, Gaia recalls Venus teasing.
An ache resonated within their core at the memory.
If it was just Sun, perhaps Gaia would have given them a chance, would have given them the opportunity to show their worth. But.
"A part of me really want to give these Guardians a chance." Gaia hesitated, remembering back when the former Galaxy Clan still lived back in the Tower, back when they were whole. Until the Tower decided to betray their trust, "But, I cannot, not now at least."
There was a hum from Lena, a hint of understanding in her voice.
"Time heals all wounds."
Gaia couldn't help but huff at her words but nonetheless, decided not to say anything more; she does not know their history after all.
"I have to go." They decided to say instead, "Sun told me to find them once I guided you here."
"But is it safe?" Aleeza asked allowed, and Gaia saw both Angel and Akiva turn her way; it looks like they cleared the room of Taken once more, "There are Taken everywhere. How about one of us goes with you? Give you protection?"
"I know this area well. I should be able to take the shortcuts to Rasputin's Core with no trouble." Gaia paused, hesitating, "I believe you will do more good here than guiding an old Ghost like me back to their Guardian."
Then, without waiting for their words, Gaia materialized out of the safety of Aleeza's mind and glided upwards into one of the vents, quickly leaving them behind.
More of Sun's back story has been revealed! :D
Anyways, Oc's are going to make an appearance in the next chapter so look out ^_^