Tormented
Exposed
Figured out a way to better manage my time writing so hopefully no more procrastination lol.
Thanks to Lazypersons for their review!
Edited: 03/20/2022
Ace has scars.
They were small, hardly noticeable; just little dings, dents, and scratches that looked to have been sanded down, cleaned, and painted over multiple times over years. Or centuries, considering their age.
Nonetheless, they were there, and Spirit couldn't help but stare as he helped lead Ianos into a room; a library, judging from the broken shelves and scattered books that were strewn across the floor.
"When did you get those?" He blurted out the question before he could realize, and Spirit mentally slapped himself when both Ianos and Ace gave him a look as they settled against the wall.
"What?" Ace asked.
Formulating a way to get himself out of the situation, Spirit found himself glancing over to Angel, the latter of which had also paused and stared. Great, now he has an audience.
Nervous now, Spirit turned his attention to the others, only to be relieved when they were at the other end of the room; more than likely covering the other exit that he now spies from their position. He then decided to take in a breath; he got himself into this, he might as well go through with it.
"The marks, on your shell." Spirit thought about pointing but decided against it when he saw not only Ace, but also Ianos, flinch. Right, sensitive topic, "I never noticed them until now."
"That is because they were not to be spotted." He heard Ianos mutter but, when Spirit glanced over for further elaboration, all he received was a blank stare.
"Is it not normal for a Ghost to have marks on their shell?" It was Angel who spoke, taking a seat on the floor, back pressed to the wall and the door visible in his range; a common tactic used by Hunters, "After all, Ghosts are out in the field with us all the time."
Which is true, but Spirit cannot help but eye the deeper indents carved onto the flatter surfaces of Ace's shell. With that kind of damage, especially considering that Spirit can see 'cracks' of light beading through, most Ghosts would exchange it for a new one.
"Although looking at it now, Ace, please don't be offended, but why not get a new shell?"
Grateful that Angel had asked the question simmering in his mind, Spirit waited as Ace released a hum, watching the Ghost glance momentarily at their Guardian; he saw Ianos simply shrug.
"It is for personal reasons." Spirit couldn't help but feel disappointed at Ace's answer, "but, if you want a proper reason, let us just say Ianos is too cheap to buy me a new one."
"Ace."
At first, it was difficult to tell, especially considering that Spirit always sees Ianos with a serious (from what he can tell) posture whenever they encounter each other. However, this time he can see the feigned offense, the fondness in his tone, especially when Ace chuckled.
"Oh, come on, there must be another reason than that. Tell us."
Spirit turned and gave Angel a raised brow; oh, to be a young light again. Then again, he's not much older. Although, he had to give the Hunter kudos. He tends to keep asking questions, even if unwarranted.
Fortunately, Ace seems to be used to it, as Spirit spotted a look of endearment settle over the Ghost's optics.
"Most of these marks are from my years of keeping an eye out for Ianos, especially when he was a newborn." Spirit blinked; he hadn't expected Ace to answer, "You would be surprised how many Warlords were around back then, despite the working of the 'Iron pups'."
Spirit sputtered, nearly choking. He maybe young, but even he knows that such a term for the Iron Lords wasn't used out of respect.
"Iron Pups?" Angel repeated and Spirit prayed he won't pry further. Luckily, although Spirit sensed the bewilderment, the curiousness, the Hunter didn't say anything and instead, asked, "Even the bigger ones?"
That is when Spirit felt tension suddenly settle over them, and he took in a sharp breath just as he saw the gleam in Ace's optic vanish. And took note of how tense Ianos went.
"A story for a different time." Ace quickly muttered and Spirit saw the Ghost slowly back up; he already knows what their intentions were.
"Oh, come on," Angel's shout was vocal, loud, and Spirit spotted from the corner of his optics the women of their group turning their heads their way, "You can't just give us hints and leave us hanging like that."
Which was true. Now that Spirit got a taste, he wanted more. But he also can sense how uncomfortable both Ghost and Guardian were getting. He can see Ianos hands curling into tight fists in his lap.
"How about we get some rest?" Spirit decided to butt in, and he heard Angel let out a whimper of betrayal. He ignored it, "Your Arc Light hadn't been too friendly with you, right?"
There was a grunt, and a nod and Spirit finally took note of the trembling that reverberated throughout Ianos' body. Although, he wasn't sure if that was from the aftereffects of the light or from the conversation they just had.
Getting comfortable where he sat, Spirit watched as Ianos scooted himself to a corner before laying on the ground. He then curled in, as if to make himself appear smaller, and then, silence.
Well, as much silence as they could get, as Spirit could still hear Angel grumbling under his breath, and the chatter of the other half of their team having resumed; they must have lost interest after the Hunter's outburst.
"Complaining is not going to get you answers, Angel." Ace said; Spirit didn't have to look Angel's way to see the Hunter dip his head, "not usually anyway."
Spirit blinked at the Ghost, "Wait, what?"
In contrast, from the corner of his optic, he saw Angel perk up.
"What can you give us?"
Spirit couldn't help but turn, aghast at the Hunter's excitement. Ace, on the other hand, chuckled at his words.
"Nothing much, as although Ianos maybe resting, he can catch snippets, if he wants." The Ghost hummed, "Let us see, the larger marks here, I received these during the mission on the Moon, which earned Ianos the name "The Black Death"."
Furrowing his brows together, Spirit pondered, familiarity rising to the surface, "You mean the one he returned from before murdering the Guardian out in the Plaza?"
It was a story that Spirit heard 'often' from his team, especially from Neve, back when she had a vendetta against Ianos. As such, he was surprised to hear Angel choke and wheeze, easily sensing the shock behind the Hunter's visor.
Ace, on the other hand, simply gave Spirit a displeased look.
"It. Was not. Murder." If looks could kill, then Spirit would be lying dead, "It was…" Ace took in a deep breath before sighing, shelling trembling against their core, "It was not murder, it was." They hesitated, "It was vengeance."
"Vengeance?" Spirit repeated.
"You do not know the whole story." Ace snapped, then another sigh, "I do not know the whole story."
A brief pause.
"What? But I thought-"
"I did say these marks came from the moon, did I not?" The Ghost interrupted, "As you can see these marks were severe, enough where it knocked me out for a time." Ace let out a Ghost equivalent of a breath, "A long time."
Hearing the shame, the guilt in Ace's voice, Spirit tried to recall the details of the story. He remembers Neve telling him that the Guardian – Wesley? If Spirit remembers correctly - that Ianos had killed was, at first, the only one who had initially returned out of the Fireteam of six, telling of a story of a Hive ambush. Then, a year later, Ianos had returned, barely clinging to life, delirious, and mad. Mad enough where he promptly killed the Guardian right there in the Plaza, in front of everyone. And then turned his gun on himself.
"A year." Spirit repeated back to himself before turning his attention back onto the Ghost, "You were out for a year."
He heard Angel sputter next to him and Spirit heard silence in the room; he wouldn't be surprised if the women have ceased in their conversation and are now listening in.
"I told you it was a long time." Ace huffed and the Ghost went quiet once more, Spirit watching them turn their optic slowly back to Ianos; he could hear the Warlock's slow and even breaths.
Spirit then narrowed his optics, "Wait, a year. Vengeance."
"I did say I don't know the 'full' story." Ace did not turn their way, but kept their optic on their Guardian, "But I know enough."
There was a sharp intake of breath from Angel and Spirit understood why. One Guardian returning, claiming of no survivors. Then, Ianos returns, kills Wesley and claims his death out of vengeance. It didn't take much to put two and two together.
"You were betrayed."
It was Angel who said it and Spirit glad he did. Unlike him, an outsider of their team, Angel is a part of Ianos' inner circle, and although the Warlock won't admit it, part of their family. He could push past boundaries where Spirit cannot.
"Is it that obvious?" Despite the joking tone in Ace's voice, Spirit can also tell that it also confirms Angel's words, "The two of you put it together faster than those back at the Tower."
Spirit couldn't help but flinch; as he was constantly told by Neve, the story is well renowned amongst the Guardians, and it definitely doesn't put Ianos in a good light.
"Then why not just tell everyone the truth?" Angel asked.
This earned the Hunter a scoff from Ace.
"If it were that simple, we would have done so long ago." The Ghost said, "However, thanks to the spectacle in the Plaza, everyone started seeing Ianos as an unstable madman. And since I am his Ghost, no one was going to believe our words." There was a sigh from Ace, "It also doesn't help that my memory is a blank over the past year."
Pondering upon their words, Spirit couldn't help but feel a bit guilty. He had believed the stories, the rumors surrounding Ianos, and it had prevented him from getting to know the Guardian better. But after Akiva and Neve's union and spying the Warlock from afar, Spirit can tell he was wrong in his presumption.
"Wait, does Pluto know?" Angel's question pulled Spirit out of his thought in time to see Ace shift their shell sheepishly.
"If I were to be honest, Pluto only knows because he caught Ianos at a time when he had managed to get himself drunk. And you know how alcohol can loosen the tongue quite well, no matter how one tries."
Which makes sense, as Spirit recalls the incident back in the Hangar.
"Does he know the full story?"
Spirit asked before he could stop himself however, instead of annoyance or irritation, Ace simply shook their shell.
"Just like me, he knows parts, but not the whole." The Ghost turned and gave Ianos a concerned look, "Ianos, even in his drunken state, wouldn't divulge the entire story."
Considering his phobia of fire and the fact that the Moon is a Hive deathtrap, Spirit can see reason. Nonetheless, he still can't help but admit to himself that it is frustrating not getting the full story.
"If you do not mind, I have one more question." Angel said, "From what I can gather, there were six of you and on the moon. What were you doing up there in the first place?"
Spirit blinked; that, that was a good question. After the Great Disaster, the Vanguard made sanctions to the Moon quite difficult, and it's even said that a pair of Veteran Guardians sometimes isn't enough to gain permission to go there. A Fireteam of six on the other hand.
Ace shifted their shell nervously, almost shamefully, against their core and Spirit once again caught them eyeing Ianos. And once again, the Warlock's breaths were still even.
"You have to understand, it happened not long after the Great Disaster, when searches for Ghosts were more commonplace. And when the deaths of loved one still fresh in the mind of the survivors."
The Great Disaster, an accurate name, if Spirit remembers his history correctly. Where an attempted recovery of the moon ended in failure and a massacre of Guardians. There were many deaths that even now, you can still find broken and dead Ghosts, drained of their light, if you know where to look.
"So, you requested to look for Ghosts?" Angel asked and Spirit wondered the same.
Perhaps Ianos, in his grief, had wanted to find the Ghosts of lost friends and had requested a team to help. At least, that is what Spirit thought, until he saw a guilty look glean over their optic.
"No, that was the excuse." Ace explained, "Initially, Ianos wanted to go alone but when the Vanguard refused, we asked for a team to help us get there." The Ghost then shook their shell, "The reason why we wanted to venture to the Moon was that we had intended it to be our final resting place."
A wheeze and a cough, but this time not from Angel; Spirit glanced over at the women at the other side of the library, and he had taken note that they had stopped pretending. He can tell that they are now wholly attuned to their conversation.
"Someone precious to us had died during the attempted reclamation." Ace added in; they must have sensed everyone's question, "and many more that he had seen as his friends, his family, lay dead on the surface as well. We had thought it fitting for us to join them." They then sighed and Spirit watched as the Ghost closed their optic, "If we had just pushed the Vanguard harder, stood our ground, then perhaps they wouldn't have…"
Ace didn't have to finish their sentence for Spirit to understand. He can already tell how their story ended on what happened to the team that had went with them.
"What were their names?" Spirit decided to ask.
"Fireteam Reprieve." Ace answered as their optic opened, and a soft look glaze over it, "Their Fireteam Leader was Copper-29, brave, always puts his team first." There was a hum from the Ghost, gentle, full of melancholy, "Warlock Amele, stubborn but steadfast, never showed fear even in the face of danger. Titan Rytark, self-less and quick thinking, thought of solutions before we could react. And Hunter Darian, innocent, full of spirit. Young. Someone that Ianos took a liking to quickly." Then, the look in Ace's optic turned dark, hateful, full of rage, "And then 'him', that selfish, cowardly – what his team sacrificed, the hardship we went through to get to him and he…"
Ace closed their optic again, and Spirit heard them take in a trembling breath, "Ironically, besides 'him', we wouldn't be here if it wasn't for Fireteam Reprieve. Hence why we are tormented by the thought that we had caused their deaths." Ace sadly looked back at their Guardian, "Especially Ianos."
Which isn't a surprise, to Spirit at least; if he had been in Ianos footsteps, where he insisted on going on a mission alone to secretly die, only to pull others in an attempt to do so. Spirit can at least see reason in that logic.
"But it wasn't your fault." Angel protested, "It was that Guardian's fault, that 'betrayer's' fault, not yours." The young Hunter then paused, Spirit watching him tilt his head, contemplating, "Whatever he did to make it happen."
There was a huff from Ace, but this one gentle, soft.
"I would tell you more, give you a better picture but, I say I think I told you enough."
A disappointed sound permeated from Angel; Spirit almost mimicked that sentiment.
"I promise, I will tell you more later. Once I can get Ianos to agree." Ace promised, "however for now, I think if I tell you anymore, it might be a breach on his privacy." The Ghost paused, humming to themself, "Well, perhaps a further breach of privacy."
Spirit released an amused huff despite himself, and this earned him a smile from Ace.
"How about we get some rest, gather our light, and check on our equipment?" The Ghost suggested before Spirit saw their orange optic glance towards the other side of the room. More specifically at the other half of their team, "Or, for those a bit antsy, a couple of us volunteer to patrol the area?"
This was telling enough that Ace knew that the other half of their team had been eavesdropping, and the group took the hint as Spirit heard Aleeza let out a cough before the three of them stood up and shuffled outside. Ace hummed at this.
"I guess it isn't too bad, to have extra ears hear parts of the truth." Ace admitted before they turned their attention back towards Spirit and Angel, "although, I am not sure how much of a difference it will make back at the Tower."
Enough, at least, Spirit hopes so, as he mentally planned out. He is thinking about getting his team involved, to tell them the truth, especially to Neve, who sees Ianos the most in a positive light. Maybe not Leo, considering that he still holds a grudge against the Warlock for killing him awhile ago.
Spirit heard Ace chuckle.
"Don't try to think too hard on it." He flushed as he realized the Ghost knew exactly what he was thinking.
Before Spirit can protest, Ace had glided back to where Ianos laid and had squeezed themself between their Guardian's hand. He watched as fingers wrapped gently around their shell, but taught enough where Spirit can tell they were clinging on, as if Ace was going to disappear. Or never awaken.
A shiver went down the length of Spirit's back at the thought and he couldn't help but wonder what had happened during that year of when Ace was knocked unconscious. Definitely something not good, especially if it's on the moon. Even now, he hears horror stories.
"How much do you want to bet that we seriously get lost in here?"
Spirit couldn't help but blink at Angel's question, slowly turning his head to the Hunter; the younger Guardian sat up straight, an expectant look emitting behind his visor. He acted as if they didn't just have the conversation with Ace.
Nonetheless, to play along and to prevent him thinking more upon it, Spirit hummed and answered, "Knowing you Hunters, you have to be specific when it comes to recognizing your terrain. So, I say, in order for us to find this Warmind…" He then sighed, dread finally settling into the pit of his stomach, "Yes, we're definitely going to get lost."
He heard a chuckle from Angel, "You definitely know how Hunter's work."
"Well, when you have a Hunter like Jordan around, you learn."
This earned him a laugh from the younger Guardian.