Tormented

We Found You

Edited: 3/27/2022

"Father! Stop! She is sick! She cannot –"

Pain spiked from his cheek and the next thing he knew, he found himself sprawled out on the cold earth.

"I will deal with you later." Orange eyes flared with rage in his direction before he could only watch helplessly as the man approached to where his mother laid.

Coughing could be heard in the mass of blankets and clothes, trembling against the cold and her fever. Glowing violet eyes opened as the man came to a pause next to her, her gaze dazed as they glanced upwards.

"Genis?"

No sooner had the name escaped her lips when the man lifted his sidearm and fired, the single shot penetrating through her hood and head, and her shaking form ceased.

He released a cry of anguish, the edges of his vision blurring as he pushed himself onto his knees.

"Coward! Murderer!" He shouted, feeling the heat of his tears against his cold skin, "She couldn't defend herself! She was ill! Sick! She couldn't-"

His words halted when he suddenly found a sidearm pointed in between his eyes, prompting him to glance up at the man who killed his mother. And to look up at the man he once called father.

"Your mother reported to the Queen of my actions years ago." The older Awoken snarled out, "If it had not been for her, my coup would have worked, and this family would have lived a life of luxury on the throne."

"The throne?" He repeated, "You are still obsessed with the throne? Even after all these years?" His eyes grew wide, lower lip trembling, "Is the throne that important to you? That you would endanger your family to gain it?"

"It was for the family!" He could see his father's hand tremble with rage, "and your mother ruined it for us all." He watched as his finger pressed against the trigger, "And you followed her."

Staring his father in eyes, a sob then escaped his lips

"And now, you shall follow her once more. Goodbye, son."

The last thing he heard was the sound of a sidearm's shot.

Xxxxx

Ianos' eyes snapped open, taking in a deep breath in an attempt to slow his beating heart. Despite this, he can still hear it thump loudly in his chest, prompting the Warlock to push himself into a seated position with a grunt.

"You're awake."

Subtly shaking his head to rid the last of sleep, Ianos shifted his eyes over to Ace, spotting the familiar orange and black shell of his Ghost, the latter of which asked, "How are you feeling?"

Instead of answering, Ianos placed a hand against his chest, took in several deep breaths as he closed his eyes, and listened to his heart beat loudly.

"If you want an answer, numb," He finally answered, "Can hardly feel my hands and feet."

"Typical signs of Light Exhaustion." Ace sighed, "alongside attuning with a Light you had less control over the others, using it underground with the Vex around was not very smart."

"I know." Ianos admitted, "But we had to clear them out quickly, otherwise we would have been overwhelmed."

"There's Carina."

Despite himself, Ianos turned and gave Ace a blank stare.

"Yes, she is better off than me when attuned to her Solar Light." Raising one knee to prop his arm on, Ianos then added, "remember the time she tried to summon her Hammer in a Rift Match?"

Ace hummed in response, "If I recall correctly, it imploded in her hands second later, quickly followed by Light Exhaustion." Ianos heard them snicker, "She hasn't quite mastered Solar Light quite yet."

"Then what made you think that she was the better option to clear the Vex? Underground? In a decaying building? With her exploding hammers?"

"Good point…"

Unable to help but feel amused at his Ghost, Ianos then decided to take the opportunity to take in his surroundings and spotted Angel first; the younger Hunter had curled himself into a ball in a corner, his back against the wall. A habit that most Hunters learn early on. Next, he spotted Carina and Aleeza, the two female Guardians curled in each other's arms as they slept in between two scattered shelves. Next, is Esther, and it didn't take Ianos long to find her curled up in an opposing corner, resting in the same position as Angel; curled up in a ball and her back against the wall.

As he continued to scan the abandoned library, momentary panic took hold in his chest when he couldn't spot the familiar green robes amongst their number, only to snap his attention to the door when he heard footsteps approach. Ianos' panic eased as Spirit walked in, his weapon in his hand, only to see him reel back in surprise.

"You're awake."

Simply nodding in response to the younger Warlock's words, Ianos then raised a brow when the latter walked over and sat down next to him.

"Something is on your mind." He said.

Ianos must have hit the mark, for he then saw Spirit flinch, the Exo anxiously tapping the side of his weapon.

Then he said, "I'm sorry."

Ianos reeled at the apology, "I beg your pardon?"

"I'm sorry." Spirit repeated, "I froze back and there, and thanks to that, I endangered everyone, especially you. You had to use a light you were unaccustomed to. I'm…" Ianos watched as the younger Guardian's shoulders slump, his grip on his weapon lax as he finished, "I'm sorry."

Blinking rapidly, Ianos then couldn't help but frown before bringing up a hand, curling it into a fist, and swinging it into the Warlock's arm. Hard.

Besides hearing Spirit yelp, Ianos released one himself, as he clutched his hand close to his chest.

"What was that for?"

Shaking his hand to rid himself of the pain and muttering under his breath about Exo plating, Ianos shifted his attention back to Spirit.

"If you wanted me to be honest, I was angry at you for cowering at the sight of the Vex." Spotting the way Spirit deflate at his words, head shifting towards the floor, Ianos then added, "But I cannot blame you for acting that way."

Spirit's gaze shot back towards him, "What do you mean?"

"Do you think all Guardians are fearless?" Ianos asked, "Fear shadows every Guardian." He then scoffed, recalling the familiar ship that had landed not too long ago back at the Tower, "Even that Iron Pup Saladin, despite his demeanor, knows fear."

He saw Spirit reel at this, but then saw him tilt his head, curious.

"Even you?"

Ianos took in a deep breath, feeling his chest beat rapidly in his chest. He then released the breath when the beating eased, "Yes, including me."

Hearing nothing from Spirit, Ianos watched as the Exo Warlock tossed his hand cannon back and forth between in his hands.

"Fire, isn't it?"

Ianos flinched, "Yes."

"Natural or Light?"

"Both…"

Spirit continued to handle his hand cannon between his hands, "Is it because of your time on the moon?"

Ianos' breath hitched, his eyes wide, "How did you…"

That is when he heard Ace's shell shift nervously near his ears. Ianos didn't have to ask to know how. Sucking in a breath between his teeth, he eased the anger threatening to surface, and then, relief. Or at least, a tad bit. It was nice knowing there was at least one other person who knew the truth. Or several, he realizes, if the others were around. Nonetheless, a small amount of his burden was relieved, and it felt like a bit of weight was lifted off his shoulders.

Not to mention, judging from the way the tension in Spirit's shoulders faded, a relief to the younger Guardian that they had avoided witnessing an argument between Guardian and Ghost.

"How long as it been since we camped here?" Ianos decided to ask and that is when he heard the Exo Warlock hum.

"Not sure." Spirit admitted, "I know it has not been long since I took over patrol from Esther and the others." He nodded his head towards the entryway he had just taken, "As you can see, I recently had returned."

Nodding his head, Ianos then turned his attention to Ace.

"A few hours, almost dawn."

"That delayed our plans." Ianos sighed, "But I guess it cannot be helped."

"What are you talking about?"

Jumping in his seat, Ianos turned his eyes towards Angel, only to see the Hunter pushing himself into a seated position and stretched his arms above his head with a yawn.

"Nothing important." It was Spirit who answered Angel's question, "We were just having an idle chat."

Seeing the Hunter nod blearily, Ianos then watched with mild amusement when Angel turned his attention towards him. And proceeded to perk up instantly.

"You're awake." He said.

"Just a few minutes." Ianos confirmed, watching the Hunter roll his shoulder, "A few more minutes of rest and I believe I will be ready to move on."

"That's good to hear." Angel rubbed the back of his neck, "When an hour passed and you didn't wake, we started to get worried. It didn't help when Ace said that alongside your incomplete attunement to Arc Light, you were suffering from Light Exhaustion, it didn't really ease our concerns."

Hearing this, Ianos sighed and shook his head, "I apologize for the scare."

"…Okay, what is up with you today?"

Ianos raised a brow at Angel's question, "What do you mean?"

"You just apologized." The Hunter said, "You never 'apologize' to anything."

Narrowing his eyes, Ianos scoffed as he retorted, "That is deemed 'strange' to you?"

"A little bit." He gave Angel a blank stare, "But you have been acting strange lately."

Frowning at the Hunter, Ianos, at first, thought about feigning ignorance. Then, he remembered who is currently mentoring Angel, and he sighed, "Hunters, your eyes are too perceptive."

"I have good teachers."

Unable to help but feel like Angel was smiling broadly behind his helmet, Ianos simply subtly shook his head, telling himself he is not smiling as well before quickly regaining composure, "You had heard the conversation with the Vanguard and I, correct? How they had originally promised that I wouldn't have to work with. Her." He nodded his head in Esther's direction.

"Esther?" Angel asked, "Why?"

Scrunching his face together, Ianos pondered on just how much he should tell.

"You are informed that Exo can have their memory wiped?"

He saw both Spirit and Angel nod at his question. Ianos released a breath.

"Before she is known as Esther-9, I had known her as Esther-8."

No sooner had the words left his lips when Angel fell forward, practically falling flat onto his face; Ianos then recalls the Hunter's habit of leaning too forward when taking in interested information. Then again, he wasn't sure if it was any better than Spirit dropping his weapon, then fumbling to get the Hand Cannon back into his hands.

"Excuse me!?"

Ianos, with little thought, slapped a hand over Angel's mouth. Or, at least where it should be if his helmet should be absent. He then proceeded to lift a finger near his lips and then nodded his head towards the other half of his team. Sighing as he saw them starting to sit up, yawning and stretching, Ianos then removed his hand. Only to give the Hunter a blank stare when the latter plastered both hands over his own mouth. He must have realized his mistake.

"How are you feeling?"

It was Esther who asked the question and Ianos couldn't help but go rigid and stare.

"I can imagine running headlong into Cabal would hurt." She chirped. He then yelped as she snapped his shoulder back into place, "Now, now, you shouldn't be complaining. The two of you did this to yourself." He heard her laugh as she then added, "Then again, a being with skin made from mental would be able to take hits from a Phalanx better than a squishy one as you."

"I am fine." He finally responded, ignoring the way she tilted her head, easily sensing the bewildered stare. Instead, he placed a hand on the wall, and with a grunt, slowly and steadily pushed himself to his feet. Taking a few steps to make sure they were steady, he then asked, "Shall we head out?"

"You sure?" It was Aleeza's turn to ask about his well-being, Ianos watching her stand and then help pull Carina to her feet, "You suffered from Light Exhaustion. Even if you feel fine now, later on, it might affect you." He then sensed the scrutinizing look behind her helmet, "Especially since your light isn't quite fully rejuvenated enough."

"Either we waste more time here or get spotted by the Vex." Ianos retorted, hearing the others go silent. He then glanced over to Ace, seeing them nod once, "I should be able to defend myself at least." Then, unable to help himself, he then turned his focus onto Esther and gave her a blank look, "And the Vex shouldn't trouble us if we get 'lost'."

In turn, Esther rubbed the back of her neck sheepishly.

"You sure you know where we are going." He watched as she turned around, and he easily sensed the annoyance behind her visor.

"Of course I know where I am going!" She protested, "I'm a Hunter! I know 'exactly' where to go!" She then turned her back to him, and he couldn't help but snicker as, not a moment later, she paused, and her shoulders slumped.

"…Venus? Where do we go from here?"

"Lead the way."

He then gestured to the door with his hand, prompting Esther to nod and jumping to her feet. Watching the others do the same, it wasn't until the others exited the room when he heard Ace whisper.

"I miss her."

Ianos took in a breath, closing his eyes.

"I know." He whispered back, "I miss her too."

He then followed the others out.

Xxxxx

Esther wasn't blind.

She had thought that Ianos had merely known in her passing, or perhaps someone she had just ran missions with in the past. But she started noticing in his stares, the looks of yearning and grief that he would send her way. To Esther, this meant that they were more than just acquaintances.

Of course, questioning Vulcan lead to nothing although, him sputtering and stuttering was confirmation enough.

She would question Ianos himself, but, besides his grief, he is also guarded, wary of her. Esther knows that if she is to gain any answers, she would have to be patient, slowly gain his trust back. Which wouldn't be so difficult, if it wasn't for the fact that they had bumped into the Vex. Again.

"How the fuck are they able to have this many of those walking laser cutters in here!?"

"Less talking! More shooting!" Esther barked back, repeatedly firing her hand cannon into the glowing cores of the Vex, ignoring the splatters of their white fluids that patterned onto her armor. They are gaining too much ground for comfort.

"Vex are able to teleport!" It was Ianos, the Warlock having switch to a Scout Rifle to help steady his aim, Esther seeing his shots from the corner of his optics easily weaving past her and the others as he gave them cover, "Hence whey they are fully capable of sending in an army in such a small space!"

"Well fuck that!" Carina's shout was then followed by a brief pause, a 'clang', and a piercing flame that temporarily blinded Esther, "Fire in the hole!"

Seeing the familiar hammer shapes streaking through the air, Esther at first panicked, recalling many of her time of their explosions in the Crucible. However, much to her relief, the hammer didn't explode, but instead bodily sent the Vex flying back, igniting them before they could even land.

"Careful!" Esther heard Ianos snap.

"Then how else are we supposed to clear them out! Since, you know, using rockets and grenades would bring the whole place down on us!"

A frustrated sigh can be heard from Ianos.

"Then move out of the way!"

That is when Esther felt Ianos brush past her and she went to reach out and snap up his hand, only to blink when her grasp simply grabbed air. Either she was losing her touch, or the Warlock was a lot faster than he is showing.

Nonetheless, her mind went back to their first encounter with the Vex, and concern filtered to the front that Ianos would be using his Arc Light once more. However, to her surprise, he instead lifted his hands in the air, his Scout rifle disappearing from his grip. Only for her eyes to go wide when she recognized a machine gun landing in his hands.

"How in the fucking Light did you get 'that'?"

Esther stared on in envy as she eyed the sparks of void energy crawling around the machine gun's nozzle, its sleek form primed in silver.

"You mean this old thing?" She watched as Ianos hefted the Nova Mortis in his hands, "Had it for years." Esther couldn't help but feel like he gave her a smirk behind his helmet, "Difficult to maintain."

Sputtering at his words, Esther couldn't help but narrow her optics at him as Ianos aimed his weapon and fired.

Streaks of void light streaked through the air, which is quickly followed by the darkness being ignited by the white cores of the Vex exploding, sending their lifeblood spilling onto the floor. Eyeing the way how his kill count grew before the Vex's broken bodies even hit the floor, Esther started to calculate a plan on how to get her hands on the weapon. Or, at least to gain its blueprint.

"It's not for you, Esther." She jumped as Ace's voice echoed through the coms, "We may have not used it in 'years', but it is still ours. No use in asking to have it."

Frowning behind her helmet, Esther couldn't help but grumble under her breath.

"All clear!"

Ianos' shout pulled Esther from her sulking, and her attention shifted back to Ianos in time to see the Nova Mortis disappear from his hands. She lamented at the thought of being unable to have one of the two missing pieces to a set. The Thunderlord maybe amazing, but to have either the Nova Mortis or the Abbadon would have made it better.

"That thing is a beast!" Carina exclaimed as they convened back together, "Why didn't you use that earlier?"

"Despite how it looks, it's a prototype." Esther had to suppress a choke at Ianos' words; a mere prototype? With that kind of firepower? "The Titan that crafted the weapon only handed out a few to see how it functions out in the field. Unfortunately, with his death, the prototypes stayed as they were: prototypes."

Esther couldn't help herself, "And your assessment?"

"It fires well." She blinked; Esther hadn't thought that Ianos would answer her question so casually, "Hardly any kick back, although the rate of fire increase near the end I can do without."

Carina snickered, "Can't control near the end, eh, old man?"

"Shut up."

Cracking a smile behind her helmet at her fellow Exo's comment, Esther then turned her focus back down the hall, her optics narrowing once more as her memory clicked at familiar cracking walls and dense moss.

"We're almost there."

"That's good." The relief is obvious in Spirit's tone, "I want to get out of here." He shuddered, "The Vex, eugh."

"You didn't do 'too bad'." Aleeza comforted; she can hear her pat the Exo Warlock's shoulder comfortingly, "You were at least able to make it to Venus."

There was a groan from Spirit in response to Aleeza's words.

"Hey! It's something." Carina retorted, "You have a crippling fear, but you were able to brave it enough that you at least stepped food on Venus." From the corner of her vision, Esther saw her pump a fist into the air, "I say that's progress! One step at a time!"

Chuckling at the younger Exo's enthusiasm, Esther then shifted her attention back onto the hallway, prompting her to raise a hand. As she heard the others pause alongside her steps, Esther then peered around a corner, then, waved her hand for the others to follow.

"We're here." She said as she made her way towards the end of the hall.

Much to her relief, the hall was wide enough for the six of them to stand next to each other shoulder to shoulder, and with plenty of arm space still available. With the Vex still a threat, they're going to need the room. Although this meant that the door at the end was just as big, the rusted frame and moss signaling its lack of use over the years. And, unlike the other doors, this one was unmarked, its gray planting a blank slate to hide its significance.

"This is where this 'Warmind' is at?"

"This is where I first 'encountered'." Esther corrected, ignoring the scowl that Ianos sent her way, "I didn't 'see' it but as I have said before, it had lead me to safety when I was surrounded by hostiles." Walking up to the door, she then places a hand onto the rusted surface, tracing her fingers between the cracks, "I had sensed its presence here before it told me to run."

"So, that means we just have to open the door then?"

That is when Esther heard the familiar sound of a shotgun being cocked.

Turning to face the younger Exo, Esther parted her lips to protest when she was stopped at the sight of Angel having raised a hand, blocking Carina from even taking a step forward.

"Angel?"

As if deaf, Esther watched as the Hunter didn't respond and instead, slowly approached the door, his hand cannon held loosely in one hand while as he traced his fingers over the cracks of the door with the other.

"I didn't want to say." Angel finally said, Esther sensing him hesitate, "But, everything here seems familiar."

"What do you mean?" Spirit asked.

"Hope resurrected me on Venus." Angel explained, "and I recall my death clearly so it would make sense that some places here would be familiar to me but…" He then shook his head, "Never mind." The Hunter took several steps back, "The past is the past, no need to linger on it."

"Speaking of the past." Esther heard Ianos start, only to see him heft his scout rifle in his hands, "Vex, incoming."

As if on cue, the all too familiar, annoying static formed at the opposite end of the hall, and it didn't take long for Esther to see the familiar copper shapes of Goblins taking shape. However, as she readied herself for a fight, Esther saw something bigger forming.

"Minotaurs!" Aleeza shouted out just as the larger machines landed, the Warlock firing her pulse rifle upon the large Vex.

Raising her hand cannon, Esther started to take aim when she heard a loud, creaking, groan from behind. Turning, her optics grew wide when she witnesses the rusted doors part.

"Guys, Guys!" Esther shouted, "The door! The door is opening!"

There were sputters, looks of surprised when the others turned and mimicked her shock. Nonetheless, Esther simply motioned with her hand for them to follow before she dashed forward, barely feeling her shoulders brush against the doors as they opened just wide enough for her to slip through.

Once she felt like she was safely in, Esther then turned, pivoting on her feet to turn and firing her hand cannon through the cracks of the door, giving the rest of the team cover as they too dashed in. No sooner had the last of their team – Ianos – ran in when the doors slowly started to close; Esther had never been happier that the Vex were a slow-paced hostile. As such, they weren't even close when the doors shut with a loud clang.

"Everyone alright?" Esther asked as she faced the others, just in time to see Spirit respond with a shaky nod. She can easily spot the trembling in his hands, his weapon audibly shaking. Fortunately, he was unscathed and after a quick inspection of the others, they were the same as well. This was enough for Esther to finally take in their surroundings.

As she expected, several computer consoles lined up against one side of the wall however, to her surprise, object that resembled pods were lined up on the opposing side, each having a number – 6 to 9 from what she can see – imprinted on the face. In the middle, there is a core, humming with power, and around it were more consoles and screens, all constantly being filled with data. And hanging over heard are wires, miraculously intact despite having broken through the ceiling.

Frowning as a sense of familiarity settled over her senses, Esther approached the computers around the core, tracing her fingers over the keys. However, just as she made the decision to start looking through its data, the sound of static caused her to jolt away and bring up her weapon; from the corner of her optic, she spots the others do the same.

However, Esther realized it wasn't the Vex when the static slowly cleared and is replaced with a soft hum.

"It has been a long time."

The voice echoed around them with a mix of distortion and clarity, as if trying to speak through a broken signal. It took Esther only a moment to spot the reason why: broken speakers, thin and modern for its time, decayed in the corners of the room, their blinking lights making it easy for her to spot them. Although this didn't make it any less disorienting or unnerving.

"Who's there?" She demanded.

There was a sound of disappointment.

"You do not remember me, Esther? You and Venus promised me that you would remember me."

"Venus?" Esther repeated back, lowering her weapon; she can sense Vulcan panic in the back of her mind.

"Do you not remember?" The voice, if it hadn't sounded disappointed before, it did now, "The two of you found me during a patrol here." There was a hum, "It was a nice change, having someone to speak with after years of solitude. And I can see that you had brought others with you."

Although unable to 'see' who was speaking, Esther can hear the excitement, the joy in their voice, causing her to completely holster her weapon around her waist; if they had seen her and the others as a threat, they would have attacked by now. Although, this didn't mean it eased the confusion, the bewilderment at how they knew her.

Curious, Esther then decided to ask, "Do you know my full name?"

That is when Esther heard Ianos take in a sharp intake of breath, prompting her to steel herself for the answer.

There was a soft wistful hum, "Of course, you introduced yourself as Huntress Esther-8 of Clan Galaxy."