Tormented

For the Best

That moment where you're like 'huh, the title of this chapter sounds familiar' and you look back and the title is almost exactly the same except for 'one' word...ahahaha. Anyways, I apologize for the lack of update last week. Stuff came up and I figured out my eyes are straining a lot so that means NEW GLASSES! So updates might be late/slow until I get new glasses and get adjusted to them. Ahahaha being blind sucks!

Thanks to Guest number 1, Guest number 2, and zantilis for the reviews!

Guest Number 1 - Thank you! ^_^

Guest Number 2 - Oh! Thanks! :D. I always found my chapters cheesy so hearing this makes me feel a lot better about it lol

zantilis - oh yay! It's nice to hear that! Hopefully you'll enjoy the rest of the story!

Edited: 04/24/2022

Ianos still remembers that day well, when he and Venus were attacked by a group of citizens during their excursion into the City. All they wanted was to see the newest addition to their expanding home.

They were all humans, their weapons hidden on their person as the two had walked past. In his eyes then, Ianos had thought them innocuous, harmless, especially since when he and Venus had walked by, they had given them a friendly greeting. It was only when their backs were turned to them that their true colors showed.

The group had aimed for their heads, mainly for the reason that, since it was going to be a simple walk through the City, Ianos and Venus had seen no need to keep their helmets on. Even as Guardians, a good strike was enough to leave them vulnerable.

Ianos couldn't remember falling, but he does remember being on the ground, exposed to the blows of their attackers. He could remember Ace screaming, yelling in the back of his mind, and how much their blows had hurt. His shields weren't activated after all.

Everything had happened so quickly, a blur. Up until Ianos heard a resounding bang. And Venus' shouts of protest and pain ceased. That is when Ianos finally used his light to push his attackers away and looked over in Venus' direction. And spotted Neith, the yellow and orange shell of the Ghost glimmering brightly before they were promptly snatched out of the air. Then, horror had settled into his chest when he saw the human forced the Ghost to the floor, and a blunt object – a hammer? He couldn't remember – in his other hand. Before he could do anything, another shot, and Ianos felt pain spike from his back, and the agony left him crippled long enough for the humans to deal the deathblow to the Ghost.

And just like that, they had killed a Guardian.

They reveled in their victory, whooping and hollering before they proceeded to desecrate the Hunter's body, peeling back his plating, tearing out his insides as they shouted profanities and insults. And Ianos would have met the same fate, if another group of passing Guardians hadn't passed by, spotting them.

But by then, it was too late, and the best they could was gather both the assailants and Venus' remains and Ghost, so that the Clan could mourn.

The look upon Esther's face was still clear in his mind as she draped herself over the form of Venus' mutilated remains. Her cries did little to ease the guilt in his chest. After all, he had been right there – right there - when Venus was killed, and he was unable to do anything. At least the men who were captured would be punished. Or, that is what he had thought.

When the verdict came out as 'self-defense' and their sentence light, he and the Clan were outraged. These group of men had killed a Guardian, an individual who put their life and limb for them whenever they left the safety of the City's walls.

The only reason Ianos hadn't taken matters into his own hands was that his anger had been curbed by Neptune. The Exo Warlock had convinced him that taking vengeance upon the humans won't avenge Venus. Instead, it will ruin not only his name but the Guardians as a whole as well.

As such, with no outlet to vent his anger, when Esther revealed that she was undergoing a wipe, his rage shifted towards her. Back then, he had seen it as an at of betrayal, breaking the oath that she had undertaken when joining the Clan. But he also remembers her grief, how she seemed to be even in physical pain when she cried for her other half. It had taken time, but he understands now why she wants to forget the pain of loss, to forget the ache that will never leave. Although he had fully intended to respect Esther's request and stay away from her, Ianos had planned in the future to apologize for his words. The last words he had spoken to her before her wipe.

But now, seeing her sobbing, crying, Ianos couldn't help but be frozen, staring wide-eyed behind his visor as he contemplated on what to do. He then saw Esther started taking stumbling steps.

"Esther?" Ianos called out to her, approaching her slowly and, against his better judgement, held out a hand to touch her arm.

He felt his hand being smacked away.

"No! Stay away!"

Surprised, Ianos took a step back, only to see Esther pause as their eyes connected.

"I-I'm sorry." She stammered, as if just realizing who she just had been talking to, "I didn't want to abandon all of you but … I'm sorry…"

"Esther." It was Vulcan, her Ghost gliding in front of her, "Esther, it's me. Look at me."

"I'm sorry." Esther whispered, keeping her gaze to the floor, "I'm sorry. The memory of him. It hurts. Remembering him. It, hurts." She grasped her head, "Vulcan, it hurts. It hurts! Make it stop!"

Her shout prompted Ianos to jump, and hearing the desperation in her voice, it didn't take him long to piece together what plan she has next. Especially when he saw her stagger over to her fallen weapon on the floor.

"Stop her!"

Not waiting for a response, Ianos rushed forward, leaning in, and snatching at the hand that held the weapon. However, before he could pull her arm back, to shift the trajectory of the gun, he heard a shot ring out.

Ianos felt it before he looked over, feeling the warmth of Exo fluid through the cloth of his armor, and felt her taught grip go slack in his grip. That is when felt her wrist slip through his grasp and he heard the familiar crumple of a body falling to the floor. Trembling, Ianos heard the others shout, hearing footsteps rush past him and more than likely to Esther on the floor. That is when he attempted to take staggering steps away. His legs gave way beneath him.

Hearing Ace calling out, to Ianos, it felt faraway, distant. He had seen too many, too many of his comrade in arms, his friends, too many self-inflicted deaths. And too many that had intended to stay dead.

"Ianos! Snap out of it!"

Comprehending Ace's words, Ianos snapped to attention, the deafness of the world gone, and now, seemed too loud in his ears. That is when he finally noticed a hand on his shoulder and he carefully glanced back, lifting his eyes just a bit higher to avoid staring at the ground. And his gaze connected with Aleeza's visor.

Despite her helmet hiding her expression, he can easily sense the worry behind it.

"Ianos, you alright?"

Blinking rapidly to rid the last of the haze in his mind, Ianos simply looked away, "How is Esther?"

Instead of receiving an immediate answer, he heard Aleeza release a breath, and felt her give him a comforting squeeze to his shoulder. Then, she called out, "Vulcan?"

"I brought her back." The Ghost answered and despite his answer, Ianos can still hear the worry, the concern, "But, she's not conscious."

Despite himself, Ianos found himself pushing himself onto his feet and turning to face Vulcan.

"What?"

"She's not conscious." The Ghost repeated, spinning his back fins nervously, "She's 'breathing' but, no matter what I do, she is not waking up."

At first, keeping his gaze steady on Vulcan, Ianos then slowly shifted his eyes towards Esther, only to see that the Ghost spoke true. Esther is laying on the floor, a hand on her abdomen, and he can spot movement in her chest. But she laid still, as if asleep.

"Ianos. Focus."

Taking in a deep breath, Ianos took in Ace's words and nodded before turning his attention back to Vulcan, "What's her diagnosis?"

"Well." Vulcan started as he spun his back fins, "I am not quite sure." Ianos flashed the Ghost a narrowed glance, "Yet. Look, I am doing the best I can, this never happened to me before. Just, just give me a moment."

Seeing the panic in the Ghost's optic, Ianos decided to let it go. He did just say that it hadn't happened before. And honestly, Ianos doesn't recall seeing anything like this either.

"Give her here."

Ianos turned towards Prime, "What?"

"Put her in one of the pods." Prime clarified, "Here."

As if on cue, one of the pods lined against the wall hissed open, the hatch sliding outwards. From where he is, Ianos can see the inside was lined with cushions form fitting to ensure that the occupants were secured.

That is when the suspicion settled in.

"Give us a reason why we should trust you."

In return, Ianos heard Prime release a hum, "You recall how I informed you that I am in charge of Exo programming and personas? This also applies to a cleansing."

"A what?" Spirit's voice wavered nearby, "Cleansing?"

"A 'wipe', if that is what you call it now." Ianos didn't have to look over at Carina and Spirit to sense their discomfort; their sudden silence was enough.

Prime must have sensed this.

"Do not worry, the cleansing only works when the Exo are in the pods."

Ianos heard a sigh of relief from the two Exo.

"And this helps Esther, how?" It was Angel who asked, Ianos watching the Hunter take a step forward from the corner of his vision.

"It is clear that she is affected by Venus' death." Prime answered, "The memory of her beloved is causing her substantial amount of pain. Clearing those memories might give her solace."

"Doesn't that require a mass memory wipe?" It was Aleeza who asked this time, "Venus was a large part of her life, wasn't he? Plus, what makes this any different from her previous one? What if she remembers again?"

"No need to worry about that. Cleansings under my jurisdiction are clean and proficient. Once a designated Exo have been given their cleansing from there, there had been no records of relapse, no recalls, just a blank slate."

Meaning that she will forget everything. Again.

Unsure of how to feel at the thought of her forgetting him, again, Ianos glanced down at Esther. And promptly decided.

"How long will the process take?"

"Ianos?"

Turning his eyes to Carina, Ianos didn't have to look through her visor to see the shock, the surprise.

"You really going to let this happen?"

If Ianos had his way, no, he wouldn't. The prospect of someone he had called sister back was great, too tempting. But Esther's well-being has to come first.

"Have any better ideas?" Ianos decided to retort and, before Carina could snap back, he leaned down and scooped Esther's form into his arms.

Pushing himself onto his feet, Ianos ignored Vulcan's protests as he marched towards the opened pod. Then, carefully, he lowered her in, only taking steps back when he knew that she was secured. The doors slid closed not long after.

"It should only take a few minutes." Prime said, "Then after, you all can make your escape."

Feeling the tension in his shoulders ease, Ianos simply nodded once and then a breath. That is when he felt a hand grab him by the other and pulled him back, forcing him to turn around. His eyes fell upon Carina's visor.

"Why in the Traveler did you put her in there?" He can hear her speak through clenched jaws, "Even if this 'Artificial Intelligence Prime' is telling the truth, why are you wiping her memories? Like a machine?!"

She was upset and understandably so. He had taken an individual and put them through a cleansing process without their consent. Something that Ianos know will probably feel regret later on. Nonetheless, it doesn't mean he won't defend himself.

"What other choice do we have? Carry her through a mob of Vex to the Tower where, even if we do make it, that the possibility of her waking up is slim?"

Ianos can tell his words did little to ease her anger; he spotted the way her fists trembled with rage. He released a breath. He's getting tired.

"Venus was her everything." Ianos felt everyone's eyes fall upon him, "As long as I could remember, they were together, hardly ever leaving each other's side. They loved each other dearly. So, when Venus died, a part of her did as well." He paused, contemplating on back then, his last interaction with her when she was Esther-8, "Her grief would have sent her spiraling into madness. A wipe was the best decision she could have done for herself."

Ianos then decided to leave it at that and instead shifted his focus back onto the pod that now held Esther, approaching it once more and placing a hand onto its surface.

"Why did you bring an organic here?" He watched as a red-plated Exo narrowed their gold optics at him, "I thought we agreed this clan are for Exo 'only'."

"It is." The Exo next to him frowned, "He is just here for a visit. He won't be around long, just enough to rest and get back on his feet."

"He seems well rested to me." Another Exo piped in, violet optics eyeing him suspiciously, "Besides, why bring him to our camp when he can easily stay at another? We do not need an 'organic' here."

Frowning behind his helmet, he released a breath before turning to the Exo Warlock next to him, "I told you, you didn't need to bring me here." He turned his eyes back towards the group in front of him, "and it seems that I am not wanted here as well."

"Nonsense." He felt a hand rest on his shoulder, causing him to turn to the black plated Exo next to him, "You are staying."

Reeling at the Hunter's words, he then heard the Warlock on his opposite side laugh, "Pluto, straight forward as always." He turned in time to see the blue Exo grin at him, "An advice to you: stay. Pluto doesn't like taking no as an answer, especially once he has his mind set." In turn, the Warlock beamed at him, "So sit down, take off your helmet, and socialize! I bet the others will be more accepting of you if they get to see your face."

Seeing the curious look in the Warlock's white optics, Ianos knows it was more for himself than the others but, he decided to humor him. Sighing, he tilted his head back just enough to touch the sealant under his chin, hearing the familiar hiss of the helmet disconnecting from his armor. Then, slowly he removed the armor piece and shook his head to fix any stray azure strands in front of his eyes.

"An Awoken?" He turned his eyes to another Exo seated inside one of the tents, her green optics wide with curiosity, "An Awoken? Here?"

Annoyance itched at the back of his mind at the comment and as such, he couldn't help but retort, "Yes, I am Awoken. Something the matter?"

"No, No." The Exo in question held up her hands and shook her head, "I do not mean to be insulting it is just that, there are not many of you here. It is just interesting whenever one meets one of your kind."

"Exotic, traitor, or not, he is still not staying here." The red Exo spat, his golden optics narrowing in his direction; he decided to return the gesture with one of his own, "He is still an 'organic' and organics are not allowed here."

From the corner of his vision, he watched as the blue Exo next to him propped his hands on his hips, and sensed a glare, "Just because we are treated 'differently' by other organics doesn't mean we can do the same to them. Who knows?" The Exo turned and flashed him another smile, "He might be different."

A scoff emitted from the red Exo, "We'll see about that. Wait until Sun gets here and sees this. They won't let him stay."

"He's staying."

All eyes turned to another corner of the camp, and he couldn't but stare wide-eyed as an Exo clad in crimson and gold entered, their Ghost trailing just behind their shoulder.

In turn, the red Exo sputtered, "Sun, you can't be serious. He's – "

"He is a guest and will be staying." The Exo turned and narrowed their yellow optics at the red Exo, "Understand, Mars?"

Seeing the red Exo reel and then grumble under his breath, he couldn't help but feel a bit smug, and then quickly went still when Sun slowly approached him. He heard them hum as they paused just short of him, looking him up and down.

"You have a name, Guardian?"

He shook his head, "None that I can currently recall." Then he shrugged, "It matters not, however. My duties come first before a name."

Then, to his surprise, he heard Sun snort but, as he waited for more, the Exo Titan simply turned and walked away, causing the nameless Guardian to give the leader of the Clan a bewildered look.

A laugh soon interrupted his thoughts, "Well, looks like you are good to stay." He turned his attention to the blue Exo, the latter of which beamed brightly at him once more, "And here I thought Sun would have kicked you out."

"Pardon?"

"Since you're staying, allow me."

Turning his attention back to the green Exo from before, he now saw that she had leaped from her tent and that, she hadn't been alone. Another Exo clad in yellow had been hiding behind her and the pair now approached them with curiosity set in their optics. The female Exo was the first to hold out a hand.

"The name is Esther-8, it is very nice to meet you."

It was strange, how back then many of the members greeted him with such suspicion and distrust, only for them to eventually warm up to him and accept him as one of their own not long after. And although he isn't an Exo like them all, he still tries his best to honor their memory. Ianos wonders, just like how Esther properly greeted him first, if he could do the same for her when she awakens from the cleansing.

"Do you guys hear that?"

Snapping out of his thoughts, Ianos turned just as loud banging echoed through the room, prompting him to shift his eyes towards the closed entrance. As he sensed the others do the same, another bang resounded through the door and this time, he saw the door shake.

"Uh, Prime?" Spirit tentatively called out, "Can you see what's happening outside?"

"Yes." The AI's voice sounded nervous, "The Vex are on the other side but, I am seeing a type that I have never seen before."

"What do you mean?" Now it was Spirit's turn to sound nervous.

"They resemble what you call the Minotaurs, except they are larger in size? Bulkier?"

That is when Ianos heard Spirit choke, "Praetorians!? Here!?"

Hearing this, Ianos stared cursing himself and he saw Carina turn his way.

"What?" She started, "They're just Vex, we can just punch their core in."

Of course, typical Titan response that Ianos just couldn't help but give Carina a blank stare. But nonetheless, he decided to explain.

"Praetorians are an advanced variant of the Minotaurs. The Vex only normally summon three when they deem it necessary again Guardians."

"Why is that?"

"Because that is the amount that has the highest success rate when it comes to killing Guardians."

Dread can clearly be heard in Spirit's voice as he finished Ianos' explanation, and he could tell that the others now shifted uncomfortably where they stood. They now understood the weight of the Praetorians' presence.

"Prime, how much longer?" Ianos asked.

"A couple more minutes." Another bang resounded through the room, "Although, with the Praetorians aid, I believe the Vex will be able to enter before I am finished."

Grinding his teeth together, Ianos turned and shifted his attention back towards the door, watching as it trembled once more but this time, he took note the way the metal bent, gaps forming around the edges.

That is when Ianos heard Aleeza release a breath.

"Time for a fight then?"

Blinking rapidly, Ianos slowly turned towards his fellow Warlock, only to see her check over her pulse rifle before snapping a clip back into place. He then sensed her flash him a smile.

"Let's give Esther some time."

No sooner had she finished speaking when, from the corner of his eyes, Ianos spotted the others start doing the same, prepping themselves for a fight. Even Spirit, despite his trembling grip, even checked to ensure that his hand cannon was loaded.

Releasing a breath of his own, all Ianos did is nod before reaching to his waist and removing his sidearm from his holster.