Tormented
A Way Out
I know. Late update. You know, life takes up so much of your time, it seems like even updating weekly is hard to accomplish lol.
Thanks to Lazypersons and PashHanin for the reviews!
Lazypersons - A good human will appear in the story, I promise lol. Just might not be who you are expecting C:
PashHanin - Oh! Thank you! ^_^
Edited: 05/07/2022
"You know, for someone who had doubts earlier, you change your mind quite quickly."
"Oh shush."
Trying his best to ignore Nix's chuckles, Pluto trudged through the marshes of Venus, hunching over to hide behind as much of the brush he could.
"Ianos and the others haven't sent updates." He said, eyeing a group of Eliksni nearby; Pluto took note that they were distracted, crowding around on what seemed to be a broken Sparrow. He wouldn't be surprised if a fellow Guardian had gotten into an accident and had no other choice but to abandon their ride. "And the Speaker had not heard from them either."
"It has just been a few hours." Nix pointed out, "You are more than likely worrying over nothing."
Despite his words, Pluto can also hear the concern and worry in his Ghost's voice. And to him, it was warranted. In all his years, Pluto's instincts have yet to fail him and something in his gut had told him to head to Venus and start looking for the others. Nix was more than happy to hack the frequency to find their last location before it went off radar. In other words, they went underground. Just where is a whole another story. And how deep.
"I hope you're right." Was all Pluto said as he continued to follow the path that Nix had traced.
Xxxxx
Despite being 'many' years younger than Ianos, Aleeza has experienced enough to know that a Praetorian is not something you should joke around with. She had heard stories of young Guardians, barely aging out of being new lights, taunting the larger Vex only to have their lives prematurely ended because of their overconfidence. As such, she opted for her sniper rifle praying that the heavier impact weapon would be enough to take down the upgraded Vex. However, as she prepared to aim her weapon at the door, she jumped when Prime's voice suddenly cried out.
"What are you doing!?"
It was the first sign of emotion that Aleeza had felt from the AI and as such, she turned her eyes back, only to pause when she saw Angel hovering above the consoles, his hands moving furiously over the keys.
"Stop! Don't touch anything!"
The agitation in Prime's voice is clear and Aleeza took it as a sign to approach Angel and grab his shoulder. She didn't pull him away however and instead, waited for him to notice her. Angel either didn't notice or opted to ignore her, as he stuck fast to the keys, his gaze subtly shifting back and forth between the screen and the keys.
"Angel?" Aleeza then decided to shake the Hunter and this time, his visored gaze snapped towards her, his fingers coming to a pause just above the keys, "Angel, what are you doing?"
"Speeding up the process."
Aleeza blinked, "What?" She took her hand off his shoulder, "What do you mean…?"
Instead of gaining an answer, Aleeza watched as Angel once against shifted his attention back to the console, his fingers once again flying over the keys. Prime released a noise of protest.
"Stop it! You do not know what you are…doing…"
That is when Aleeza heard a hiss, the sound of a door sliding open, and she turned to the pod that held Esther. Only to come to a halt when the pod door is wide open.
"Prime?" she called out.
"H-he successfully sped up the process."
"What!?"
Carina's and Spirit's voice echoed through the room and Aleeza couldn't blame them. Confused and in denial, Aleeza shifted her eyes upon Angel's back, seeing the Hunter still furiously typing away.
"Say that again?"
"He just sped up the process." Prime repeated, "I cannot even do that myself. Usually only – " The AI's words came to an abrupt halt, white noise momentarily taking over the coms, "Wait, are you – "
A rumbling echoed through the room and Aleeza turned her gaze to a particular empty part of the room, only to take a step back as a wall slowly creaked open, revealing a hall leading down its corridor.
"It still works." Aleeza heard Angel release a sigh of relief before the Hunter finally removed himself from the consoles. Then he turned his attention towards Prime, "Did your handlers have anything compact to transfer you in case of emergencies?"
What in the world, Aleeza wanted to say aloud but could only gape as Prime stuttered, "Y-yes, over there, beneath the desks. But I am not certain if they are preserved enough to –"
"Good enough."
Before Prime could even finish, Angel had already reached the desks, tearing the drawers apart until Aleeza saw him take out a tablet, dirty but somehow intact. Then he returned to the consoles, Aleeza watching, dumfounded, as Angel scurried around them until he found what he was looking for, and promptly slid the tablet in.
"Angel." It was Carina who spoke, Aleeza watching her lover take slow steps towards the Hunter, "How in the fuck – "
"Initiating Transfer." Angel called out, looking up at Prime, "It is ready when you are."
"Angel!"
"Engaging Data Transfer." Everything was going too fast, "Transfer occurring in three, two, one…"
And just like that the lights around Prime dimmed and then shut off completely, Aleeza hearing the hum of the consoles fade with their deactivation. Then, in a few short seconds, she watched as Angel leaned down and removed the tablet from its slot, held it out in front of him with both his hands, and asked.
"Prime, can you hear me?"
Aleeza definitely has questions, more so with how Angel seemed to know 'exactly' what he was doing. Although it will have to wait, when the instant the screen of the tablet lit up, as if to answer the Hunter's question, when the screech of metal bending and snapping reached Aleeza's ears.
"Move!"
Not having to be told twice, Aleeza bolted for the opening in the wall, catching Ianos scooping Esther's body into his arms as she ran past.
Angel was the first to make it into the passageway, his dexterity as a Hunter obvious as he twisted and flawlessly made his way to what seemed to be another panel on the wall. Carina, with her smaller frame and habit of always using her light to boost herself, was next, followed by Aleeza herself. Then, as she turned, Spirit almost collided into her, barely twisting in time to fly past Aleeza. Lastly, was Ianos with Esther in his arms, the Warlock barely taking steps into the hidden passageway before the last of the door collapsed. And the Vex teleported in a mass of data.
"Angel! Close the damn door!"
Ianos was the one who shouted and Aleeza glanced back at Angel in time to see the Hunter slam his fist onto a panel; her stomach sank as she saw it spark and flicker.
"Power's off!"
"Why in the Traveler would the power be off?!"
"Because Prime was the main source of the room! With him not keeping it powered, nothing is functional!"
"Then we're doing this the old fashion way!"
From the corner of her eyes, Aleeza saw Carina hold out a hand, sparks of Arc Light forming in her palm.
"Carina! Wait!"
Her warning was too late as her lover tossed her Arc Grenade at the ceiling before the Exo shouted.
"Run!"
Back pedaling, Aleeza gathered her light around her feet, using it as a boost to put as much distance between herself and the entryway.
It did little to help with her balance when the grenade went off.
The first thing Aleeza felt was her feet treading air and out of instinct, she altered her light to help her glide to help soften her impact. But then, the sound of cement breaking, rocks falling behind her, and the next she knew, Aleeza found herself spinning and then, a 'crack' as she fell face first onto the floor. Next, the air left her lungs as her body was the next thing to land, leaving her breathless as she turned onto her back. Then, as she took deep subtle breaths, Aleeza then took note of the shimmering of the shields in between her visor and the dust. Giving Lena a mental thanks, Aleeza then forced herself into a seated position, noticing the absence of her gun in her hands and then just how dark her surroundings were. This was quickly fixed however, when she felt Lena's weight leave the confines of her mind and her light illuminated the room.
"Is everyone alright?" It was Carina who called out, Aleeza spotting her lover pushing herself onto her feet, Spears hovering just above her shoulder.
"Besides the explosion and the aftershock knocking us off our feet?" Aleeza then saw Angel's hand lift from the blanket of dust and debris, in which he gave a thumbs up, "We're great."
"I'm just glad we're in one piece." Spirit was next, Aleeza seeing the Warlock steadily stand, though his limbs were trembling, "everyone is in one piece, right?"
"Mostly." Aleeza released a breath of relief as Ianos stumbled into sight with Esther in his arms, Ace and Vulcan appearing over his shoulders, their lights on, "A proper warning would have sufficed."
"A spur of the moment?"
"When is it not a spur of the moment with you?"
Unable to help a snort at Ianos' comment, worry then settled into Aleeza's chest when she noticed Ianos slow movements, seeing him flinch with every step.
"Ianos, you alright?"
Her words caught the attention of the others, as Aleeza saw them pause and turn towards the warlock. It didn't help that with the silence, his heavy breathing was now prominent.
"I, didn't quite move quickly enough."
That wasn't good news, and Ace must have thought the same for Aleeza then saw the black and orange Ghost jerk, as if in surprise, before their light shifted over to Ianos. And that is when the full extent of his words came to light.
At first, Aleeza thought that he had come out of it unscathed but, now she can see the crack down the front of his visor, the way his body hunched over, his shoulders trembling, and the way his grip was tight around Esther's body, as if struggling to keep a grip.
"Ianos?"
Angel's voice broke the silence, and Aleeza watched as the Warlock shifted his attention to the Hunter.
"I willbe fine." Ianos coughed, "I should be able to bear it at least for a few hours."
His voice was strained, pained, and Aleeza couldn't help but narrow her eyes in suspicion.
"Let us find a way out." Ianos said.
"But, Ianos…"
"Or, would you rather have us wait around and the Vex make their way through our poorly made barricade?"
He is definitely hiding an injury, considering that he is struggling to even walk. But, Aleeza does have to admit that he has a point. A crudely made obstruction isn't going to hold the Vex back for long. As such, Aleeza held up her hand and she felt a weight of a weapon fall into her grip; it would be pointless to look for her sniper rifle with what little light they have. As such, quietly mourning a loss of a weapon as she hefted a scout rifle in her hands, Aleeza took the opportunity to look down the passageway.
It was dark, and long, long to the point where Lena's light seemed to travel forever but, Aleeza couldn't' see the end of it. In other words, they have a lot of ground to cover.
Releasing a sigh, Aleeza then jerked to attention as she heard Ianos cough once more, prompting to glance back.
Ianos was leaning against the wall now, physically brushing Ace to the side as Aleeza can see the Ghost fussing over him.
"Ianos." Spirit's voice sounded loud, resounding in the passageway as he approached the Awoken, "I can take her, if you wish."
Despite his helmet hiding his expression, Aleeza could tell he was hesitant, stubborn as she watched his grip grow tight around Esther's body. But, then she watched as Ace slammed themselves into the side of Ianos' helmet, hearing the Warlock release a huff but nonetheless, reluctantly allowed Spirit to take a step in and delicately take the unconscious Hunter into his arms.
At least now they have one less thing to worry about. Now they must worry about returning to the surface safely with a Golden Age AI in their hands, one of their team members unconscious and one of them crippled. Aleeza released another breath. The odds were against them but, she's confident that they will make it out. Hopefully.