Redacted

I Do Not Understand

I deeply apologize for the lack of an update last week. Got busy and plus, well, a certain game that I've been playing got a 'huge' update *cough*Warframe*cough* so most of my free time was spent playing that lol. Anyways, thanks to Diamoond002, DisobeyedBowl6, and Fin the Demi God for the reviews!

"…My love?"

Reaver's words rang in his auditory sensors, but instead of answering, Echo simply glanced down at the top of Unit I-1's head; he had not told his Ghost of his relationship with the female Phoenix. Despite it being 'years' since her and the other units' termination, the pain of the loss still lingered, and Echo could not bring himself to even repeat the events back to the black Ghost.

So instead of answering Reaver's question, Echo remained silent, waiting until he felt Unit I-1 finally release her hold around his waist, before feeling her tender fingers gently wrap around his, "Our brother had mentioned of your resurrection, but I had not expected to meet you face to face so soon."

Frowning at the mention of 'brother', Echo only understood when he saw her optics linger over his shoulders, causing him to glance back to see Unit Eleven, the Exo Warlock having long pushed himself back onto his feet, but had paused at the sight of the two older Units embracing; he wouldn't be surprised if he was trying to infer the 'imitation' within his mind of what was going on.

"Your name is Echo now?" The Exo Titan turned his attention back to the Huntress, seeing her white optics glowing with joy, "An actual allusion to who you are instead of a number?"

Sensing bewilderment emanating from Reaver, Echo couldn't help but hesitate, giving the female Phoenix's hands a gentle squeeze before answering, "I wouldn't exactly call it an allusion but yes, Echo is currently my name."

"Sounds similar to Exo, a reminisce back when you were both the face of the Traveler and the Phoenix models." He saw her optics glance down towards their hands, feeling her thumbs caress the top of his palm, "and looking at you now, you are an echo of what you were back then; you are not a tool, you are not a 'machine'." Echo watched her fix her gaze back onto his and she gave him a broad grin, "You are free."

Seeing her smile, a sense of warmth permeated throughout the Phoenix Titan's body as melancholy settled into the back of his mind followed by echoes of memories, "Since you are here, I am taking a guess that you also hold a name?"

"Dusk," Her response was immediate, no hesitation in her tone, "To represent the transition of change; the loss of power that the humans held over us, and the gain of freedom that the Phoenix lacked in the Golden Age."

"Fitting," Echo commented, hesitating once more as he asked, "But, was it really a need to spread our origins so heedlessly?"

He saw her reel back, her white optics blinking several times, "Why not? When I was resurrected years ago, I was surprised to see that nearly no one knows of the Phoenix Exo's connection to the Traveler." Echo then felt her fingers tighten around his, anger flashing in her gaze, "And let's not forget to mention the thievery of the humans."

Staring deeply into Dusk's optics, the Exo Titan brought their hands together, cupping her hands in his as he stated, "Unit I – 1… Dusk, no one can know the truth of our origins."

Bewilderment once again settled into her gaze, "I do not understand. Why? We have been hiding the truth from the outside for years, and looked how they treated us. With contempt, with hate. Why not reveal to them our connection to their 'god'?"

"Do you not think that had already happened?" Echo saw her blink, "Do you not think that the truth was revealed not long after your termination?" He paused, gritting his jaw as he contemplated on his next words, "Days just after you and the others were 'deactivated', the truth of our relation to the Traveler was revealed. The humans never figured out how, but, when the masses heard, most were not happy of the news."

"But, we carry pieces of the Traveler, their god," He can easily see her processing his words, her optics glancing everywhere as she attempted to comprehend, "Why would they –"

"Exactly the reason you just had said," Her gaze locked back onto his, "They were not happy that we were pieces of the Traveler, that we are literately parts of their 'god'. That's…" Echo sighed, "That is how it lead to the termination of the rest of the Phoenix Exo, and for my deactivation."

Seeing her optics widen, the Exo Titan stayed silent as her gaze glanced around once more, her jaw slightly ajar as Dusk stuttered, "It is different today. We actually are able to wield the Traveler's light, to manipulate it where only others who claimed to be chosen can only dream of. It might make a difference."

"And what if it doesn't?" Echo heard her pause once more, "What if things aren't different? What if they cry for our destruction just like before?"

Gaining silence as a response, Echo opted to do the same, seeing her thoughts swim around in her gaze before he finally heard her murmur, "Then we hit back."

Echo reeled, "What?"

"Then we fight back," Dusk repeated, with more clarity, "How long has the Phoenix Exo took the blame, the abuse? It is about time we do 'something' when the humans retaliate." Staying silent at her words, Echo saw a flash of emotion glaze over her optics, "Don't you think so?"

Caught off guard by her question, the Exo Titan hesitated, giving her hands a comforting squeeze before he started, "Dusk-"

A flash of blue temporarily blinded Echo, causing the Titan to snap his hands away from the female Phoenix in order to give his optics cover; although, this was soon followed by Dusk's scream of surprise and pain. Snapping his gaze open, the Phoenix Titan's jaw dropped when he saw the Huntress stumble back, arc light permeating around her body as he watched her square her shoulders, her shaking arms slowly steading as she clenched her jaw and hands as the azure sparks slowly died.

Turning his attention towards Unit Eleven, Echo frowned when he saw the familiar energy of azure light still crackling around the younger Phoenix's arms, parting his lips to argue with the Warlock until he saw the red glowing dangerously in his optics, "Unit Eleven?"

Xxxxx

The pain around his arms was still raw when Unit Eleven witnessed Echo and Dusk embrace, clenching one of his arms in a vice grip in a vain attempt to ease the pain. Whispers from Day emitting hushed offers to turn off his sensors, to let the agony of the burns turn numb alongside the feeling of touch. However, instead of answering the quiet proposal from his Ghost, the Exo Warlock turned his attention towards the still form of Ianos, edging his way towards the incapacitated Awoken as he watched Ace slowly filter light into the back; more than likely to help fill in the gaps that Dusk had taken from the injured Guardian.

In all his years active, both before and after his resurrection, the sense of helplessness is still unfamiliar to the Phoenix Exo when he had watched Dusk simply shove him to the side and started taking Ianos' light; the screams of agony permeating from the Awoken just proved to Unit Eleven his suspicions that the female Phoenix's taking of the light was as not as painless as she had claimed, and the way she reveled in his suffering just further proved this. Despite this, anger had not settled into Unit Eleven's mind, instead, he mimicked the worry that he sensed emitting from Knight, kneeling next to Ianos' form and placing his fingertips onto the Warlock's shoulder. He earned a shuddering gasp in response to this touch, causing Unit Eleven to snap his hand back as he heard rapid breathing coming from the Awoken, seeing him curl tighter around himself as he let out a shudder and then, turning still once more.

"I wouldn't try anything right now," Unit Eleven turned his optics towards Ace, the black and orange Ghost still beaming in light into Ianos's system, "When he gets like this, when he relieves the moment back on the moon, he gets sensitive, fragile, even in his sleep." He watched as the Ghost momentarily glanced at him, "He needs time, otherwise, you'll just make it worse."

His optics dimming at Ace's words, Unit Eleven turned his focus back onto Ianos before slowly reaching out with his hand once more, only to hesitate and then lowered his hand. Feeling the worry strengthen from Knight, the Phoenix Exo opted to concentrate his attention onto the Awoken's light, and it was then, the concern turned to rage.

During his time with Fireteam Redacted, he had seen improvement with Ianos' health, more specifically, his light, but had said nothing to not stir suspicion; not for his own sake, but mainly for the reason that Echo was adamant on keeping the Phoenix Exo a secret. However, now, he had seen that Ianos' light was weak, and the darkness infecting his chest was now taking advantage, stirring stronger within the Awoken's chest. The few years that Unit Eleven had estimated Ianos had, was now reduced to only a few months, maybe even less so. In other words, Dusk had sealed his fate, ensuring no chance of finding a permanent treatment or cure for Ianos' condition.

His vision turning red, Unit Eleven then heard Day speak, however, the white Ghost's voice was deaf to his auditory sensors, and the Phoenix Exo found himself surge with unfamiliar energy, wisps of azure crackling at the edges of his vision instead of violet. Although uncertain of this new surge of light, the Phoenix Warlock decided to take advantage of it, jumping up onto his feet and tossing said energy towards Dusk's way.

In honesty, the Phoenix Warlock had expected the female Phoenix to dodge, especially with her years of experience as both a Guardian and as an Exo unit. As such, he couldn't help but reel back slightly when his attack actually hit her, hearing her scream as the arc energy slowly faded but still cracked strongly around his person.

"Unit Eleven?"

Snapping his attention towards Echo, Unit Eleven felt his rage fade just slightly when instead of anger, he saw surprise in the older Phoenix's optics. Flexing his sore fingers at the realization at what he had just done, Unit Eleven took steps back, letting the arc light completely die around his form as he fixed his attention onto Dusk, seeing the female Exo slowly flex her hands as the last sparks of energy died around her form; followed by her lights flashing to red.

Seeing the familiar flames of solar light flickering around her shoulders, instinct told Unit Eleven to dodge, to run, however, instead, the Exo forced himself to stay, the familiar hum of Ace still delivering light into Ianos' life system ringing clearly behind him. As such, taking in a deep breath, Unit Eleven braced himself, condensing as much of his light forward while as preparing to take in as much of her attack as possible. Although, this still wasn't enough to stop the waves of pain that slammed into his chest, Unit Eleven hearing both Day and Knight scream as he felt his feet fly out from underneath, the sensation of flying permeating around him before feeling his back land painfully on the dusty hearth. Seeing the world around him spin, Unit Eleven finally felt himself come to a skidding halt, static flickering across his vision as he flipped himself over onto his chest, pushing himself unsteadily onto his knees as he waited for the dull throb to subside.

"Despite you being against it, I opted to turn off your neural sensors," Day's voice emanated throughout his head, "even the most experienced Guardians wouldn't be able to stand after a straight hit from a Golden Gun."

Unable to respond thanks to the haze in his mind, Unit Eleven attempted to rise to his feet, only to come to a pause when his vision cleared just enough to see Dusk standing over the prone form of Ianos, a scowl deeply etched onto her metallic features.

"This 'organic' the reason why you decided not to dodge my shot?" He watched her momentarily glance towards him, disapproval clear in her optics, "you took the hit just for the reason that you are worried that a stray shot would hit him?"

Silent at her words, Unit Eleven's optics went wide when he saw Dusk place a foot onto Ianos' side, seeing the Warlock flinch at the action before the familiar flames of the Golden Gun formed back around her hands.

"Get off of him!" It was Ace, the black and orange Ghost immediately taking their focus off of the Awoken Warlock and clicked their shell angrily against their core; this did little to deter the female Phoenix.

"His light is so weak," Unit Eleven heard Dusk comment, "so small compared to the darkness currently eating away." Their gaze locked once more, "Why put so much effort into extending a life that is inevitably going to die? Especially so soon?"

"You were the one who brought him closer to death," The Phoenix Warlock reeled back at the words spilling forth from his mouth, hearing Knight then add in, "he had few more years to his life before you ruined it."

"He is still going to die, despite your best efforts," Unit Eleven grinded his jaw, forcing the young mind into back as anger reverberated throughout his head; although Knight's rage was shared towards Dusk's words, "A few years, a few days, it won't matter; his fate is sealed. I just sped up the process."

Abruptly standing onto his feet, Unit Eleven couldn't help but stumble as static flashed over his vision, although did his best to give the female Exo a glare; all he received was a scoff, "This organic matters to you that much?" He then saw her pause, a look of realization settling over her gaze, "Is he the one holding you back?"

Confused at her question, all Unit Eleven could do was give her a puzzled look, but seemingly this little action was answer enough for Dusk, "So, you care for this organic that much? To the point where you even turn against your own brethren?" He watched her turn her white optics glance back and forth between him and Ianos, "Then I guess I will have to fix this."

Seeing Dusk then aim her Golden Gun at Ianos, Unit Eleven forced the haze to the back as he took steps forward, red filtering into his vision once more. However, before he can even rush the female Hunter, Unit Eleven came to an immediate pause when he saw the familiar silver and white clad form of Echo stepping in, the younger Phoenix watching as the Exo Titan actually grabbing her by the arm and forcing the aim upwards, the familiar shot of the Golden Gun echoing through the air as the single solar bullet was fired.

"That's enough," Unit Eleven heard Echo speak with finality, the Phoenix Warlock watching him tighten his grip around Dusk's wrist, "No need for this unnecessary violence."

He watched Dusk turn her optics towards Echo, her lights flickering several times at the older Phoenix's words, "What? But-"

"He is incapacitated," Echo narrowed his optics, "not to mention severely crippled. He is no harm to you."

"To…me…?" Unit Eleven heard her pause, seeing her once again glance over at Ianos before fully focusing her gaze back onto Echo, "You care for this organic too?"

The question took the younger Phoenix by surprise, causing him to blink as he turned his wide gaze towards Echo, only to see the Exo Titan now completely silent, more than likely taking in the meaning of his own words.

"…Are you betraying me too, love?"

Although still angry at Dusk for the damage she had done towards Ianos, a tinge of empathy permeated towards her as he took note of the hurt in her voice, sorrow clearly seen in her optics, "I do not understand. Why are you two, the only two Phoenix Exo that I have met in years alive as an Acolyte, my only two brethren with me, are choosing the sides of these humans, these organics, these 'thieves'?"

"They are not 'thieves', Dusk," Echo finally retorted, thrusting her arm to the side as he released his grip, "They have been appropriately chosen by the Traveler; by its choice, by its decision."

"How do you know!?"

"Have you forgotten my original programming, Dusk!?" Unit Eleven watched her reel back, her optics flickering as Echo added, "Despite everyone's beliefs, the Traveler is still alive, dormant, but alive, and I can still hear its voice!" The Exo Titan towered over her form, his gaze narrowing as he added, "I have no idea how, or that how it even knows, but the Traveler spoke to me, told me that the humans stole 'nothing', that the Guardians, the 'Risen' that you see around us, were rightfully chosen! There are no thieves!"

Surprised at Echo's words, Unit Eleven trailed over to Dusk, only to see her jaw slightly ajar, her optics wide in stunned silence.

"...Lies," She finally spoke, "You're lying! There is no possible way that the Traveler would willingly choose such a selfish race as its Acolytes! It's Chosen!"

"Damn it Dusk!"

"You know the reason why we were created, Echo!" Dusk snarled, "We thought it was for combat! We thought we were for war! But the only reason why we were created was so they can see if they can control the powers of the Traveler! Despite it giving all its 'blessings', its 'gifts', they wanted more! Why would it side with the humans!?"

"I don't know!" Echo then sighed, "All I know is that the Traveler made its choice, and as an Exo created from its shell, its decision has to be respected, whether we like it or not."

Seeing Dusk's optics flicker over the Exo Titan's features, Unit Eleven watched intently as her gaze wandered about, as if trying to take in Echo's words before finally, her gaze settled onto the Phoenix Titan.

"I do not believe you."

Solar light flared to life around Dusk's form, and her Golden gun came back in her hands. Shouting out a cry of warning towards Echo, Unit Eleven can easily see the older Phoenix's optics widen, the familiar wisps of void light permeating from his shoulders and condensing closely around his body; although, this didn't stop Echo from stumbling back as the shot slammed into his chest, Unit Eleven hearing the Exo Titan curse as fire buried itself into his armor, his void light spilling out into a fog in a vain attempt to suppress the damage. Seeing Dusk aim her weapon, Unit Eleven decided to take charge when he saw it was aimed upon Ianos once more, letting wisps of void light permeating around his shoulders before slamming himself into Dusk's form.

Gritting his jaw as he felt the pair of them slam into the hearth, Unit Eleven then scrambled forward and grabbed onto the wrists that held the familiar revolver, flinching as he felt the familiar heat of a shot brush over his shoulder before condensing his void light around his hands, hearing the Phoenix Exo scream as the violet wisps ate through her armor and plating, causing her to drop the familiar solar gun. Taking advantage of this, Unit Eleven brought his opposing hand back, condensed his void light into his fingertips, and then slammed it into her chest.

Half expecting a scream, Unit Eleven couldn't help but reel back when all he received was a shuddering gasp, her white optics flickering rapidly before finally it faded, feeling the female Phoenix's body go slack underneath him. Pushing himself onto his knees, the Phoenix Exo waited patiently, up until he saw the familiar crimson form of Ember materialize into view, prompting him to reach out and snatch the Ghost mid-air and then scrambled back, placing some distance between himself and Dusk's body.

Unit Eleven can easily see the wisps of void light still permeating from the gaping hole in her chest, the Exo then took in a deep breath, clenching Ember's form in his hands as he then turned his gaze towards Echo. He was none too surprised when he saw the older Phoenix's optics wide with surprise, a hand over his chest as he slowly took steps forward towards Dusk's prone form.

"You killed her," He breathed out, turning his wide optics towards Unit Eleven, "You killed Dusk."

"Incapacitated for Guardians," He then held up Ember, sensing the narrowed glance from the female Ghost, "As long as her Ghost remains intact, she is still tangible, still alive. We can safely detain her before –"

The sudden surge of heat caused Unit Eleven to stop mid-sentence, snapping his attention towards Dusk's form as she suddenly stood up, solar light swirling around her as she narrowed her optics towards Unit Eleven; he heard Ember let out a chuckle in response, "Do you think that an individual such as Dusk needs me to resurrect her?"

Silent at the female Ghost's words, it took Unit Eleven only a split second to contemplate on his choices before tightening his grip around Ember's form, his void light easily penetrating through the Ghost's shell before finally feeling her core break in his grasp; he immediately heard Dusk let out a scream of despair followed by a cry of rage, "You will pay for that!"

"You do not need her." Was all Unit Eleven retorted with before condensing his light around his person, although it did little to stop the fire of the Golden Gun, and it sent him reeling. Letting out a cough as he felt a dull throb permeate throughout his chest, Unit Eleven hefted himself up, glaring at Dusk before holding up the shatter pieces of Ember in his hands and released his void light. Feeling the pieces dissipate from his fingertips, he can easily feel the exasperation emanating from Day.

"Eleven! What are you doing!? Are you trying to get her angry!?"

Instead of answering his Ghost, Unit Eleven clambered back onto his feet, only to feel an impact slam into his jaw, sending him sprawling back onto the hearth. Static permeating within his vision, the Warlock hardly felt the fingers grasping the front of his robes, forcing him back onto his feet as his dazed vision locked onto furious white.

"This 'thief' matters to you that much!?" Dusk shouted, her optics flaring red, "Fine then! If you are that eager for his life, then I shall let you follow him towards death, traitor!"

Feeling the familiar presence of a barrel press under his jaw, Unit Eleven waited as he felt the intensity of the heat rise, and braced himself as the flames flared strongly around Dusk's shoulders. The strong hit of the solar weapon never came however, as broad arms wrapped around Dusk's neck, pulling her head back enough to cause her aim to shift and her shot once again barely brushing against Unit Eleven's plating. Feeling her grip lax in response to this action, the younger Phoenix took the time to take steps back as he heard Day continuing to scream in his head, the Ghost's words resounding in his mind at Knight's silence; although this doesn't mean that Unit Eleven does not sense the worry emanating from the younger mind.

"It's over Dusk!" The Exo Warlock fixed his attention towards Echo, the latter of which was now wrangling with the Phoenix Exo as she snarled and struggled in his arms, "The Traveler has made its decision! There is nothing you can do about it!"

"Then I will hunt down the thieves until the Traveler realizes its mistake," Dusk hissed out, "the humans have been vying for its power for 'years'. There is no possible way that it would willingly handout its power to such a greedy race! The organics have stolen its power! They must have!"

"Then what does that makes us!?" Unit Eleven watched as he turned her around, ignoring her flames as he gripped his hands tightly around her shoulders, forcing her to look straight into his optics, "You say we are its true chosen! That we are its Acolytes! How can we be its Acolytes when we are the very product of humanity's greed!?"

Hearing Echo go silent, the younger Phoenix momentarily shifted his attention over to Dusk, half expecting a retort only to hear nothing from the female Phoenix; the Exo Titan must have taken it as a sign to continue as he then added, "Who are really the thieves, Dusk? The humans, or us?"

Seeing Dusk shift her gaze slightly, Unit Eleven then noticed the way her jaw shook, her solar light wavering as she slowly lifted her hands, her fingers caressing Echo's face as she spoke, her words dull, incomprehensible to the younger Phoenix. Then, suddenly, she shoved the Exo Titan away, her flames twisting around her in an inferno as she lifted herself into the air, and disappeared over the horizon.

Reeling back from her actions, Unit Eleven turned his optics towards Echo for answers, only to see his shoulders slumped, his optics dim as his gaze fixed over where Dusk had disappeared, prompting the Phoenix Exo to ask, "What did she say?"

At first, he gained nothing but silence, causing him to wait patiently while Echo slowly turned his attention towards him, his optics flickering as the older Phoenix answered, "Her objective is the Tower, she is determined to burn it to the ground." Unit Eleven then watched as the older Exo held out his hand, summoning the familiar form of Reaver in his palm as he then added, "If we want to stop her, we best hurry."

"Echo…"

Once again gaining silence as an answer, Unit Eleven instead noticed the way Echo's shoulders shook, the way he gritted his jaw as the younger Phoenix heard Reaver whisper, unable to comprehend what the Ghost is saying as Echo disappeared in a flash of light.

"We will talk to him about it later, when things cool down," It was Day, the white Ghost's words still humming in Unit Eleven's mind as they then added, "But for now, let's get Ianos on the ship and find a safe place for him while we take care of Dusk."

Momentarily silent at Day's words, Unit Eleven then said, "And Hush?"

"She should still be back at the caves with the other Guardians," Day answered, "Considering Dusk is on her way towards the City, Hush is no better place than where she is now."

Contemplating on his Ghost's words, Unit Eleven nodded once to signify his agreement with Day before shifting his attention towards Ianos, and then turning his focus towards Ace; his gaze locked onto the black and orange's Ghost's optic.

"Gently."

Taking this as confirmation that it was alright to at least touch the Awoken, Unit Eleven then slowly walked over to Ianos' prone form and slowly, placed his fingers onto the Guardian's shoulder. Waiting momentarily for a response, the Phoenix Warlock then gradually scooped Ianos into his arms, slowly standing to ensure not to startle the Awoken awake. While waiting for Day to prepare the transmat, Unit Eleven took the opportunity to tune in onto the Warlock's breathing, hearing the steady deep breaths of the Guardian to signify his rest; however, on occasion, the Exo would hear a sudden hitch in his breathing, feeling Ianos stir in his arms in response.

Taking notes on what to do with the Awoken Warlock once they reach the City, Unit Eleven tuned in onto Ace as the Ghost hovered near Ianos' shoulders, and then snuggling into the crook of the Awoken's neck. He then waited until both Ghost and Guardian were comfortable before letting the familiar sensation of transmat filter into his senses.

Xxxxx

"Do you think that this is just a preemptive to another attack?"

Lifting his hands away from his face, Akiva stared deeply into Neve's blue only to see worry and concern clear in her gaze, "What do you mean?"

Watching his partner shift Nahala in her arms as the toddler played with a puzzle in her hands, the human Titan then heard her say, "Those Guardians that hid amongst our own, do you think that there is something bigger going on in the background? That, this is just the beginning?"

Akiva gave her a quizzical look, "What makes you think that?"

"For the reason that there was hardly any damage done towards us," The Titan paused at her words, "The Tower avoided causalities too easily from this attack." A sigh then permeated from her, "I feel like it was a trial, a feint to test our defenses." Seeing her fingers give Nahala a gentle squeeze on her shoulder, gaining the attention of the toddler, Akiva couldn't help but let belief form in the back of his mind as Neve then added, "I may not be as old or experienced as you, Akiva. However, I do know enough that this attack was too easily deflected." Her blue eyes then locked onto his gold, "This was more than just an assault on the Tower, and I cannot shake the feeling that something big is approaching."

Silently contemplating on the female Warlock's words, Akiva then parted his lips to comment on her worries when a soft but loud knock permeated from the entrance, prompting all eyes to turn towards the door.

"Akiva?" The familiar voice of Angel reverberated through the room as the human Hunter entered, his green eyes glancing around until they finally locked onto Akiva's gold, "Are you busy?"

Glancing back and forth between the human Hunter and Warlock, the Titan momentarily paused upon Neve only to see her give a subtle nod; confirmation for him to turn his attention back towards Angel and respond, "No, not currently. Do you need something?"

Seeing Angel pause before nodding his head towards the exit, it took only seconds for Akiva to understand, and then pushed himself up from his seat, following the human Hunter out of his quarters.

"I am going to take a guess that you already checked up on Pluto?" Akiva gained a nod as an answer for his question as the pair headed towards the Plaza, hearing Angel then add, "Although he is currently keeping the connection of the Phoenix Exo and the Traveler to himself, claims that the rest of the Galaxy Clan is too young to be informed."

The human Titan couldn't help but give Angel a bewildered look, "He does know that they will figure it out eventually?"

"Would rather have the Clan be angry at him than have an identity crisis."

Opening his mouth to argue against the human Hunter's words, Akiva then gave it another thought before shrugging it off; he wasn't an Exo who possibly holds a piece of the godlike Traveler in his system. He doesn't have the right to judge. As such, when the familiar marbled floor of the Plaza came into view followed by the familiar rush of Guardians transmatting from their ships, Akiva then asked, "Have you heard from Ianos? Or Hush?"

A shake of the head, "All I know is that Hush was one of the few handful of Guardians that was taken by the attackers. Knowing Ianos, he went straight after her."

"But he has no idea where these attacking Guardians are located," Akiva frowned, "how does he know where to go?"

That's when the human Titan heard Angel click his tongue, a mix of curiosity and concern lingering in his green hues, "Last I heard, he boarded onto Echo's ship."

Akiva let out a choke, "He what?!"

"With Echo," The human Titan continued to sputter as Angel then added, "Seems like the two of them came to a mutual understanding, guessing from the information I gathered. "

"He does know that Echo wouldn't hesitate to kill him if he ticks him off, right?"

"That's what I thought too, but then again, desperate times calls for desperate measures?"

Shaking his head at Angel's sheepish smile, Akiva once again parted his lips to argue with the young Hunter when a sudden brush of heat caught his attention, causing him to snap his attention towards the middle of the Plaza, only to pause. At first glance, what seemed to be a swirling ball of fire twirled and lashed dangerously, seemingly hissing and crackling against any inattentive Guardians who wandered too close. Then, just as suddenly as it appeared, it then dispersed, revealing a white clad figure kneeling beneath it.

Seeing the white plating of an Exo visible in his gaze, Akiva thought that it was Unit Eleven, the shoulders too lean and their stature too small to be Echo's. But then, as the figure stood, the human Titan then noticed that the figure was too 'slim' to be male, and that their attire was entirely compromised of Hunter gear, not like the Titan and Warlock that Echo and Unit Eleven dons. Despite this, what caught Akiva's attention the most was how 'similar' the female Exo compared to Echo and Unit Eleven, the possibility of being a twin resounding too strongly within the human Titan's chest.

In other words, another Phoenix Exo was now standing before them.

Although curious of this revelation, a sense of unease also built up within Akiva's mind, the Titan unable to help but take a few steps back as he noticed the way the female Exo's optics narrowed at the Guardians, the latter of which had come to a pause to witness the spectacle. It was then, Akiva noticed Angel's slow approach towards the Exo Hunter, causing him to hiss out, "Angel! What are you doing?"

Gaining nothing but silence as the human Hunter approached, Akiva couldn't help but let out a silent curse as he eased his way towards the curious Guardian; despite Angel being nearly a decade old, Akiva couldn't help but form a deep seeded frustration of the Hunter's newborn like curiosity.

"Hello," He heard Angel greet, caution but warmth lining the edge of his voice, "Welcome to the Tower, and you are?"

The human Titan watched as he then subtly gestured his hands towards the Exo Hunter, a female model now that Akiva was slowly closing the distance, only to hear nothing but silence emanating from the Huntress. This strengthening the unease forming in the pit of his stomach, Akiva froze when he saw the female Exo's optics turn towards him, her white gaze glowing before he noticed her left-hand flinch, causing him to downcast his eyes to her hand. It was then, his heart leaped up to his throat when he saw the familiar form of a Golden Gun form in her grasp.

"Angel! Get back!"

Seeing the young Hunter snap his attention towards him, Akiva then let out a shout as the female Exo aimed her solar gun towards the human's chest and fired.