Did anyone else have "Zavala married and a father" on their bingo card since D1? No? Just me? :3
Hire me, Bungie.
Key to One's Heart
Daniel was angry. Angrier than he had been in a very, very long time. Angry enough that it must have shown on his face and in his voice, despite his efforts to keep it under wraps. Maybe that was what made it so obvious. Petra noticed, her eyes flitting over to him from time to time while she bid them luck and farewell in the Vestian hangar.
The Awoken had found them a source for charging the Eye. A Vex spire, locked away within a Cabal firebase in Meridian Bay. A spire that connected directly to the King's Gate. Get in, sync the Eye, get out. Simple, Petra even admitted as much. That what came before was harder and that what would come next would be even more so.
It was the first bit of good news Daniel had received in a while. He shouldn't have expected it to last. After the first briefing, he had time to ready himself; calibrate his weapons, set out his armor. Then came the message from his sister.
Maya had contacted Aro, she had said, as she always did. She worked it into every letter she sent and though she tried, she always failed to keep her emotions from lacing her words; her frustration, her disappointment.
None of that here. Again, she tried to hide her emotions and again, she failed. As terribly at it as Daniel was himself. But instead of dejection, Daniel saw elation. By the time he reached the end, he knew why and he was livid.
As their ships hurtled through space, Daniel sat stone-still in the pilot's seat, the finger of one hand tapping the armrest in agitation. The other balled into a fist and pushed against his face, twisted into a frightening scowl he could see in the glass. He turned his eyes away from it.
She had a dream, Maya had said. She told Aro, asked for insight and he gave it. Told her that he had the same sort of dream. Daniel didn't know what it was about, given that he asked her not to share such details over monitored transmissions. Even telling him that she and Aro shared a dream was giving too much away but more than that, it served to drive the nails further into their coffins.
Daniel had his own dreams. Often the same one, when he wasn't too exhausted to have them. His City, his home burning. Maya barely escaping with her Ghost and her life and only due to the sacrifices of those around her.
Tarlowe and Christine, dead. Erek and Kayla, dead. Crona and Asura, dead. Their leader, their friend, the love of his life, standing tall over the corpses, the last flickers of their Light dissipating around them.
Caesar in one of Aro's hands, catching Daniel's gaze for the final time. Hawkmoon in the other, aimed at the space between Daniel's eyes. Then, he would wake, gasping for air or heaving his stomach into a bin and he'd feel the pain blooming across his face for the rest of the morning.
Daniel remembered the gala, how terrible he felt after their argument. His berating. How, afterwards, he couldn't find the words to apologize but hoped it would reach him regardless. But the last time was an honest accident. This time…
Daniel squeezed the armrest until he could feel his nails pierce the outer layer. "He promised…" He muttered, aloud and to no one.
"Maya is not an easy girl to ignore," Caesar said gently.
"It's not a matter of ignoring, it's about…" Daniel stopped when he realized he was beginning to shout. "You saw everything."
His Ghost grew quiet. "I did."
"When Aashir first told us, even with the world looking as it did, I didn't want to believe him. Not about my fate or my family's or Aro's." The hand against his face ran down it, rustling unshaven and messy stubble. "I still don't want to some days. But everything he said has come true." He sighed. "This isn't about us. It's about my family, our clan. Until we can figure out how to avoid the future we saw…"
"I know, Daniel. As does Aro, you know he does. But Maya doesn't." Caesar didn't need to say anything further. As far as Maya was concerned, Aro was too busy for her. To someone so young, what did it mean if not that he didn't care enough to try?
The ship's display lit up, drawing their attention. Mars was close. They'd be leaving warp space and touching down soon. He no longer had time to seethe in the dark.
Josef contacted them as soon as the plan had been relayed to the Vanguard. He told them of a terminal within another Cabal base, located in the Valley of the Kings, right across from where they had first witnessed the Vex invade from the Garden. They attempted to hack it, find out more about what they had just seen, and found themselves blocked by a heavy firewall. They wanted to try again now and this time, they wanted Kayla with them. Therefore, storming the Cabal stronghold would serve a dual purpose; charging the Eye and creating a distraction, pulling Cabal away from the Valley base. It would just be the two of them, Erek and himself, without Kayla's guns or Light to back them up. They were going to make war and he had to be ready.
The jumpship slowed significantly and Mars bloomed into view. Erek's and Kayla's ships flew ahead and began their descent, his own right behind. "Kayla," he called, his voice rougher than he would have liked.
"Aashir's team has touched down," she reported, "I'll rendezvous with them and move in on your signal."
"Have they told you what they're looking for?"
"No. I assume I'll know it when I see it."
"Understood. Erek, anything to add?"
"No."
"Then, Kayla, you're free to go ahead."
The ships pushed through the atmosphere. The spires of Freehold were visible now. "Breaking off," she said, "Good luck, you guys."
Daniel watched as her ship broke formation and fired off westward, towards the valley. He and Erek continued their descent into the Rubicon Wastes.
"No anti-aircraft weaponry detected so we'll be dropping you directly on the ground," Erek's Ghost told them. "There's an observation tower there that should have what we need to get started."
"Surrounded by Cabal." Erek's guttural tone could just barely be heard, Daniel wondered if he was only talking to himself. The sound of him sharpening his blade was louder.
Daniel turned Regime's safety off. "Not for long." Both ships slowed until they stopped less than a dozen feet above the sandy ground. "Dropping in."
The ship's interior disappeared and the Rubicon Wastes replaced it, an area secluded on all sides by small but thick red mountains except for one, where the Cabal had blasted away stone to make room for their firebase. Over the sand blowing in the wind and scratching against his armor, Daniel could hear stomping, vehicle engines flaring and the grinding of gears. No gunfire, there were neither Vex in the area nor other Guardians, scouting for the Vanguard or looking for trouble. For once, it might have been better if they did.
Erek dropped into the sand almost silently and looked down the hill they had landed atop, his eyes locking onto the observational tower. Together, their ships twisted midair and fired off, heading back into orbit. Erek took a knee, hoisting a sniper to eye level. "Well?" He asked.
Daniel exhaled, then hefted Suros Regime. "Make some noise."
The sniper fired, its crack echoing off the mountains. A Cabal Legionnaire Daniel couldn't even see screamed as its helmet cracked in two. He jumped off the top of the dune and slid down, closing the gap with the Cabal already moving in on their position.
A Psion taking cover behind a rock came around it to aim at Erek, only to find Daniel's broad shadow blotting out the sun. Before it could react and re-aim, Daniel jumped and lashed out with his leg. Its helmet cracked but remained intact until Daniel grabbed it by the skull and rammed it into the stone.
The rest were closing in. Daniel let the limp body fall, shaking pieces of metal from his hand. The Cabal came from every direction, stomping and guttural roaring announcing their arrival. Another rifle crack sounded out and another Cabal's helmet went flying into the air, followed by strangled wailing.
Daniel opened fire. While Erek focused on the platoons in the back, Daniel kept to the front, keeping Regime's receiver on a higher rate of fire, leaving the Cabal no time to think and no ability to take their eyes off him, all while Erek picked them off from above one by one. He pushed through, weaving through and shoving away the bodies of the falling and the dying. He saw one Cabal at the very back, taking cover behind one of the dunes, yelling into a radio, hopefully for reinforcements.
"Daniel, two Interceptors are moving in, coming from 9 o'clock." A pause, then a grunt and a crack. Then another. A second grunt. "Reloading. I got one of the pilots but missed the second. It's getting-"
"I see it!" Daniel tucked and rolled out of its path as the vehicle charged at him. He kept moving as the Psion twisted it around, firing its rocket launchers and taking off the top of the boulder Daniel had ducked behind for cover.
He clambered over and once he reached the top, he jumped. The Interceptor's weapons adjusted and fired again, its rockets flying just beneath his feet as he flew through the air. Daniel landed on the vehicle but slipped from its hood, grabbing onto the left launcher before it could swivel out of reach. The Psion fired the engine again and Daniel brought his feet up, keeping them off the ground the best he could manage as the Psion threw the vehicle back and forth to loosen his grip.
He saw it only a heartbeat before it was too late. Daniel let go of the Interceptor's weapon arm just before it could ram into another large rock. He fell, rolled across the sand as the vehicle hurtled over him and then reached out, grabbing the edge of one of its thrusters before it could get away, the engine burn searing his armor black. But the engine eventually quieted, its throttle needing to recharge. With a shout, the Titan took the other fist, now filled with Arc Light and rammed it into the engine grating.
The destroyed thruster shot out a plume of black smoke, the entire vehicle shuttered and slowed. Daniel could see the Psion release the controls, begin fishing for a gun. He pulled his arm out of the thruster and then braced both of them against the back of the Interceptor. The Psion turned, ready with a sidearm. Daniel pushed off the Interceptor and jumped, molding the Light to push himself as high into the air as he could manage, up and over the vehicle.
When he dropped, it was back over the hood, his body sheathed in lightning. Daniel landed on the Interceptor's front and his Light discharged. The engine exploded and the rest of the vehicle followed suit. They were sent flying, Daniel hurtling through the air for only a few seconds before he struck the ground, kicking up a cloud of sand. It took a few seconds for his vision to stop spinning and in that time, the Psion had managed to bring up its gun with a trembling arm, aiming from where it sat injured against a rock. Part of its helmet had been broken off. Daniel could see the fleshy, pale skin of its head and its searing eye.
Another rifle crack echoed and black, sludgy oil burst from the side of its neck. The Psion went limp, its gun clattering to the ground and with a silent gurgle, it slumped forward. Daniel ignored his body's protests and scrambled to his feet at the sound of another Interceptor. When the kicked-up dust fell, it revealed Erek in the driver's seat, steering with one hand and clutching his rifle in the other.
"We're burning daylight." Erek reached towards his feet and tossed Daniel Suros Regime. Daniel caught it, rolled his shoulders to work the stiffness from them and remembered how Aro would often do it for him. Strong hands, heated near to burning…
He shook his head, pushing off suddenly heavy feet and climbed onto the side of the Interceptor, hanging off the cockpit. Erek took off across the sands, driving them towards the observational tower. Erek let the vehicle slow, jumping out before it stopped completely. He ran up the ramp and into the tower while Daniel scouted their surroundings for any remaining Cabal.
Erek and Eren only needed a minute. "Narrowed down the spire's location," Eren informed them.
"Any alarms?" Caesar asked.
"Yes, and I tripped as many as I could. They all know we're here now. I've sent the all-clear to Aashir's Ghost. They'll move in when their own base is clear."
"I can see the entrance to the firebase from here," Erek said as Daniel climbed into the Interceptor's cockpit. "They've brought a Colossus to the front."
"At least we know they're serious now." Daniel grabbed the wheel and in response, the Interceptor flared to life. Erek jumped off the ramp and landed on the vehicle's hood. Daniel took them around the tower and to the base, flaring the engines as loudly as he could so they would hear him coming. The Colossus was the first to get eyes on them, stomping the ground with its massive feet and spinning up its weapon. Erek jumped off the vehicle at the height of its acceleration and used his Light to carry himself over the nearest Legionnaire. He landed and before the Cabal could turn and face him down, his Arc Blade found its spine.
Erek then proceeded to carve his way through the rest of them, a vicious blur of lightning. The Colossus struggled to keep up, its eyes trying and failing to follow him as he darted to and fro all while keeping its heavy slug thrower on Daniel, who returned fire with the Interceptor's weapons.
If Erek was not timing himself, Daniel was, so it was no surprise that by the time he reached the Colossus, Erek's Light fizzled out. The Cabal twisted around in a panic and wrenched its slug thrower with it, catching Erek full-on in the chest. The Hunter was thrown off his feet, stopped only by the metal wall of the Cabal base before slumping to the ground. The slug thrower began to spin up again.
Daniel balled his fist and punched through the Interceptor's computer. He discharged a burst of Arc energy and fried every one of its circuits and fuel lines before firing the thrusters. The Colossus twisted again and opened fire but its bullets found only a flaming Interceptor hurtling towards it and its driver rolling away.
The vehicle exploded. Nearby explosive barrels ignited as well, creating a deafening blast that tore through the Colossus' already broken armor and sent it tumbling to the ground. Daniel pushed to his feet with Regime and ran towards Erek, slowing as he passed the Cabal to make sure it was dead. Erek was already pushing up by the time Daniel reached him. The Titan held out his hand. "We're even."
Erek stared at it for a few seconds before taking it and letting himself be hauled to his feet. "That was reckless," Daniel told him, earning only silence and a glare before Erek pulled his hand back.
"We should move on." Erek waited neither for agreement nor argument. He moved towards the open tunnel and Daniel, with one last look at the smoking carnage they had created, followed behind.
The tunnel was cavernous, big enough that if Daniel hadn't destroyed the Interceptor, they could have ridden it in. He wasn't sure whether or not Sparrows could be transmitted to their location but decided it would be best to take it slow and avoid any surprises. They eventually reached one last massive door, one that would take them into a place dubbed by others as the Iron Line. The last part of the outer base between the heart of the keep and the rest of the Rubicon. As they approached a door, the lock spun and disengaged. The door rolled out of their way, exposing what was behind it, which was nothing. An empty base
"Anyone else feel as if we're walking into an ambush?" Eren whispered.
"Is this their idea of subtlety?" Daniel was unimpressed but he hefted Regime to eye level. With his thumb on the side, he flipped the gun's switch towards the high-impact receiver. They had gotten the Cabal's attention. Now, they needed to keep it. "Caesar says the spire's on the other side of the Line."
A roar echoed out, an explosive fired and a ball of light shot into the air. That was their only warning before Cabal began to swarm the area from all sides. A sniper shot grazed Erek's shoulder, staggering him. Daniel returned fire while bodily shoving Erek behind a stack of metal crates as Legionnaires, Phalanxes and Psions thundered their way into the room. Enraged, Erek aimed his sniper around cover with one hand and fired at the walking platform above. The Psion who had shot him ducked into cover, the shot barely missing its head.
When his arm fully healed, Erek cloaked and ran one way while Daniel moved the other. Regime tore through the armor of the nearest Legionnaire and Daniel used its body to shield himself from the fire of others. When the Cabal came down to its knees, Daniel's fist struck out, knocking it to the ground. His Light drank in the last of its life essence and Daniel molded it into a Void barrier around himself like a second skin. He charged deeper into the fray, taking the bulk of enemy fire while Erek slipped around and went high. Reappearing, he jabbed a heated knife into the forehead of the Psion who shot him and shoved its flaccid body off the balcony before running for the second, taking a bullet before he could close the gap. Heaving and holding his arm, Daniel saw Erek toss down his sniper. A fusion rifle replaced it, transmatting into his hands. Again, before he was fully healed, Erek leapt off the balcony, landing and firing into the backs of the Cabal.
Together, they carved their way through the enemy forces. Daniel tried to keep most of their aggression on himself but with a fusion rifle now in hand, Erke had to get closer than he usually did, something he likely wanted. The silence, the aggression, the simmering tension about him, Daniel wondered how long it has been that he has just now noticed. Around them, bodies littered the ground in increasing numbers, growing lakes of black oil splashing around and sticking to their heels as the Cabal continued to rush in like a flood, determined to sweep them away.
It seemed like they would. Cabal pulled from the surrounding areas greatly bolstered their numbers. They came at the Guardians from all sides, even managing to flank them, forcing Daniel and Erek back to back. Taking those on their front, Daniel could see their exit, only a wall of Cabal between them and escape.
Daniel pulled a sphere from his belt and infused it with Light. Wrenching his arm back, Daniel took aim as far over the Cabal as he could and let the flashbang fly. He could tell where it had landed by which Cabal at the back of the shield wall jumped out of the way and by where the explosion occurred a second later. The burst killed the Cabal closest but those further away had their hearing deafened, their vision whitened and their radars disabled. "Push through!" Daniel had to yell to be heard over the gunfire and roars. "Push through!"
Erek took his eyes off the Cabal flanking them and immediately saw the path Daniel had created and that it was already closing. He cloaked while Daniel charged the weak spot, shoulder and head down, ramming through any that were still in his way. Unhindered, Erek reached the massive bay doors first and immediately fired a bullet into the controls. The gates seized and began to close as Daniel ran even faster. He dove through only a half-second before the gap became too small, landing and sliding across the ground on his stomach. The doors sealed and the Cabal's gunfire bounced uselessly off their own metal doors.
Daniel's head had smashed into a wall before he stopped and the world was spinning. Erek was speaking but his voice only registered as a high-pitched hum. The only thing he could hear clearly was the blood rushing in his ears.
That and the vigorous flap of wings. He found himself beset by the sudden feeling that he was being watched. The sensation was gone as soon as it came as reality snapped back into place. He propped himself up on one hand and watched as Erek plunged his knife into the exposed, leathery neck of a Legionnaire, one that had managed to get to the doors before him. Its helmet was gone. It was likely already dying and he doubted Erek was interested in sparing it the pain.
Daniel got to his feet and stretched his back while Caesar finished reforming the bones he had injured in his mad charge. Erek heard him groan and after a few seconds, offered a dull, "Are you alright?"
"Great." Daniel stretched again. "Wonderful."
Erek grunted. "We should move on."
"Are you?"
Erek pauses and again, gives his answer after a few seconds. An unconvincing, "Fine."
Daniel followed him into the heart of the base, a space out in the open air with metal walkways constructed high above the ground. Following their path straight ahead and then turning left, Daniel's eyes landed on their goal; the Vex spire, right at the base's center, just as Petra said it would be.
"Erek?"
"Yeah?"
"As we came in here, did you hear something that sounded like…like wings?" For all Daniel knew, he could have just been hallucinating but the feeling of being watched pushed him to ask.
"I heard explosions and gunfire and you cracking your skull. But no, no wings."
Daniel was prepared to forget the matter when Caesar spoke up, only to him. "I did," he said. Daniel's head swiveled about the base, looking around for anything that could have caused the sound but found nothing. Not even a trace. He sighed and moved on, Erek already several paces ahead.
Erek tossed his fusion's empty battery and pushed another into place just as a Cabal Phalanx lashed out with its shield. A lazy dodge to its left and its back was filled with energy bolts before it could realize what had just happened.
His shoulder still stung from all the abuse it had taken and from his refusal to let Eren heal it completely before he took another hit. The pain only barely registered with him. It wouldn't slow him down, he wouldn't let it. Times like these, he had to appreciate the Cabal. They were a tide, trying to trample their enemies beneath their feet. So quick to rush him and Daniel, so quick to rush to their deaths. Erek had tried to take his time, tried to focus on any Cabal that were lucky enough to escape Daniel's attention or unlucky enough to earn his. He tried only for a time, moving closer and closer to the fray than he should have been with each encounter.
He didn't care. He was here to make a mess. Just following orders. When the fusion rifle ran empty again, instead of reloading, he pulled the pulse rifle off his back and used that, firing over Daniel's head at the Cabal that had gone for higher ground.
The spire was close, situated at the end of the long metal bridge lined with heavy crates that could serve as cover. Erek rarely used it, often standing exposed, daring the Cabal to meet him openly. They were nothing. He was here to kill worse.
Daniel shouted something but between the gunfire and the explosions, Erek did not hear. Neither was he listening, to Daniel or anything else, even himself. He pushed through it all, finding himself by Daniel's side instead of at his back more often than they had agreed and he was paying for it; taking more hits than he should. It didn't matter. He was here so he could endure worse. He already has.
One slug tore his leg clean through. The world came flying back with the speed and force of a freight carrier. He felt it give out from under him before he felt any pain. Daniel shouted something again and Erek felt a thick arm wrap around his chest. His eyes were on the wound in his leg. Eren sealed the breach in his armor first. After, he could feel the skin beneath knit itself back together and function return to the limb. Daniel roughly jostled him. Erek exploded, "What, damn it, what is it?"
"You're too close!" Daniel's voice thundered now, loud and clear. "What do you think you're doing?!"
Erek grit his teeth and avoided the other man's eyes, piercing, even through his visor. "You're overwhelmed." It was a good reason, even if it wasn't the true one.
It was enough to make Daniel calm down, as much as he could with ordnance going off over his head. "Fine. But keep back."
"I can take care of myself."
"Clearly!" Another explosion over their heads, this one enough to make them both flinch. Daniel growled roughly. "Stick to the plan, Erek." He peeked over cover. "I'll create a distraction," he said, "You go around and hit them from the back."
Erek said nothing before he suddenly popped out of sight. While Daniel threw himself back out into the open, his body shielded with the Void, Erek climbed onto a crate and then the railing above. As quickly as he could, he ran over the heads of the Cabal while they closed in on Daniel. Those that didn't see him when he reappeared heard his Light explode. Solar flames ran through his body as he jumped down from above and took shape in his hand. Three were incinerated before he could hit the ground. A Phalanx brought up its shield but one shot from the Golden Gun reduced the shield to ash on the wind. The second did the same to its holder right after.
Daniel came down on them before the Cabal could regain their bearings. Erek told his Ghost to return his fusion rifle, never reloaded. This time, in its place, he took up a shotgun. Together, he and Daniel pushed the Cabal from both sides of the bridge, back against each other, kettling the platoon as reinforcements rushed to reach them.
Pellets from Erek's shotgun tore through armor plating and the skin beneath. The cocking, the firing, the roars of the enraged and the screams of the dying, it became a rhythm. Like a heartbeat, like a song, one that Erek could hear with perfect clarity.
One of them, the last of them, threw all caution to the wind and charged at Erek. Suros Regime caught the Legionnaire in the back as soon as it was turned on Daniel. As the Cabal stumbled and reeled forward, Erek kicked out and caught it in its dented armored chest. The Cabal fell on its backside, weapon clattering away. Erek kicked out again, knocking it flat and pinning it there with his foot before aiming the barrel of his weapon scant inches away from its face.
He gave it a few seconds. A few seconds for its eyes to lock onto the gun, to realize what was coming. To understand. To despair. The first blast took its helmet. The second took its head, leaving behind a bullet-riddled mess seeping in oil and blood. The third was for Erek's own pleasure. As was the fourth.
He staggered back, breath coming in and out in heaves, reloading the shotgun while his eyes remained locked on the mess he had just made. His head came up and caught Daniel, standing still, staring at him. Erek stared back. Then, he wiped the black fluid that had splashed on his visor and turned around, making for their target, now well in sight. Heavy clanking indicated Daniel was following.
The spire was not what he was expecting. An old tower of stone carved into odd shapes. Bits and pieces were made of bronze metal, wires slithered out of it and into the ground. It was all too reminiscent of the Vault of Glass for his comfort.
The way the Cabal had set the clearing up, a ring of metal plates and detectors surrounding the spire, a bigger ring of steel fence to cordon the whole thing off, the Cabal had been examining it. Petra had assured them that the spire was inactive so the Cabal had wanted to learn more but could never figure out how to turn it on. Turns out, all they were missing was the proper key.
Caesar pointed them towards a terminal, a small, blocky column adjacent to the main spire. Daniel went for it while Erek remained where he was, his eyes on a large door on the far side of the clearing. His grip on the shotgun adjusted and readjusted, if only to feel its weight in his hand.
Daniel put his hands above the circular plate of metal covering the terminal's opening and with some effort, managed to break it off. He circled the column and freed that end as well. His efforts revealed a circular space within the terminal, with metal teeth-like projections pointing in towards its center. The perfect shape for the Eye.
Erek turned his attention from the door to Daniel and the spire. He watched as Daniel released Caesar from his palm and the Ghost let out a cone of Light from its core. The Gate Lord's Eye appeared in the central opening and immediately, the metal projections shot forward, connecting with the Eye's outer shell.
The Eye began to glow. Erek could see red light splash over Daniel's torso. Then, the ground began to tremble. From the terminal and the Eye, a string of Light shot towards the spire, connecting with a larger sync plate at the spire's base. The trembling grew stronger and dust was raining off the stone column. The red light covering Daniel was suddenly replaced with a brilliant white, causing him to shield his eyes and step back.
With a piercing whine, the thick wires the Cabal had attached began to snap off, their broken ends red and smoking. The heavy metal blocks that looked as if they had been inserted into the stone began to grate and slide out of place. They came loose but did not fall like the wires. Instead, they remained suspended in the air and slowly began to spin, orbiting the spire.
The light from the terminal that had connected to the spire shot up through the spire's top. Smaller beams began to cross the larger one in patterns and shapes none of them could even begin to recognize. Ultralight, crystalized radiolaria, Erek heard his Ghost call it, forming a lattice. The crystals began to thicken and darken in hue at their center.
The metal blocks circling the spire crumbled and fell to the ground. The light at the spire's head faded. Left behind was a slab of Vex machinery, smooth metal shaped into a perfect rectangle with glowing white patterns etched into its surface.
"That's our key," Caesar whispered, wonder barely contained. He turned his eye from the spire to the terminal. "The Eye is absorbing it."
The key floating above the spire began to fade, disappearing into the light. The beam that connected the spire and terminal grew larger and began to pulse rhythmically. "What's it doing?" Erek asked no one in particular.
He could hear Caesar preparing to answer when the door behind them let out a harsh whine and began to slide open. Erek twisted with his gun already up as even more Cabal than before began to flood the area, a massive one bringing up their rear. "The Eye needs time to charge," Caesar told them, "We can't let the Cabal interrupt it, someone has to stay near."
Erek didn't give Daniel the time to issue orders and ignored his protests. He ran at the Cabal, immediately cutting down those on the front until he reached the giant Centurion commanding them, lunging for the join between its helmet and neck. His knife failed to pierce its armor, just as before and just as before, Erek had overextended his reach. Unable to move away in time, the Centurion bowled him. This time, instead of bringing up its weapon, the Cabal brought up only its foot, its shadow blotting out the sun.
Shards of bone piercing every organ in his torso. The same organs being crushed. Blood filling his ruined esophagus, bursting up through his throat and out of his mouth; Erek felt it all. But only for a short while before the world began to grow cold and quiet. The Centurion was staring down at him, its face contorted with glee behind its helmet, no doubt. But it wasn't the Cabal Erek's fading vision could truly see.
A black cloak, long and flowing. Dark armor, a hooded face, red eyes and a gun leveled at his face that exuded the sensation of encountering a bloated corpse. A gunshot echoed in Erek's ears, blood covered his body but somehow, he knew it was not his.
A rocket collided with the Centurion's massive back. It spun around and focused on Daniel, reloading. Eren used the distraction to move away and get behind cover while Daniel fired again, the blast rocking the Cabal. It shook and bellowed with rage, removing its foot from Erek's ruined torso. It ran for him, firing off slug rockets that exploded all around Daniel. "Daniel, the Eye!" he heard his Ghost yell. Daniel cursed, hastily throwing up a Ward of Dawn around himself and the terminal, readying himself for the Centurion's onslaught.
It never came. Erek suddenly appeared over the Centurion and latched onto its head. The Cabal was yanked back by the sudden weight and through the Void dome, Daniel could see black smoke rising from where Erek's fingers grasped the Cabal's armor, hanging on as it swung around, trying to throw him off.
The tendrils of smoke thickened. The Cabal's throaty roars became shrill and panicked as Erek's red-hot fingers dug deeper and deeper into the softening metal of its helmet. Erek was silent through the entire thing, his arms trembling as he shoved his fingers into and eventually through the Centurion's armor.
He ripped the helmet off. The Centurion didn't even have time to suffocate before Erek slammed both hands against its exposed skin. Somehow, without even being able to breathe, Erek made the Cabal scream. His Solar-infused fingers pushed deeper into its skin and eyes, burning the former black and reducing the latter to sludgy puddles that coated his fingers and steamed when they made contact. Erek's visor had been broken, exposing one eye to the outside world. The eye watched everything unfold and it did so wide and unblinking.
Erek kicked off the Centurion's back. It hit the ground, thick fingers clawing at its throat and face, moaning in agony. The Light in Erek's hands concentrated and took shape once again. All six Golden shots were fired into the Cabal's back, piercing thick plate armor, skin, the failing organs and even the ground beneath. It had been dead after the first.
Stunned, Daniel let the Ward fade. Erek was heaving like an animal, struggling to catch his breath and recognize his surroundings. He ripped off his helmet, letting it clatter to the ground. His lips and chin were stained dark red.
"Erek…"
"I'm fine." He sounded as if he were about to throw up. He wiped the blood away from his face and leaned against a stone block, hunched over and just breathing. "I'm fine."
He sounded even less convincing the second time. Daniel felt Caesar appear and turned to see him floating over to the Eye. He scanned it before sending the Guardians the signal. "We're clear. The Eye is ready."
"Call the ships down," Daniel said. Erek had lowered to a sitting position, his head between his knees, his eyes on the ground.
Caesar reclaimed the Eye. Their ships broke through the clouds. Erek stood briskly, turning his back on Daniel and walking to meet his own. Daniel knew this would have to be something he brought up. Sit Erek down with Kayla and talk with him, even if it was the last thing he wanted.
But later; right now, with the battle finished and his body cooling, everything he had shoved from his mind was flooding back in, already threatening to drown him in his own anger and frustration. He did not know the reasons behind Erek's erratic behavior but he could not say he didn't sympathize.
"We're clear," Josef announced. Sights aimed down, he took point and moved further into the base. When he came to a spot underneath the main bridge, he jumped, latching on and hauling himself over. "Hernan reports some signals remaining but they're all deep inside. Kayla, you're good to go."
Kayla kept low and moved out of cover, coming to the same spot he had started and jumping. Josef grabbed her in one hand and hauled her onto the bridge as if she weighed nothing. At the bridge's far end stood their target.
Aashir appeared at their side almost silently. He was already moving. "Josef, take the low ground. Aveline will take high. Ensure we aren't disturbed."
Josef saluted and back-flipped off the bridge, stocky armored frame and all. Stifling a laugh, Kayla rushed to catch up to Aashir. The other Warlock led her to a covered section of the bridge, shielded from the sun and prying eyes. Within was a small Cabal terminal.
Sixx appeared over Kayla's shoulder and began to scan while Kayla prepared herself. "What am I looking for?" she asked.
"A firewall. Behind it, anything and everything related to the King's Gate, the Sol Divisive and the Black Garden.
Kayla's eyes remained focused on the screen, shifting and changing as her Ghost hacked through the first few layers of security. "What makes you think there's anything related there?"
"A hunch, nothing more. Sixx, are you ready?"
"Getting there. How much time do you think we have?"
It was Aveline who answered, perched atop a large antenna, weapons trained on the base's entrance. "Josef said there are still Cabal inside. I'd say we're good until Kayla breaks the firewall," she said and Kayla hated how sure she sounded. "Afterwards, who knows."
"Rule of thumb on jobs like these; you never have enough time," Josef added, "Two Cabal carriers moving past, likely towards the firebase." He chuckled. "The boys must be giving them a hard time."
"Are you visible?" Aashir asked.
"Unlikely."
"Sixx-"
"I'm ready." The Ghost moved away from the terminal and looked at Kayla. "Are you?"
Kayla exhaled. "Does it matter?" Josef was right; there was never enough time, so none could be wasted. "Let's get started."
A beam of Light shot from Sixx's eye into one of the keycode scanners. "Access granted." After a few seconds, he said, "Path created and stabilized."
Kayla put both her hands on the terminal. She never knew if physical contact was necessary but it helped ground her. She closed her eyes and heard her Ghost say, "Dropping you in."
Drop, she did. Kayla felt the ground vanish beneath her. By the time she even realized she was falling, she landed on something solid and invisible. Shaking off the jitters, she got to her feet and began to take note of her surroundings. The portal in the Vault of Glass had taken her somewhere dark and quiet, almost as a reprieve from battle. The world she had interfaced with had been pitch black, an empty void but for the voices that echoed around her; voices of possible futures.
With effort, she had made the voices into something visual and with even more, she had turned it towards her goal. Towards Aro and Daniel, trapped somewhere in a future that looked even bleaker than their present.
Kayla never had the chance to find out if that experience was the norm. The only other time she had interfaced with Vex tech, the information had been thrown at her so fast, she had been unable to see or comprehend anything. Beneath the apprehension, she was glad that the Cabal network, simple as it was in comparison, would be more akin to her experience in the Vault. She wasn't sure if she could handle a second bout of whatever had hit her on the Endless Steps.
"Focus," she whispered to herself, closing her eyes. Her mind needed to be steady. When she opened them again, a small symbol floated in the air before her. A glowing circle of bright orange, not fully enclosed, with a rounded column piercing it. She recalled it from her other times dealing with the Cabal Battlenet. Kayla reached out, touched it and found it warm and solid.
The symbol burst. Suddenly, a torrent of Cabal letters erupted from the ground, orange and spewing like magma, filling the empty void surrounding her with harsh light. It shot high and went higher, rising endlessly. She saw now why Aashir's Ghost had trouble breaking his way through. A single glance and she could tell that most of the data was complete nonsense but it was nonsense so compact and torrential, it overwhelmed any outside efforts to break through. It was like trying to swim upriver while a flash flood bore down on you.
"Focus," she whispered again. Calm and focus. She set her mind on a single concrete goal; reach the other side. She put her palms against the spout, feeling for something. A pattern, maybe or a break in that pattern, she was unsure. A proverbial foothold where she could set herself down while she tried to find the next and the next.
She found it and with an ease that surprised even her. Her hand and arm pushed through a weak spot in the wall of data. Arm out, Kayla went in after until she was surrounded by the firewall. She pushed forward, one foot in front of the other, feeling for the invisible path with nothing but her hand and her instincts to guide her.
No surprises awaited her the further in she went. No tricks, no traps laid by the Cabal or pitfalls. No sudden walls to drop on her or emergency shutdowns to kick her out. In reality, navigating the firewall only seemed to grow easier with time. A laugh even bubbled up in her throat as she weaved her way through. Kayla knew what she was, what she was capable of and still, she found it strange that something so simple to her had given any of the Ghosts so much trouble.
Her palm pushed through yet another weak stream flowing within the torrent and this time, she pushed her way into the same empty space from before. She kept going until it surrounded her and the firewall stood at her back. She was on the other side.
In front of her rose the same symbol from before, the half-circle with the column piercing it. Without hesitation, Kayla reached out to touch it again. Behind her, the spout froze almost instantly. When she turned and craned her neck to see the top, she could see the data fizzling to dust, the firewall crumbling away, moving quickly downwards until it reached the level of her feet. Then, the last of it faded. As did the key symbol. Replacing it was a new stream of data, more coherent, less harsh on the eyes. It scrolled before her in a linear fashion, as if it wanted to be read.
Kayla quelled the excitement welling within and forced herself to remain focused. Feel the stream, push it where she wanted it to go so that it would show her what she wanted to see. She thought of the Valley of the Kings, the Vex, the Black Garden, and moved around the information until she found exactly what she needed.
Color returned to the world, as did physicality, sound, feeling. So many sensations hit her at once that Kayla felt her knees buckle beneath her. A hand beneath her arm caught her before she could fall and she looked up to find Aashir's stern gaze bearing down on her. "What did you find?"
Kayla stood and took her arm back. "I'm fine, thank you."
"Kayla, several Cabal are coming from inside the base and moving on our position."
She looked back at the central structure, pressed against the mountainside. "Taking down the firewall must have alerted them, like Aveline said. Maybe their Psions-"
"That means it's time to go. The ships are already on their way. Now tell me, did you find anything?"
She nodded. "Found a lot."
Aashir barked into comms. "Aveline, Josef, move on the base. Buy us a little more time." To Kayla, he moved closer. "Report then. Quickly."
"For one, the Gate has been giving off signals that go…" she blinked several times. "Somewhere. The Cabal aren't sure and I can't pinpoint them."
Aashir turned to look at the King's Gate, visible and looming high in the distance over the rest of the valley. "What else?"
"The Cabal have been contending with the Vex over the King's Gate for a while now. Rasputin threw a wrench in their plans with his attack and they deployed the Psion Flayers originally to keep him occupied and out of their way."
"And their plans?"
"They…" she shook her head, almost unsure if what she was seeing within was correct. "They want to destroy it. They want to destroy the Gate. With a Goliath tank." She moved around him and pointed back towards the rest of the mountains. "From there."
Aashir followed her hand. Though the mountains and the base they stood in were cut off from the greater Cabal structures, he knew what she was referring to. "Sora predicted something like this, you know."
"I heard. Asura told me she sent them information regarding the tanks. Said he was going to wait for Aro to read them to find out what they say."
Aashir released a sound that could have almost been mistaken for a dry laugh. "See what a hunch can get you? That portal is our only way into the Black Garden and our only way to reach its heart. This tank needs to be located, destroyed and then, we need to get in and out before they can deploy another."
"And the signals?" Kayla asked. She looked back towards the King's Gate. "What do you think they are? Where are they going?"
"We're going to find out." Aashir left the shade of the terminal and stepped out into the sun. "Any contact?" he asked the siblings.
"Only a few but they know we're here," Aveline said, "Do we have a plan?"
"I'm having Fel pinpoint four locations around the King's Gate." A transceiver appeared in Aashir's hand, held out to Kayla. "Everyone take a point and place a beacon. We'll see what we can learn."
"The Cabal will destroy them as soon as they see them."
"That's why we'll have four. Disengage with the Cabal, take a point and head towards it. Place your beacon down and then head for orbit."
"Understood," Aveline said.
"On it, boss," said her brother.
Together, Kayla and Aashir dropped down from the bridge. Two Sparrows raced past them as they touched down, the twins racing towards the Gate. "I hope your team was successful," Aashir murmured to her, "Our schedule just got cut in half."
Sparrows appeared and were mounted. Sixx indicated their chosen spot and Kayla fired the engine, flying across the sands towards it.
"Erek and Daniel pulling up." Aveline's voice woke Kayla from her dozing. She opened her eyes and leaned forward in her seat, noting the two signals pulling close on radar.
She immediately established a connection. "Any trouble?"
"No."
"No more than expected," Daniel answered, less gruff than Erek but no less tired. To them all, he said, "We've synced with the spire and charged the Eye. We have our way in."
"Good. Kayla made it through the firewall and found out that the Cabal want to destroy the portal," Aashir said, "We'll report to the Vanguard and discuss a plan from there."
Josef spoke up. "Before we take off…"
"What is it?"
"The Gate just sent out a signal. The beacons picked it up and my Ghost is tracing it now."
Aashir grunted. "How long will that take?"
"Some time. We may not want to return to the City just yet."
A pause. "Something on your mind?" asked Aashir.
"You said it yourself, if the Cabal want to destroy the King's Gate, we're running down on time. If we want to follow the trail as soon as we have it, maybe we should go with Kayla, Daniel and Erek back to the Vestian Outpost. Talk to Ikora from there and-"
Aveline scoffed, "That's one way to get back into the Reef."
"Quiet," he snapped. Then, he sighed. "The destination hasn't been determined but Hernan already has a heading. Past the Reef, towards the Jovians. Even the slimmest chances can be worth a shot."
"Fine. Erek, call ahead," Aashir ordered, "Let the Queen's Wrath know we're coming."
"I'm not fireteam leader."
"But you are a prince." Kayla winced at the deliberate jab. Aashir's tone made it clear he would brook no argument. "Engines ready. Take off at will."
Comms shut off for everyone after that, leaving Kayla in the quiet once more. She began her ship's launch sequence.
"Was it that easy?" Sixx asked her.
"Compared to the Vault? And the Endless Steps? A cakewalk." Kayla stretched her fingers and then balled them into fists. "Never imagined it would be so simple," she laughed. "When we get back, maybe I can finally find out why the lounge radio plays the same song so often."
"Pretty sure someone is doing that on purpose."
"Then they need better taste." Excitement grew again but within was a seed of apprehension. Would it always be so simple? Would practicing on more mundane technology adequately prepare her for the Vex?
How much of this was seen by Rasputin, she wondered then. How much was noticed by Envy? If she, of all people, knew what the Cabal were planning, a Goliath tank would be the least of their worries and that thought alone was enough to quell her rising enthusiasm entirely.