World Without Light

To be clear, this is not an entry to the contest. It was just an idea I threw out there and it wouldn't leave me alone until I wrote it out. ---- A World Without Light: Night in the European Dead Zone was never quiet. The calls of night birds and animals that prowled, eyes flashing amongst the trees were punctuated by distant arms fire and the eerie cries of the Fallen in the distance. In some places the sound of arms fire was a great deal closer. [i]Guardian down![/i] “Damn!” Royce covered his teammate, crouching behind a broken piece of concrete and keeping an eye on his heads up display. He was fairly certain he knew where the sniper was, but the Titan couldn’t be sure. The orb pulsed, signaling that the ghost had summoned enough power to revive. Royce reached out with his light, giving the ghost that final push that would allow him to summon his Guardian back from the grave. He shoved his shoulder into Haylee-12’s stomach, pushing her out of the way as she reappeared in a flash of light. Sure enough another sniper shot flew right where the EXO Titan’s head would have been, pinging harmlessly off the brick wall behind her. “We need to take care of that sniper.” She snapped, crouching beside him. “Give Delan another few seconds.” Royce grinned. “He has a supri…movement to our left.” “I see it.” She replied, dashing out of cover and around the corner. Royce waited for another shot, but the sniper was apparently content to wait for him to poke his head out. “I’m not falling for it, May!” He yelled. “Say that to my face, sweetheart!” A cheery voice called back from the other side of the arena. Yup, he knew where she was. Unfortunately he had no way to challenge her position. “C’mon, Delan…” He muttered, crouch-walking along the edge of the concrete barricade. Another shot rang out, uncomfortably close. The distinctive sound of Icebreaker never failed to set his teeth on edge. “Ever heard of a primary?” He yelled. “Nope!” May called back. “What’s that?” Royce reflected that this hadn’t been the best idea, but there had been drinks involved, and then brags had been traded, challenges thrown down and accepted. So now he found himself in the crucible arena that Shaxx had designated ‘Memento’ at a standoff with the Hunter behind the sniper rifle. No Shaxx yelling in his ear, this little skirmish was unsanctioned and they’d turned off their headsets. And his team was off doing who knew what. He heard gunfire and a few grenades going off. Then it died down and he was left with the non-silence of the European Dead Zone. It was a little unsettling. He sighed and prepared to make his own dash out of cover, hoping that Delan had had time, and opportunity, to complete his flanking maneuver. More gunfire. Royce took a chance that May had been distracted and leapt out of cover, charging forward and into the small corridor set high in the wall. A short distance away he heard the distinctive sound of a Sunbreaker firing up. He grinned to himself. No one expected that quiet and deliberate Delan-5 was a master of the hammer. Most pegged him as a Defender, often to their regret. Royce sighted down his rifle, strafing around the corner. Nothing on his radar, no one in sight. He dropped. Shots rang out and he grunted as they impacted his shield, continuing his run and charging behind cover to let himself recover. He gave himself another second before rolling around the corner of the wall, rifle up and already firing at the broken room above his head. Return fire broke through his shield, but he powered through it, taking the hits. Jay collapsed, his ghost appearing above his body, preparing to revive. She bobbed at Royce and he gave her a salute with his rifle. “I keep telling him he’s engaging out of range.” She commented drily. “But he loves his hand cannons.” Royce grimaced, feeling his wounds repair themselves. “To be fair he almo…” Tearing. He was tearing in two. A shade of himself, etched in light, pulled from his body and faded into the darkness. He staggered and fell to his knees. The pain flared back, wounds reopening. So dark. [i]Royce, what’s happening?[/i] He saw Jay’s ghost flare once, as though in surprise, before the orb she had formed collapsed upon itself and she fell. He watched as the ghost rolled across the sloped floor and fell with a soft thump into the grass below the wall. But… “Junie?” He called to his ghost. [i]Guardian…I….[/i] “Junie!” He gasped. So hard to speak. He felt something tumble free from his armor and looked down to see his ghost fall into the dirt beside his left hand. He reached out with heavy fingers and picked her up. Her light was gone, what he held in his hand was no longer his little Junie. He coughed. Something wet filled his helmet, spattering against his chin. He pulled his helmet off with his free hand, his other holding Junie close to his chest. Staggering to his feet he left his helmet behind. He needed to find the others. He staggered around the small building in the middle of the courtyard, heading towards the last place he’d heard gunfire, and May’s voice. He stopped, coughed again, paid no attention to the blood on his clenched fist. So heavy. Every step labored. One foot weighed a hundred pounds, he lifted it anyway. He was a Titan, a force that could stand against anything and not be moved. He would… He fell. He crawled. He called their names in a weakening voice. His hand touched Jay’s ghost. He picked her up and tucked her against his chest. He kept going. He came upon Delan first, lying on his back. Crumpled against the wall beside him was Yaris, May’s Awoken teammate. Delan cried out and tucked the ghosts inside his armor, reaching out with trembling hands to pull the Titan’s helmet from his head. Delan’s expression as serene as always even though the light had gone out of his eyes. A gaping hole in his chest matched the wound in Yaris’s. Shotguns. They’d…traded. Their ghosts lay still beside them. Royce gathered them up as well, mustering what strength he could before moving on, leaving their lightless bodies behind. “Haylee…May…” He whispered. He used the wall to haul himself to his feet, used it to hold himself up as he forced his feet to move. Almost…he would find them. They would be okay. He swung himself around the doorframe. “May.” He whispered. The figure kneeling over Haylee’s still form looked up. She had taken off her helmet. Her face was tortured, ugly, covered in tears and blood. He stumbled towards her. “May.” He whispered. In her hands she still held Icebreaker. She stared at him, then down at it. “I killed her.” She cried, a tortured scream. With as much strength as she could muster she flung the sniper rifle against the rocks. The effort took too much out of her, Royce saw. Torn. Lightless. She collapsed to her hands and knees. “I killed her.” She sobbed, great, wrenching cries. “Royce, what’s happening?” He struggled to his feet. Struggled to walk to her. No…he… His arms fell. No more strength. The ghosts he had gathered scattered like stones. The Titan went to his knees. His hands…he willed them to reach out to her. They half rose. He collapsed on his side. So much pain. “Royce!” She scrabbled across the rocks towards him. He could hear her, but everything was becoming blurred. “Royce. Light! You’re bleeding!” He felt her hands on his chest. He rolled to his back. He smiled. “Royce, hold on!” Her tears fell on his skin like warm rain. A little more strength. Just enough. He reached up and touched her face. “Royce, I can fix this! Hold on…hold on sweethe…” … Night in the European Dead Zone was never quiet. The calls of night birds and animals that prowled, eyes flashing amongst the trees were punctuated by distant arms fire and the eerie cries of the Fallen in the distance. --- MakeMineMint's Library https://www.bungie.net/en/Clan/Post/1371758/228148184/0/0