The Frontier: Light Among Darkness Ch. 4 - Knock Knock

Hello! Welcome to a new chapter of The Frontier: Light Among Darkness - in this episode, the title is fitting, as Orion goes to the semi-criminal organization with its headquarters underneath The Prison of Elders, and who may or may not have a connection to the infamous REEF MOB. Now, the Mob’ is quite a bit different in this universe/timeline than it is in Azid’s excellent series, they are one of the powerful forces of the solar system that hides just under the surface, but they are not controlled by Seren. Only those willing to go to obscene lengths and dark places will figure them out. Anyhow, enjoy! The Prison of Elders was a shady place. Titanic monstrosities and dangerous aliens were locked up along with their veritable armies of followers, the structure was enormous, the structure was the size of a small city, and it had mysteries surrounding its upkeep and creation. Underneath it, however, was the worst part, where the monsters were imported to and taken from. The operation under the prison was large, and as a front it was where the paladins and soldiers of the Reef went to and from with their prisoners. However, on the inside it was a semi-criminal organization that sent mercenary expeditions to locations across the solar system in search of profit. Since it was what allowed the Prison to grow and it was underneath it, like the roots of a tree, those who operated in it called it the Roots’ (even though many there had never seen a tree). Inside of the Roots’, much work was being had. Weapons, armor, gear, and supplies were being created, stored, equipped, stocked, and repaired. A large man, stocky but strong, worked arduously at a large forge, where he was building new and incredible things for all of the expeditions underway in the complex. His name was Archimedes, and he was an engineering and tech genius. His nimble fingers could construct almost anything from almost nothing, and he was very creative. Many of the weapons used by the mercenaries were either modified or built by him. Right now, he was hammering and sculpting a piece of metal into a combat axe, using a metal rod and warping it until it was just right for a handle. The tricky part of the axe was that he intended to allow Arc to conduct on its edge, so that its edge could shock enemies, or cut through them with intense heat. It was no problem for him, though. This was nothing compared to other projects he had done. An armed guard oversaw his work, and throughout the enormous space warehouse the same thing was underway, with dozens of soldiers carrying many different kinds of weapons. Shock daggers, wire rifles, auto rifles, hand cannons, heck, some even had access to Cabal weaponry. The reach of their organization was long, and it covered most of the solar system in a metaphorical shadow. Right now, it was relatively quiet in the complex. The hammering, clanking, clinking, and shooting was at its average amount for that workday. Suddenly, a guard heard a creak, and a knock. She raised her modified wire rifle and aimed down the scope at the door suspiciously, and rightly so, since just then it proceeded to explode. The door was dented and thrown inwards, and an armored figure leapt into the room with cat-like agility. The guards opened fire on the intruder, scoring some hits, but most of them missing their mark or being evaded. The female guard grunted in pain and was knocked out by a hundred-pound hunk of metal thrown like an Olympic hammer throw from before the golden age. The hunter quickly leapt over a table and, drawing a hand cannon, precisely shot another guard in the upper arm with deadly accuracy, forcing him to drop his weapon. From Archimedes’ position, he determined that the intruder was a guardian, and that he was either here to join them, or destroy them. The prejudice that he was eliminating the security with, however, suggested the latter. He took cover behind his forge, and considered the situation. To be honest, he hated being trapped here like a prisoner, forced to stay and work for dirtbags and mercenaries. Orion moved from guard to guard. Spark quickly healed the few bullet wounds that made it through his body armor, and repaired the armor from within his armor matrix. He spun his cannon and hit another hostile in the kneecap. “I won't kill these guys.” Orion said to his ghost. “But I can slow em’ down.” A grenade lobbed from his hand blinded his attackers, and using that advantage he vaulted over obstacles and people, who were either dead or cowering in fear for their lives. One guard recovers faster than the others, and as a reward he was kicked half a dozen meters away into a workbench. Orion pistol whipped an enemy, shot another in the groin, and threw another one over his head. “Nice fighting.” Commented his ghost. Orion took a wire rifle bolt to the gut and grimaced. “Thanks, buddy.” He said, through clenched teeth. About 20 seconds later, every guard in the room had been incapacitated. “Make me scary.” Orion murmured to spark, and stomping on the metal floor he lifted one of the guards up by the throat. “Where is your boss?” The hunter said, seeming like a demon with his doubly amplified voice, glowing helmet visor and inhuman strength. The man shakily pointed towards a staircase built into the wall, and built up a fear-whimper deep in his chest. Orion cleared the stairs in a few enormous leaps and sprinted towards a large office-like building that was at the top of the complex. Inside of the building, a purple-skinned awoken woman was frantically tapping away at something, when a crackling of arc came from the other side of the door, and a tremendous boom shook the metal frame. Before long Orion had broken down the door, arc lightning crackling across his body, making him look like some kind of furious deity she had angered. With incredible speed Orion became so close to her that the Arc conducting through his armor made her nerves buzz and her skin tingle. “Wh-what do you want?” asked the boss. “Jovians. Mining.” He said in a doubly amplified voice, a question with no question. “What? Oh, th-that expedition? I-its lost. We can't find it!” The awoken said, fearful for her life, hoping that explanation would satisfy the guardian that had just trashed her operation and threatened her. It was not satisfactory. Without a word, Orion played the recording of the expedition through his helmet at a normal frequency, standing as still as a statue, as if he was only a speaker playing the sound. When it was over, the boss was confused. “Hive? In the Jovians?” She stated and asked. Orion made no move to acknowledge or respond to her question/statement. “Which. Moon.” The amplified voice asked again, two words somehow being enough to convey all the pain he could bring her if she didn't respond. “Ganymede! It's Ganymede!” She said, cringing and pretending to cower in fear, but really drawing her sidearm and calling more guards to come. When the boss pointed the weapon where the guardian had just been… he was gone. Orion jumped over the stairs and hit the ground in a neat roll, barely making a sound. Before he could escape, however, he heard the clicks of many weapons, and looked up to see two dozen guards aiming their mismatched weaponry at him. “What do we do here Spark?” He asked. “I can't incapacitate all of them.” Spark’s voice sounded gleeful through his helmet. “You won't have to.” The ghost said, surprised and excited. The guards turned at the sound of whining servos, and then one of them screamed in pain from a powerful blow that sent them flying. CONTINUED IN COMMENTS, D*MN CHARACTER LIMIT.