Delta B1 Ch9: The Thief Part 2

A frame that had overheard the conversation lifted its tablet and approached the group. “Excuse me. Sorry for the interruption. Warlock Cassian has just been spotted leaving the City walls with a very large object.” “We don’t have much time,” said Cayde. He pointed at Delta. “Go after him. Do NOT let him give up that weapon! I’ll make sure these ghosts get back to their respective guardians and see about getting a head count on the rest of our flying friends.” Delta nodded and sprinted off towards the wall. Cayde led the ghosts back to the tower while Alex watched Delta hurry off. She sighed and continued to help the other guardians clear the intersection. After sprinting for some time, Delta reached the wall and dashed through the checkpoint. Once he reached the outside, he turned towards the nearby mountains. If there was going to be an exchange, it would be in the valley at the base of the mountains, away from the eyes of the City. In that moment Delta was glad he was a robot. He sprinted for almost a half hour across rocky terrain without tiring. It seemed that he might catch up to Cassian before the exchange. The exo reached the path that led down into the valley. He was close now. The sound of a wormhole opening could be heard in the distance. “No!” exclaimed Delta. “No, no, no!” Now that the Key Blade was outside of the City walls, the Hive had come to take back what was theirs. Delta cursed as he ran. This was no doubt Sayyed’s plan all along: distract Delta with the lab on Everest while her guardian agent retrieved the Key Blade. Now Cassian would be sacrificed to the Hive, and those monsters would have control of a weaponized moon once more. Trees began to sprout up all around Delta and thunderclouds began to roll in as he rushed into the Valley. He could hear gunshots now, and the nightmarish roars of Hive Knights. The foliage got thicker around the exo and the low rumble of thunder sounded overhead. Finally, Delta crashed through the brush into a large clearing. On the other side, a tombship hovered above the trees, and a large group of Hive were beaming back up to their ride out. Near the Hive lay a mortally wounded Cassian, and above him stood a massive knight that held the Key Blade in its hands. The knight noticed Delta, but turned towards the ship as if the exo were insignificant. Delta burst forward in a furious sprint. He could not allow that knight to get back to its ship. The exo was quickly closing the gap, but the knight neared its destination. It was going to be close. The knight turned to face Delta while backing up beneath the tombship. “No!” shouted Delta. He wasn’t going to make it. The knight let out a deep, evil laugh at the guardian’s desperate efforts. Just as Delta was a few feet away, the knight was engulfed in purple light, and disappeared. The exo watched helplessly as the tombship vanished through another wormhole, and the forest fell silent. Delta dropped to his knees as thunder rolled once more. Time seemed to slow as tiny drops of rain began to fall from the sky. The exo watched and listened as the world around him became sad and wet. The rain pattered against his helmet, water running down his defeated form and into the Hive-worn dirt. Delta couldn’t seem to move. He stared into the dirt as the reality of the situation slowly engulfed him like the rain that now soaked his trench coat. He had failed. The exo might have stayed there for hours, unmoving, but the sound of a painful cough came from behind him. Torn from his trance, Delta turned around to see Cassian sprawled out on the ground, trying hard to breath. Delta got up and rushed to his fellow Warlock. He knelt beside Cassian, his feet squelching as the dirt had begun to turn into mud. Delta quickly called for his ship. In Cassian’s chest was a gaping hole that was forming a pool of blood beneath him. Delta slowly removed Cassian's helmet and threw it aside, revealing a young human face. Fading blue eyes stared up at Delta through messy blonde hair. “I’m… sorry,” whispered Cassian, spitting out blood. Delta shook his head. “It’s okay,” he said. “You didn’t have a choice. It’s not your fault.” Cassian shifted in denial and flinched from the intense pain. “No…” he said. “It was... It was.” Delta dipped his head in sadness as Cassian continued. “I’ve done… terrible things. I… betrayed… the City. I killed... so many...” The Warlock coughed up more blood. “I… deserve this.” Delta shook his head again. “No. I have a ship on the way. We can get you healed if-“ “No…” Cassian interrupted. The injured guardian pulled out his hand cannon from its holster and laid it across his chest. “I can’t... with what I've done. Besides... I'm going to... die anyway. We both know… they’ve already… destroyed my ghost.” Cassian stared into Delta in the eyes, and he saw in Cassian something he did not expect. Longing. In that moment Delta understood what Cassian wanted to do. The exo sat back, his boots now soaked in Cassian’s blood, and looked up into the dark sky that was dumping rain upon the both of them. The suffering guardian’s desire would seem crazy to most, but Delta understood. This was what Cassian wanted. He looked back at the wounded Warlock, who was still staring at him, as if waiting for permission. Delta nodded and patted the his shoulder, giving him one last gesture of reassurance. Delta stood up and turned away as Cassian cocked his hand cannon, and raised it to his own head. The exo looked down at his bloodstained boots and waited. There was a muffled click, and a single gunshot rang out through the trees. Delta shut his eyes. Rage swelled up inside of him, and void energy began to radiate from his body. The bunker, the lab, captive ghosts, blackmailed guardians, the Hive… It was all because of The Defense. It was all because of Yara Sayyed. Delta began to have second thoughts about not killing her. Had he known then the full extent of their power… In that moment, Delta The Fourth Born made a decision. He would gather a raid team, fight to the moon’s core, and retrieve the Key Blade before the Hive use it against the Traveler. Then all that would be left is The Defense. “SAYYED!” Delta bellowed into the rain. “I’M COMING FOR YOU!” [url=https://www.bungie.net/en/Clan/Post/1371758/226136844/0/0]Chapter 10[/url] [url=https://www.bungie.net/en/Forums/Post/224417569?page=0&sort=0&showBanned=0&path=1]The Hub[/url]