He glanced out from behind his cover to see a heavy ammunition pack materialising into existence at the feet of the Viper squad. With a curse he leapt out from behind cover and began to fire in the direction of the opposition. He was shooting from the hip, aiming to hamper rather than injure as he tried to join with his squad. The vipers were too busy fusing the synthesis packs into the rocket launcher bay pod to pay much attention to him. He didn’t know how he knew it but intrinsically he understood that when the pack integrated with the launchers mainframe shells would begin to trans-materialise in the launching bay. His comrades must have taken note of his approach because Mick reared up from behind cover and signalled for him to stay back. He hesitated. From the corner of his eye he could see a Viper Hunter readying the weapon. Time stood still for him then as he watched with a detached sense of awe as the rocket blasted out from its holding and sped towards its target. Simultaneously Mick shot out his hands and crackled with void energy as a brilliant ward of dawn, a barrier ripped from the void, sprang up around the three guardians to encapsulate them in a protective bubble as the rocket exploded against it in a shower of blazing orange beauty. DJ, the stoic and pensive guardian who had the briefest of conversations with him when he’d requested to join the squad stood from his position and calmly gestured towards the podium in the middle of the arena. Morgan followed his outstretched arm and noted that the empty space on the podium was now filled with a giant ball of rippling silver energy which sparked and crackled against the air. Without thinking or looking back he burst out into a wild sprint as he made for the bomb. It didn’t take long for him to close the gap and he looked around briefly for any Vipers that were in pursuit. They still appeared to be locked in combat though and he stood alone beside the weapon. It hung suspended in the air but held no solid shape as it rolled and rotated constantly. It was as if someone had trapped a ball of water in mid-air as he watched it fluidly swirling in place. “What do I do now?” he asked, confused. ‘Simply touch it. You will temporarily absorb the energy until you transfer it to the rift. Or you die. Either outcome will release the energy.’ He was still unnerved by the Ghosts matter of factness as it imparted its wisdom on him. Tentatively he held out an outstretched hand and looked on dumbstruck as the energy jumped from its containment field onto his arm. It raced along the length of his limb and before he knew it he was engulfed in silver light. The strength of it filled his bones with raw power and he felt as though he was ready to explode from holding so much light. His fears subsided then and stillness overcame him as the power flowed through him. In this moment he felt euphoria sweep through him. He closed his eyes and embraced the purity of it for the briefest of heartbeats. A wicked explosion caused him to return to the present and he looked over to the ruins where his clan mates had been holding there ground. The ward of dawn was gone now though as were any traces of the Titans that had been within it. Across the way three of the four enemy clan members still stood, though the Hunter with the launcher was nowhere to be found. Two of the remaining members of the Vipers looked over in his direction and began to sprint towards him in unison, rifles punching out rounds as their boots hit the ground. He returned fire with a single round before his revolver responded with empty clicks. He let out a soft curse and turned on his heel and sprinted off through the buildings. I blip appeared on his HUD to indicate the location of the enemy rift and he thought about making a wild sprint for it but as he calmed his better judgement took hold and he moved away from the marker. The enemy still numbered four strong while his team was down to just two, himself and Lan, who was nowhere to be found. He dodged between and through buildings, never slowing and he could feel the energy begin to build inside of him with each step. A painful spasm began to pulsate in his temple and he stopped in the doorway of a building to assess the situation. “Ghost…” he began. ‘Yes, how remiss of me. If you do not deposit the energy soon the energy buildup will eventually tear you apart, and you will die. Light that powerful is not made to be held by a human vessel for inordinate periods of time.’ It finished with a beep and a whir. “Now you tell me…” he made to reply but his voice trailed off as he saw Lan moving stealthily through a decrepit building not too far away. He was unaware of the enemy Warlock drifting steadily behind him. It looked as if he was moving in for a close range kill. Morgan moved again, hammering his boots against the sand strewn pathway and leapt for the ledge of a crumbled building. As his foot touched it he used it as a springboard and vaulted himself into the air. He was closing the distance between him and his lone remaining clan mate with surprising speed and he channelled some energy into the boosters at the back of his armour to glide the rest of the distance. He was approaching fast now and grabbed hold of the Viper as he slammed into the enemy Warlock with such ferocious force that send them both crashing through a wall beside Lan. He let go of his opponent and the two came to their feet. The opposing warlock brought his pistol to bear but Morgan swayed to the right as a round was fired. His hands took on a mind of their own as they lashed out and disarmed the Warlock, his closed fist hammering into the enemy’s wrist. With a grunt the Warlock dropped his weapon and sent out a right handed jab that smacked against Morgans helmet. The force of the blow staggered him for a moment and his vision swam. When it cleared there was barely time to react to the high kick that was aimed for his visor. Marshalling his strength he stepped into the blow and threw up one arm to protect himself from the blow. He channelled as much of his own energy as he could into his free hand as it lashed forward with incredible speed. Instead of connecting with a closed fist he opened his palm and sent out a wave of destructive void energy. It ripped through the enemy armour in an instant and Morgan could only watch as it tore through the guardian at a terrifying pace. In an instant his body was consumed by the energy as blinding light swarmed his vision. The strength of it cause him to shield his eyes against the visual barrage and when he opened them again there was nothing left but remnants, a burned outline of the place where the guardian had stood before it too vaporised into the ether. “Nice save Rook.” Came the casual acknowledgement from the hunter. He made to reply but was cut off ah a hail of bullets began to shower around them. They both dropped into cover and with a glance Morgan could see that the three remaining Vipers had caught up to them now. He looked around for an exit strategy but it appeared as though he’d collapsed much of the building during his tangle with the Warlock. The pain in his temples was growing stronger with each passing second. It was becoming increasingly unbearable. “Doesn’t look good.” He muttered to Lan as the hunter spun to fire off several rounds. He dropped back down and turned his hawk faced visage on the young Warlock. “Don’t you worry about a thing Rook. Just get ready to move on my mark; straight for the rift, no stopping.” His relaxed tone held an undercurrent of authority to suggest there would be no discussion on the matter. “Roger that.” Seemingly satisfied, Lan turned and slung his Olmolon Scout Rifle behind his back and turned away from the enemy fire. He clasped his hands together and in an instant he began to glow with radiant arc energy. The air sparked and crackled around him as lashes of arc lightning whipped out in wild strikes from his body. Morgan watched as Lan pulled his hands apart, revealing two wicked long blades made of pure arc light. “Finish it Rook.” And with that Lan vanished in the blink of an eye. And then he was amongst the enemies, darting left and right and assaulting them with terrifying power. He didn’t wait to watch the result of the fracas though as he used the diversion to slide out of the door and make one final push for the enemy rift. “Bravo team is closing in on a Rift! Stop them guardians” came the booming voice from Lord Shaxx. He couldn’t stop now though and dared not look behind to see if he was being pursued. The light from within him was growing stronger and stronger and it felt as though it was tearing at his every fibre, every strand of his being. With a gasp he leapt over a fallen column and channelled into his boosters to get some extra lift to carry him up to the next platform. He spun around a corner and could see the rift infront of him. Much like the bomb it was a fluid ever changing state of mass that writhed and seethed with unnatural energy. He slowed on approach as the pain in his temples suddenly reached new heights. He doubled over for a moment, unable to move before making one final push to the rift. He opened his outstretched palm as he neared and the light from the weapon that he carried rushed out of him in an instant to fill the void. The pain from his head was gone in an instant and brilliant white light surrounded him as the Rift imploded in a shower of sparks and pure light. The implosion lasted mere seconds before it was gone and he was left to stand alone in the harsh red glow of his surroundings.