[quote]Check out all other Brave Light episodes [url=https://www.bungie.net/en/Forum/Post/176320409/0/0]right here[/url]![/quote] [i]Upon entering the fifth floor, the three guardians walked into a large open room. Machinery was scattered all around the room. A large drive-like object sat in the middle on a circular table. Light was shining in through a gaping hole in the ceiling.[/i] [i]Liz walked around the room, calling out.[/i] [b]Liz[/b]: Janus? Are you here? [i]No one responded.[/i] [b]Vergil[/b] [i](whispering)[/i]: Zale.... Something isn't right here.... [b]Zale[/b]: Again? What is it now? [b]Vergil[/b]: Remember that pairing signal I was detecting? [b]Zale[/b]: Yeah? [b]Vergil[/b]: Well I'm getting the energy signature again. It's coming from somewhere in this room.... [i]Zale stopped for a minute and thought to himself, remembering what his ghost had said earlier.[/i] [spoiler][quote][b]Virgil:[/b] Scanning.... Wait.... New Monarchy?! But how does that make any sense?[/spoiler] [b]Zale[/b]: Wait a minute.... Everyone stop! [i]Liz and Hayden immediately halted and looked over at him.[/i] [b]Liz[/b]: What is it? [b]Zale[/b]: Vergil, where did you say the signal came from? [b]Vergil[/b]: New Monarchy. Why? [i]Zale said nothing. He simply looked over at the other guardians, eyes widened.[/i] [b]Janus[/b]: I'm impressed. [i]The three of them turned around. Janus stepped out from the shadows behind Zale, slowly clapping his hands as he approached them.[/i] [b]Janus[/b]: You really are a bright little Hunter, aren't you? [b]Liz[/b]: Janus? What's going on? [i]The guardian let out a loud laugh. Not a light-hearted one, but psychotic. Villainous and cruel.[/i] [b]Janus[/b]: Isn't it obvious? [i]The New Monarchy rep dashed past Zale, pulling the beacon from his belt.[/i] [b]Zale[/b]: Hey! [i]The Hunter grabbed for the beacon, but Janus threw a scatter grenade at their feet and blasted him and Vergil against the wall. Vergil crashed and fell to the ground, lights blinking red. Hayden rushed at Janus, but to no avail when the Warlock smashed him into the with his palm attack.[/i] [b]Liz[/b] [i](running forward)[/i]: Hayden! [i]Liz jumped and focused her light into her palm, throwing a Nova Bomb at Janus. But the New Monarchy rep, who had raised her for so many years, was faster. Quickly spinning around to face the young Warlock, Janus concentrated his light, forming a purple sphere in his hand. When Liz's Nova Bomb was close enough, he let go of his grip and hurled his own Nova Bomb as well. The two orbs collided in a burst of purple light, sending Liz and Henry flying across the room and into the glass window. An explosion of glass blared throughout the room, shards flying everywhere. Liz tried to stand up, but Janus kicked her aside with ease and picked up her ghost from the ground.[/i] [b]Henry[/b] [i](trying to fly free)[/i]: Get off me, you dumb sumbitch! [i]Janus squeezed his hand and crushed the ghost's outer shell, causing it to go into stasis.[/i] [b]Henry[/b] [i](going offline)[/i]: I'm gonna beat you so hard, you'll be ruuuuu..... [b]Janus[/b]: Weak... [i]Zale and Hayden tried to force themselves up. Their injuries from before had already slowed them down, but taking a beating from Janus rendered them nearly unconscious.[/i] [b]Zale[/b] [i](struggling to stand)[/i]: Why are you doing this?! [b]Janus[/b]: Take a wild guess. [i]The New Monarchy rep pulled a metal cylinder from his back pocket. It was the second beacon.[/i] [b]Vergil[/b] [i](in between glitches)[/i]: It's the Pairing Beacon! [b]Janus[/b]: I must say, it was very convenient that you retrieved this for me. [i]Liz grabbed the wall for support, pulling herself up.[/i] [b]Liz[/b]: I don't understand, why would YOU want the beacons? [b]Janus[/b]: For destruction, of course! Specifically destruction of the Vanguard, and their little "high school". Call it an exchange, from an outside party. [b]Hayden[/b]: You're a guardian, though! A teacher at Tower High! What do you have to gain from its destruction?! [b]Janus[/b]: Oh, so much! [i]Janus began pacing around the room.[/i] [b]Janus[/b]: I suppose I should explain. It's the least you deserve.... You see, your little "mission" was never what you thought. Fireteam Apex never "disappeared", and neither did the Hive cell they were tracking. They've been alive and well this whole time. [i]The guardians looked up at him in confusion.[/i] [b]Virgil[/b]: ....Teleportation.... To collaborate with the Darkness without the Vanguard knowing.... [b]Janus[/b]: More or less. [b]Hayden[/b]: But why hide from the Vanguard? Why try to destroy them? What did they ever do to you?! [b]Janus[/b]: I once tried to advise the Vanguard, AND the school.... I tried to tell them. I spoke of the power that had existed in the Darkness. And what did they do? They LAUGHED! [i]With a violent burst of rage, the Warlock sent a pulse against a wall to his right, disintegrating the concrete into dust.[/i] [b]Janus[/b]: They want to vanquish the dark power, but me? I want to EMBRACE it! Use it to fight our enemies.... They could never understand its potential. [i]Janus stopped his pacing.[/i] [b]Janus[/b]: You see, a long time ago, I came in contact with the darkness.... Or rather, a PIECE of it. Long story short, it made me an offer. It showed me true power; it showed me what the light could have never even come close to accomplishing. [b]Liz[/b]: At the cost of the lives of innocent people? [b]Janus[/b]: If it means getting the job done, yes. And that's exactly what I plan to do.... You see, the Darkness gave me true power. I didn't have to train for it, I didn't have to spend so many years alongside comrades in order to achieve what I could possess in an instant. All I had to do was blow a few bombs, cripple a few planets, and the infinite power would be mine. [i]The Warlock had his arms spread outward as he stood above the injured guardians, who were shocked into silence by the truth.[/i] [i]Liz inched towards the guardian, looking into his eyes.[/i] [b]Liz[/b]: .... The Darkness.... When did it find you? [i]Janus looked down at her, smiling.[/i] [b]Janus[/b]: Seven years ago. [i]Liz's eyes widened as she gazed at the New Monarchy rep once again, stunned by his words. In that instant, all the pain and frustration of her father's death came back to her. All the feelings of loneliness and guilt resonated within as the tears began to build up in her eyes. The wide grin on Janus' face spread even wider in response.[/i] [b]Janus[/b]: Figuring it out, are we? [b]Liz[/b] [i](tears now streaming down her face)[/i]: It was you.... [b]Janus[/b]: Yes, my dear Liz.... [i]The young Warlock was gazing at him in horror.[/i] [b]Janus[/b]: I killed your father. [i]Liz was silent now, in shock from Janus' words. Zale spoke out as he pulled himself up.[/i] [b]Zale[/b] [i](gritting his teeth in anger)[/i]: You think it's funny.... You think losing someone is all a joke. Well I have a joke for you. You mentioned infinite power, huh? That's interesting, because I think you might have skipped one problem.... [b]Janus[/b]: Oh really? [b]Zale[/b]: Unless you're planning to use those beacons to slug someone upside the head, you're not gonna destroy jack shit. [b]Janus[/b]: Oh, but that's where you're wrong once again.... [i]Janus lifted up the two beacons and held them next to each other. In between them, a flicker of light sparked in the air. The flicker grew and grew until eventually, a large ball of light buzzed in between the beacons.[/i] [b]Janus[/b]: Tell me, do any of you know where the Vex come from? [b]Virgil[/b] [i](still twitching)[/i]: No one knows.... Most suspect they came from another time. Almost like– [b]Janus[/b]: Time travel. Exactly. Something, or someone, moves from one point in time to another.... Now Ghost, tell me what happens when two products from two different timelines exchange energy. [b]Virgil[/b]: ....Space-time continuum. The rift between the two timelines causes them to conflict, thereby erasing an object's future. [i]The ball of light began to expand.[/i] [i]Janus started to slowly pull the beacons apart. The light shined brighter as the beacons moved further, lighting up the walls around them.[/i] [i]Through the radiant light, the last thing Zale and Hayden saw was the devilish grin on Janus' face.[/i] [b]Janus[/b]: Correct. [i]The Warlock pulled the beacons apart one last time, releasing the ball of light. Faster than the blink of an eye, the orb flew at a support beam behind the two guardians. Exploding in a burst of light once again, the ball collided with the metallic surface. In almost an instant, the support beam burst into white flames, disappearing from the room. Without the beam, Zale and Hayden's side of the room slowly collapsed on itself, falling through the floor and taking the two guardians with it.[/i] [b]Liz[/b]: Zale! Hayden! [i]A loud crash sounded throughout the air as the debris crash into the ground several stories beneath them. When the rumbling and shaking stopped, Janus turned around and faced Liz once again.[/i] [b]Janus[/b]: Let's get started, shall we?