[b]Welcome back readers, to another episode in my story. Enjoy the read! If you've missed any episode, here's the log: https://www.bungie.net/en/Forums/Post/198784219 [u][b]Episode III:[/b] [i]Beginning the Mission[/i][/u] Alexander sat on the edge of his bed, bottle in hand. Outside of his apartment, the City looked almost alive in the glow cast by the silver moonlight. Finishing the contents of the bottle in one gulp, Alexander lay the bottle onto the nightstand next to him. He bent down to pick up his helmet, which sat in between his feet, and turned it so he could see the face that he wore amidst battle. Alex thoughtfully stared at the helmet, getting lost into the mask and the Vex eye that was at its epicenter. The red glow was unblinking, but it still felt alive, as though the Hezen Zealot he tore it from could still see into this world from whatever place it now rested. [i]"What could you be thinking,"[/i] Alexander wondered. [i]"Are you still in agonizing pain? Are you running infinite simulations of me? Of the future? Do you regret attacking me that night, or are you thinking of alternate pasts where you had won instead...." [/i] Before he could stop it, the memory of what had happened so many years ago broke loose from his control. As it swam to the forefront of his mind, he quickly realized what was coming, and forcefully suppressed the thought. He had spent years building up the dam that held painful memories at bay, containing them so that he would never have to confront the guilt that plagued them. Memories like that night on Venus, that night in the Vault. Opening his eyes, Alex laid his helmet next to the bottle on the nightstand and turned off the lamp above it. He lay back on his bed, which groaned under him. Gazing at the ceiling, he cursed at his weakness. "Dammit Alfred," He shouted, to which his Ghost appeared in a flash of light. "I almost...I almost remembered. That night in the Vault, I almost thought about it...about all of it." "How Sir?" The ghost inquired, "I was under the impression that you didn't have memories of the Vault." "Ah, but I do." The Hunter sighed, "I do Alfred, and I remember everything. I try not to, but this time I got so close. I could feel the details crawling back; gnawing at me." The Ghost didn't speak right away, "Oh, I see Sir. Perhaps, confronting them head-on would help rid the guilt?" To that, Alexander shook his head. "You should get some rest then; you have to be on your way to Mars early, do you not?" "Yeah," Alexander scoffed, "but it's our mission, and we have to leave early, so don't think you can get out of this one." "I wouldn't dream of it, Sir." Alfred replied proudly, before disappearing and leaving his Guardian to his thoughts. "Yeah, sure." Alex muttered before he turned on his side and closed his eyes, hoping by the Traveler that sleep would not bring forth the dreaded memories. *** *** *** "Sir," Alfred's robotic voice pierced Alexander's sleep, "Sir, it's 6:20 in the morning. The other Guardians will be waiting fr you within the hour. The Hunter groaned in his sleep, "Dammit, why are they in such a rush?" "Most likely because they have two friends on Mars who need our help in getting rescued." Alex sat up slowly "Yeah, you're probably right. Well," he stood up and began getting his necessities for the mission, "can't blame them." It wasn't long before Alexander got his things together. His Hand Cannon was strapped to the side of his thigh, along with his specialized knife. Around his belt were grenades and small gimmicks for stealth, and on his back, he had a Sniper Rifle. He picked up his helmet from the nightstand and pulled it over his face, his two brown eyes now morphing into a malicious red glow. Pulling his hood over it all, Alexander started to leave, but stopped abruptly as he walked past his kitchen counter. The note from Vanessa was still there. Without a second thought, he picked it up and folded it in half. Then, he put it in a pouch on his belt, and continued out to the Tower Plaza where Abigail and her team were waiting anxiously. *** *** *** Alexander scanned the Martian dunes through a thick set of macro-binoculars. He lowered them and shook his head, walking back to the temporary Base of Operations that Abigail had set up. They had landed in the middle of the Terra Meridiani region, a.k.a. nowhere, 30 minutes ago, and he was to lead them to their destination: A Cabal Land Tank hundreds of miles west of their current location. It would have been easier, were they traveling by ship, but Zavala had warned them that they would get shout out of the sky before they even made it close to the Tank. So, they decided to land several hundred miles away, then go by Sparrow to the Tank. As he walked back to the group, Alex sighed, "Guys," he called to the others, "there's nothing but sand and rock for miles, all the way up to a ridge of some sort. Up to the ridge, it doesn't look to difficult to traverse, but beyond it, I don't know. If we get on our Sparrows now, I say we could be at the ridge in a day, maybe half." "Well, that doesn't sound too bad," Kate murmured as she handed belts of machine gun ammo to Dave and Argus. "Oh yeah,the distance is fine," Alex said, "but that's not what has me on edge." "Then what does?" Argus scoffed. Alex turned the unsettling gaze of his helmet to the Exo, "there are things out there that are going to make the trip difficult. Creatures of the Martian Wastes that don't take kindly to us, or Cabal." "So?" Abigail questioned, strapping her scout rifle to her back. "So," he said, turning his gaze to her now, "that means we're going to have to be careful. Follow my lead in the real wild parts, and we'll be good." He turned and began walking away, summoning his Sparrow in a flash, "Now, hurry up, we should get moving, who knows how much time, if any, your friends have until they're killed." "Knowing Torr," Argus muttered, "they've already died a few times." With that, the Guardians finished supplying themselves, and set out across the desert, six trails of fire following in the wake of their Sparrows. [b]Episode 3 complete, if you guys want more, just leave feedback in the comments below, and as always, thanks for reading. [/b] Episode IV: https://www.bungie.net/en/Forums/Post/200433011?sort=0&page=0