[i]*Fanfiction. This chapter like the previous two has been split. You can find the second half as a comment to this post below. Also decided to accelerate the releases of each chapter starting with this one so expect a much shorter wait between reads. As always enjoy and please comment and critique! All comments are helpful.*[/i] [url=http://www.bungie.net/en/Forum/Post/87862826/0/0/1]Chapter One[/url] [url=http://www.bungie.net/en/Forum/Post/92397763/0/0/1]Previous Chapter[/url] [url=http://www.bungie.net/en/Forum/Post/93946748]Next Chapter[/url] [i]“I’m falling… Into that night sky... Bathing in those stars.”[/i] [b]--- Chapter Four or The Second Floor ---[/b] [b]”My Queen.”[/b] [b]”...Yes.”[/b] [b]”The Prison... Your prison is besieged by Fallen filth. Word is... it’s the House of Winter… come to save their precious Archon.”[/b] Glowing yellow eyes fell on the Queen’s Fallen guard. [b]”They’re asking for help the fools… They can’t even defend th-”[/b] [b]”Give them the assistance they seek.”[/b] [b]”You… would extend your hand to these imbeciles? They’re not worth saving. You should just rid yourself of that rock and be done with them.”[/b] [b]”Rats have made a home in my domain and I intend to find and eliminate every… last… one. My people have grown complacent… lazy, and my Wolves need to be reminded of my power. As for the House of Winter…”[/b] She straightened out her legs and slowly rose to her feet, bringing crystal blue eyes to level with that of her brother’s. [b]”It’s time they learned as well.”[/b] [b]”Send Yurah.”[/b] --- The silence was broken by the sound of the door sliding open and the pitch black yielded to new light. There was some shuffling of feet and a few grunts of surprise before someone spoke up. [b]”Korbal sent us?”[/b] [b]”What do you see?”[/b] One of the surviving Awoken among the pile of toppled inmates called out. [b]”The Red Raven’s tell.”[/b] Replied one of the guards. [b]”You’re a little late.”[/b] He flashed bright white light into the room illuminating the mound of dazed Fallen and Awoken all piled in front of the doorway. [b]”No time for sitting on your ass Prisoners… he’s waiting.”[/b] The lead guard stepped into the room, gingerly placing his feet in between limbs and bodies. He and the others moved toward Vahn first who lay spread eagle on top of a few unconscious Dreg. His head was still reeling from the disorienting attack on his ears and even with help, it was difficult to get him on his feet. That and the Fallen was massive. It took a couple pairs of hands and a handful of his own faithful few to get him standing again. Sky had fallen on her stomach off to the side. After clearing her head with a few aggressives shakes, she managed to right herself without any assistance, refusing the offers of help from some of the guards and pushing past them without a second glance. Lock had his back pressed against the wall and was supporting the rest of his weight with his hand pressed against another. The prison would shake periodically as debri penetrated the remaining structure and the tremors were enough to trip anyone not paying attention. Lock had managed to keep on his feet when the others were splayed all over the ground. Subtle star light drifted into the room and speckled off motes of dust. The soft luminant hues of blue and white found of Lock’s face and his stone expression began to glow. His eyes were fixed on a spot on the ground as his mind mulled over the past few minutes. Something wasn’t right. [b]”You’re late…”[/b] He finally spoke up when most of the inmates had recovered and were on their feet again. Dregs were dusting themselves and others off. Awoken inmates were doing much of the same. The two Fallen Captains and the guards who came to assist held their gaze on him. [b]”Lock?”[/b] The Exo brought his eyes up to the guard. [b]”Let’s go.”[/b] The man said. He tossed him a spare light, short cylindrical things that emitted an off white glow and did well when pushing back the dark. Lock held it up to his face and pointed it at the guard. [b]”Where’s Korbal now?”[/b] [b]”Waiting…”[/b] The guard gestured with a nod through the door and lead off. The others quickly followed suit with Sky and Vahn trailing behind. The latter shot Lock a steely glance before continuing with the group. It was a look that said [b]”[We’re not finished.]”[/b] or rather [b]”[We not done.]”[/b] Something definitely wasn’t right. Lock pushed off the wall and made his way through the doorway and toward the others. They moved as one surrounded by the light from the devices in the guards’ hands. Outside this ball of luminance it was nearly pitch black. The sun hung in the black on the far side of the prison so it’s warm yellow embrace was entirely absent. The dim light from the stars outside did next to nothing. Inmates stepped lightly but tried to keep pace with the lead guard, making sure not to fall or injure themselves for fear of being left behind. Past the large door separating the upper from the lower levels, there was a short flight of stairs that opened up to a much larger corridor. The hall split into two direction: One lead toward the perimeter of the asteroid and more colony ships and shuttles while the other lead into the heart of the rock. In the center of the fork was the box desk where a lone guard sat… with his throat cut wide open. Thick dark liquid oozed from the exposed wound and soaked into the uniform. The rest puddled at the end and dripped to the floor. [b]”Had a little misunderstanding.”[/b] The guard said, flashing light in the victim’s direction and highlighting the corpse’s pale complexion and wide eyes. His mouth hung agape, his arms swung loose at his sides and stretched toward the floor. He was seated and was leaning awkwardly to one side causing most of his blood to run in that direction. At closer inspection, it looked as though the man hadn’t put up much of a struggle. He never saw the end coming. Tremors followed. The corpse bounced lightly in the seat. [b]”He didn’t want to open the door… so I slit his throat.”[/b] It was stated more as a matter of fact than anything else. The way it rolled off the guards tongue with such ease… as if such things were meant to happen. Lock had felt this odd feeling earlier but now the alarms were going off in his head. Something was definitely not right. [b]”We’re going this way.”[/b] The guard turned to the right and flashed his light into the dark ahead. The black opened up to reveal the corridor of an ancient shuttle turning into smooth rock. Chambers of carbon and silicon waited them ahead. [b]”It’ll be safer inside the asteroid than out. The prison is tearing itself apart from all the debris… Damn Fallen.”[/b] The last part was mumbled under his breath. Once again the guard lead off while the others followed. His pace had visibly quickened and the rest struggled to match him. Lock lingered behind and mosied over to the dead guard. He let light fall on the body as he investigated the scene. The man had already been stripped of all valuables including the standard issue baton and handgun. Guards on the second floor and up were required to carry firearms as the prisoners were a lot more dangerous on higher levels. However both holsters were empty where there should have been weapons. The man wore the standard uniform although his specifically was devoid of any thick armor. Splashes of purple fashion were added here and there whie black and grey canvassed everything else. However he wasn’t there to study design. Lock knelt next to the figure and began to tug on the sleeves on the man’s right arm, pushing the fabric up to the elbow before turning the wrist over. Sure enough, there was a small red circle pressed permanently into the man’s blue skin. [b]”Lock?”[/b] Lock dropped the arm and straightened out. [b]”What are you doing?”[/b] Another one of Korbal’s goonies. It seemed this one was straggling behind.. far behind. [b]”Looking for a gun… Izzy right?”[/b] The guard stepped up to the desk and peered over the edge, shining his own light over the body to inspect it a second time. His eyes fell on the rolled up sleeve. [b]”Yeah that’s right. Why don’t you come out from behind there.”[/b] He motioned for Lock to follow by waving his light around in the air. He continued to talk as the Exo stepped around the desk and out into the open. [b]”We’ve already taken the gun. Same goes for all the guards who didn’t want in… besides this entire floor is already been secured so you won’t be needing one…”[/b] Lock came to a stop in front of the guard. He stood straight, face to face and five feet away. His left hand was empty, his right hand balled over the light in his hand. [b]”It’s safe…”[/b] Words forced between stiff lips. Even as a machine, Lock could catch a lie when he was given one. They weren’t safe. He wasn’t safe… the guard knew he knew he wasn’t safe. All the signs were there. The dead guard behind the desk with his throat cut open? He was one of their own. The mark of their faction was a simple red circle with the ink usually positioned on the inside of the wrist. Korbal had said it himself… he had no issues travelling between levels. If he had indeed taken control of his floor then there would have been no need to kill the guard. Something was wrong. [i]*Continued below...*[/i]