[b]“It´s over”[/b], [i]she thought. After days of terror and hunger, the aliens that raided the town and took her husband had found them too.. Now, cornered against a wall, she flailed a rusty kitchen knife in a desperate attempt to fend off the creatures, begging for mercy and screaming while her son cried loudly. If the beasts understood the woman, they didn´t seem to care. While the bigger ones stood at the back making sounds that resembled some sinister laughter and chatter, the smaller ones approached like hyenas, waving their four arms and croaking at the human. One of them pulled out a dagger and took a step forward. The woman turned her back on the beast trying to protect her son, screaming at the top of her lungs… Suddenly a gunshot muted her scream, and the alien´s head exploded. The remaining aliens turned looking for their attacker just as an armored figure charged at them with a loud roar, tackling one of the larger aliens and sending it backwards several meters with a deafening impact sound. The attacker was enormous, taller than most men the woman had ever seen, and was covered in a plated grey combat suit. The giant took a leap forward and punched another alien, cracking its helmet open and sending bits of armor, bone and flesh flying in all directions. The aliens squealed and tried to ready their guns, but a storm of bullets wiped out three more of them. Another man appeared on sight, but this one seemed to have come out of thin air with a blink of blue light. This one had a helmet as well, but he was wearing a dark blue robe instead of armor. Holding a revolver in one hand, he shot down two more of the four-limbed creatures, and when one tried to strike him he made a quick gesture with his free palm. A wave of purple energy hit the alien and disintegrated its flesh. More shots pierced the air. A third masked figure wearing a cloak and hood was crouched at the top of a hill, taking one shot after another and ending a life with every bullet. One of the bigger aliens, armed with twin swords attempted to run towards the sharpshooter. Holding the rifle with his right arm, the man in the hood made a quick flicker with his left wrist, and a flash of silver crossed the air. The last alien went down, with a hunting knife deeply embedded in its skull. For a moment, there was silence. The three strangers looked around them, scouting the area to make sure that no more aliens were around. Meanwhile, the woman stared at them in confusion, not sure of what just had happened. Her son was still crying.[/i] - Alright, I think that´s all of them- [i]the armored man said with relief, as he kneeled in front of the woman[/i]-. Are you hurt, miss? [i]She screamed again. The man in armor took a step back with his empty hands in the air.[/i] - Hey, hey! It´s OK! We´re the good guys, you are safe now! - Jan- [i]said the man with the robes[/i]-, I don´t think she´s ever seen a Guardian before… - Oh… right. I get your point. Hold on, miss… [i]The soldier removed his helmet, revealing a human face with a strong jaw and some scars, but with a friendly expression.[/i] - See? You don’t have to be scared now. I´m glad we found you on time- [i]said Jan, with a smile.[/i] [i]A small robot appeared behind the soldier, levitating with a slight mechanical hum. The robot projected a blue light over the woman and child for a few seconds.[/i] - Medi-scan complete! - [i]announced the robot[/i] -. I would still take them to a doctor to be sure, but asides from some bruises and minor dehydration they are both fine. [i]The child had stopped crying, and was now fascinated at the little robot, staring with his mouth open.[/i] - Well, what do you know, Ghost? I think the kid likes you! Hey there, little man. My name is Jan. Nice to meet you. [i]While the soldier with the hood descended the hill to retrieve his knife, the woman stood up slowly, still in shock. Looking at each of the three men, she finally spoke with a slight stutter.[/i] – Wh-- who… are you people? - We are Guardians, miss. Humanity´s first line of defense after the Collapse. We may look very different, but we all fight on the same side and with the same goal: to make Earth a safe place again. You could also call me a Titan!- [i]said Jan, with a proud smile, placing a fist on his chestplate.[/i] [i]The man with the robes took his helmet off as well. His facial features were also human, but his skin had a pale blue tone, and his eyes were yellow, with a faint shine in them.[/i] - Or we could call you Ram… Believe it or not, he´s smarter than he looks. My name is Wolfgang, madam, and…-[i] he paused when he noticed the woman´s renewed fear at the sight of his face[/i]- Oh. I guess you haven´t seen one of my kind either. Don´t worry, I am also a human, not an alien. In the days of the Collapse, many of us tried to escape into space. We, uh…- [i]Wolfgang paused again, looking down, with a glimpse of sorrow in his ghastly eyes[/i]- we found something that we were not prepared for. It changed many of us, as you can see. But our senses and abilities also increased- Those like me are now known as the Awoken. It´s a pleasure to meet you-[i] he concluded, with a polite nod.[/i] [i]Slowly calming down, the woman looked at the soldier with the hood, who had remained silent checking his rifle. He noticed the woman´s eyes on her, as he was the only one who hadn´t removed his mask.[/i] - Uh… they call me Vries. And… well, you and your kid are already scared. It´s better if I don´t show my face yet. Nothing to fear from me, but trust me, the sight would be… difficult, so to speak. - Now, please, can you tell us what happened?- [i]Wolfgang requested kindly.[/i] [i]With the stress of the past days finally sinking in, the woman broke down crying. She told them that a large group of aliens, like the ones the Guardians just killed, had attacked a small town where she lived with her husband and some others. Those who weren´t slaughtered were taken away. She had managed to escape with three other people, but they had been hunted down, one after another. When the woman finished her tale, still sobbing, the Guardians remained silent for a while. Then, Jan broke the silence.[/i] - Those goddamned Fallen... How many were taken alive? - I… I can´t tell for sure -[i]said the woman, wiping her tears[/i]-. About eight or nine people, including… including Pyetor, my husband. - Right. We are going after them- [i]stated Jan, putting his helmet back on.[/i] [i]Wolfgang and Vries turned their heads, staring at Jan. No one would tell what Vries what thinking about Jan´s suggestion, but Wolfgang was clearly worried.[/i] - Hold on a second, Jan- [i]he said[/i]-. Look, I am glad that we could save these two, but we have already deviated from our route. We are way behind schedule, and the Speaker said… - To Hell with the Speaker- [i]interrupted Jan[/i]-. I didn´t enlist to be his choir boy. I joined the fight to help the people. To recover and rebuild whatever is left of humanity. This woman and her kid should have been inside the walls of the City to begin with. In safety. But they were out in the open, which means that they were either left behind, or considered not good enough to be taken to the City. They were abandoned, Wolfgang, and I´m not going to do the same. Her husband, the kid´s father, he is probably the only thing they have left in this world. We can´t leave those people for dead! - They could already be dead for all that we know! We don´t know what´s the size of that raider force, or what direction they went. Please, think for a second, Jan. At least, we should connect to the Tower, tell the Vanguard about this and ask for instructions. Vries, please back me up on this. - I say we go- [i]uttered Vries, with a metallic voice, staring at the dead aliens.[/i] [i]Wolfgang took a step back frowning at Vries, baffled by his reply.[/i] - We could find the abducted and save them as well. We could find out about a Fallen enclave that we don´t know about. We could uncover important information. And if everything else fails, we can send a few dozens of those Fallen scum to the grave. In any of those scenarios, we win. And- [i]Vries turned his head to face Wolfgang, with a grave tone[/i]- I am not too fond of the Speaker, either. [i]Wolfgang closed his eyes and let out a long sigh. Then, he adjusted his helmet.[/i] - Alright then. We´ll track down those Fallen. But let´s make it quick. We scout the terrain carefully, we don´t engage in combat if there´s any chance we could harm a civilian, and we return to our mission as soon as we take these people to safety. And no more detours on the journey. Madam- [i]he said, turning to the woman[/i]-, we are going to do our best to find your people and your husband. [i]The woman fell to her knees crying, but with tears of happiness this time. Hugging her baby and smiling, she thanked them again and again.[/i] - Gentlemen, let´s take the Sparrows out for a ride- [i]said Jan[/i]-. We have people to find, and Fallen to kill! ---------------------------------------------- Sadly I had to cut out some parts because the whole piece was exceeding the max length of a post. I also had to make forced changes to the format... Oh well! Check out some of my other stuff: [url=http://www.bungie.net/es/Forum/Post/72212926/0/0/1]Shaxx & the purpose of the Crucible[/url] [url=http://www.bungie.net/es/Forum/Post/71855996/0/0/1]Shaxx & the Crucible: the parody version[/url] [url=http://www.bungie.net/en/Forum/Post/72965353/0/0/1]The Destiny Fitness Program[/url]