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8/19/2017 11:25:51 PM
5

Protectors of Light Ch. 20: Recognition and Interrogation

The dust and ash finally settled, and the fire was put out but some embers still smoldered. The building was reduced to a pile of charred rubble and rebar; by this time, anything made of wood or fabric had burned to a crisp. Citizens and Guardians alike stared at what remained. A woman wrapped in a cloth turban stood alone, trying to shift a massive concrete slab. The City Guard, who were caring for the people that were trapped in the house, saw this and pondered on what she was doing. The fire captain nodded two of his men to assist the woman, whatever she was doing. "Ma'am, may we assist you?..." asked one of the two Guardians. The woman, saying nothing in return, continued to struggle to lift the block; her hands were bloody, but she would not let go. A hunter, the other Guardian, looked under the slab and spotted a motionless hand. "There's someone under here!" He cried out. The two Guardians helped lift the slab entirely, so not to hurt those beneath it, then tossed it to the side. More Guardians and civilians ran around to see who it was. The woman crawled down and grabbed the hand, and helped pull a Guardian, who in turn had another Guardian clenched, out of the rubble. The City Guard broke the dazed man's grip on the titaness and helped both of them onto stretchers. Logan struggled to lift his head up, then he looked around; the house was ruined, but the family was being tended for first and second degree burns. "Will they... be... okay?..." he asked. The titan pushing Logan turned to the family, then back to the warlock. "Yes, they will be fine," he replied. "Wait!" Shouted a voice. Both Angel, who had just woken up, and Logan watched as a man in a hoodie and wearing 3D glasses approached them. The City Guard watched too, unsure how to respond. Should they raise their weapons, interrogate him as a suspect, or let the crazed man be? "Don't worry, we know him..." Angel assured the Guardians. "I told ya, t'is city needs a couple o' Protectors..." Nick said while patting Logan's shoulder. He, then, waved his hand sending them away. "Where are you going?" Logan asked after sitting up. He cringed from the shearing pain, but he sat up nonetheless. "Jus' a look 'round..." Nick replied before scanning over the charred remains of the three story house. The man who was trapped on the third floor, despite being told otherwise by the City Guard, walked up to the two injured Guardians. "You... you saved, not just me, but my whole family... Thank you! Thank you! Wha, what can I do... to repay this debt?" "You owe us nothing, sir..." Angel replied. "You owe us nothing..." The man, still in shock, grabbed Angel's hand and bowed his forehead to it, then he did the same to Logan; it was a sign of gratitude. The massive crowd of civilians cheered and praised Angel and Logan as the City Guard loaded them onto a hawk transport and shut the door. A couple of hours later, Logan woke up in a medical chamber and saw that he was hooked up to computers. He looked around, mainly to see if Angel was okay, but something bothered him. When Logan saw that Agel was sound asleep in a bed next to him, he laid back down. "M... Merlin?..." he weakly called out. Logan noticed two silhouettes in front of the window; Alice and Merlin were discussing all that had just happened. When Merlin noticed that his Guardian was awake, he and Alice flew over. "How do you feel?... I haven't mastered the healing spell yet, so... I'm anxious if it worked..." Alice glanced to the ghost, but looked back to the warlock. Logan rolled his eyes, then sat up again. "Where are we?..." he asked. "The Tower?... Why?..." Merlin asked in response. "We're in trouble..." Logan said as his eyes grew wide. He began climbing out of the bed. "Is there any chance we could--?" Two titans walked into the room, both with the Vanguard badge, and sidearms on their hips. Logan froze. Now, both ghosts looked back and forth, wondering what was going on. Angel woke up as well, and noticed the unusual stare down Logan was having with the titans. "What's... What's going on?" She asked. "Commander Zavala requested your presence once you were awake," a titan replied. Logan shunned slightly, now realizing there was nothing he could do. The four Guardians walked into the Vanguard Hall and stopped in front of the table. There were three other Guardians waiting for them: Cayde, Zavala, and Ikora. The Awoken titan, who carried fear and respect on his shoulders, read a file that sat before him. "Logan Mann, is it? Or do you still go by 'Silajir'?" He asked, almost rhetorically. "It's Logan, Sir..." Logan replied. "Mhm. And, I'm afraid I don't have you on record, Ma'am. Who are you?" Commander Zavala asked. "I am Angel Perkins. I was revived a little over a week ago..." "I see. Most Guardians typically make pilgrimages to the Tower," the titan said to invoke a reply. "I just found out this was a thing..." Angel said with a shrug of her shoulders. She turned to Logan, who seemed to shrink down in the presence of the three Vanguard leaders. "Are we in trouble for something?..." Zavala looked back down at the file. "Other than interfering with City Guard business, not you..." Both Angel and Zavala turned to Logan. "On the other hand, Logan has been reported AWOL..." "What?" Angel asked. "AWOL. Absent WithOut Leave..." Logan replied. "It's not taken lightly in the military..." "I don't understand. Why are you in trouble, Logan?" Angel asked again. "It's no matter. I'd like to know more about the events earlier today," Commander Zavala said to switch the subject, partially to spare Logan. "We heard an explosion, and we thought it was a target we met day before yesterday. When we saw the house on fire, we took it upon ourselves to see if there was anyone trapped inside--which there was. We managed to get them out while the City Guard controlled the fire," the warlock replied. "Do you understand that the City Guard are specifically trained to serve as first responders? By going into that house, you jeopardized the safety of the civilians, you jeopardized the safety of the City Guard, and you jeopardized the safety of yourselves! " Logan dropped his head down as thoughts of what could have been on his hands; all of the people that could have died because of him. "Wait a minute!" Angel spoke, gaining the attention of everyone in the room. "Are you really about to overlook the [b]fact[/b] that we saved... five people, where your [i]'City Guard'[/i] wouldn't even go inside? Boo hoo, we didn't play by [i]your[/i] rules, but we [b]did[/b] save lives, and that's all that should matter!" Even Logan was caught off guard by this. Now, everyone turned to the Commander. "I will not tolerate this tone, Ma'am..." Commander Zavala warned. "I'm sorry, did I hurt your feelings?" The titaness replied. Cayde spit out the beverage he was drinking while trying not to laugh. "Ms. Perkins, I run a strict system for the betterment of my Guardians and the betterment of the people of that City. Everyone has their tasks, and everyone stands by it. If you are unwilling to comply, then your newly established record will have the mark of vigilante, which is a word I do not use lightly..." Zavala turned to the titans standing at the door. "Lead them out." Now seeing that Angel had no fear of the Vanguard, Logan decided to speak up too. "Here's the thing, Commander. I've been 'AWOL', but it's not like I couldn't return, I was actively avoiding my duties as a member of the Vanguard. If I'm not mistaken, that is punishable with court-martial, in which case, I'm no longer under your command; worst case scenario, I could never re-enlist either..." Logan shrug his shoulders. Angel smiled. "Also, when you mark us as 'vigilantes', don't forget to put 'saviors' next to it..." "Who do you two think you are?..." Zavala asked, absolutely disgusted. Angel huffed, then turned to Logan. "We're the Protectors," she replied. Both Cayde and Ikora were bewildered by the comment. "Get. Them. Out of here!" Zavala demanded the titans, while turning various shades of blue. Angel and Logan raised their hands up, then showed themselves out of the Vanguard Hall.

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