[url=https://www.bungie.net/en/Forum/Post/253302922/0/0]Link to Chapter 1, Alternative[/url] Out Of Time [b]Chapter 2: Failure[/b] [i]How had it all gone so wrong?[/i] "William...where's your smile?" [i]How had we been so foolish as to come down here?[/i] "You haven’t smiled since we came in here," she stopped to cough, splattering blood on her chin and breast plate. Why would she talk about that now? Why was she acting so oddly? Maybe she was in hysterics. Maybe she had accepted her fate. I didn’t care, it was still Sierra talking. “I miss it. Do something silly like you always do.” All I could do was sob in response, unable to think, unable to do anything more than keep the pressure on her wound. [i]It's all my fault...all mine...I could have done...SOMETHING! ANYTHING to prevent this...[/i] "You couldn't have cha-" a fit of coughs cut her off, the blood dripping from her mouth mixing with that on her chest, "Changed any of this," she told me as if she knew my thoughts. [i]But I brought you all here…[/i] There was a hole burned through her breast, just next to the heart. My right hand was pressed over the wound with the hope that I could keep her blood in long enough for her to somehow heal even without a Ghost. My left arm was wrapped behind her, keeping her propped up against me with her head on my upper arm, tilted up to look at me. "I ca-" my voice broke, "I can't lose you, Sierra." Carnage lay around us. Mostly the cold metal frames of the Vex that had come for us, wave after wave, but among them lay the Light's heroes. Hunter, sprawled out in an unnatural position next to a Vex Gate, and shards of broken Ghosts scattered across the Glass Throne. John lay a few feet to my side; what was left of him, at least. "WILLIAM, GET OUT OF THERE!" a stern voice roared at me. I barely registered the warning in time to fling my hand behind me, forcing Light through my arm to generate a wavering portion of a Ward of Dawn. Heavy blasts from Atheon smashed against the partial barrier, sending a spray of sparks over me and Sierra. Everything I had went into the shield, and even if I hadn't used my energy for it I probably wouldn't have been able to leave Sierra's side. "While you still have a chance, William! Go!" Guardian shouted as he leapt over me to run around Atheon's side, drawing the attention of the giant Vex away. This shook me from my stupor a bit, and I followed his frantic path as he lead Atheon away. "But your Ghost is destroyed!" I cried. "YOURS ISN'T! You have to get out of here, to tell the Vanguard what‘s down here!" Guardian reasoned. "Listen to him," Sierra told me weakly, making my eyes snap back to her. "I can carry you, we can-" I began, feeding myself false hope. "I won't make it. You still can. Please," she pleaded. "I can't leave, I-" I tried finding a reason to stay with her. Sierra's lips pressed against mine, silencing me. After a moment she pulled away, looking me sternly in the eyes, fire still glinting in them despite her lack of strength, "Give me John, then go." Unable to refuse, I looked to the Ghost at my side, scooping him up and placing him on Sierra's chest, where she clutched him tightly with her left hand. "Oh John," she whispered at the sight of her oldest friend. "I'm sorry, I couldn't sa-" Sierra's right hand brushing against my face with gauntlet removed stopped my blabbering, and I pressed my cheek into her gentle caress, tears flowing down onto her palm from my eyes. "I'll tell John you cried like a baby when I kissed you after he left," Sierra grinned weakly, but that only made me sadder. She brought her lips up to mine once more, and I brought her head up closer to mine, kissing her back for the last few moments we had before we had to pull away from each other. "When you think o-" another cough broke through, "Of us...smile," Sierra finished her final request, then let her head lull back against my arm with eyes closed. Her hand fell from my cheek, dropping limply to the ground at her side. I gazed longingly at her tranquil face for a moment before gathering my nerves and laying her down in front of me, then dragging my eyes up to Atheon. The mechanical terror stood at the top of the stairs to its throne, Guardian cornered in front of it. I stood up as a bolt left Atheon's weapon and scorched the ground in front of Guardian's feet, sending him careening backwards to the edge of the Throne. Catching himself just before sliding off, I watched as he looked over his shoulder into the infinite fall below, where one would be lost in nothingness. Guardian pulled himself up as Atheon's thundering footsteps approached the edge, and he looked past the massive legs to meet my eyes one last time. He threw his helmet off, revealing his face for the first time since I️ had met him, and though he spoke quietly, his voice carried to my ears easily. "It's up to you now.” He stared defiantly at Atheon as it leveled its cannon. In an instant, nothing remained of the warrior, and Atheon's gaze turned back to me. Searching frantically, my eyes found an open Vex portal, and I began moving at a dead sprint for the chance at survival. Atheon followed behind, its heavy footsteps and heated blasts shaking the ground. I came to a ledge and leapt up to the platform with the portal, diving through with the mechanical screeches of Atheon fading behind me. On the other side, Oracles and Hobgoblins waited, and I destroyed them swiftly with my sniper rifle before rushing onward, but not towards the portal that led back to the present Glass Throne. There was lush foliage around me, so I determined I had gone through the portal our raid team had labeled as the future portal, as it took us to a place our Ghosts guessed to be the Glass Throne in some distant future. The door permitting entrance to the Throne was open, and without thought I ran through, the door slamming shut just behind me. Breathing heavily as I looked around the area for Vex, I let my thoughts catch up with me. Oddly enough, I couldn’t feel reality trying to push me out of this incorrect time as it usually did. That was probably a good sign. Sure there were no enemies now, I lowered my rifle and looked at my right hand. Sierra's blood still coated it, even though some had rubbed off on my weapon. "William..." Rush's voice came to my ear, and I turned my head to find him floating next to me, watching carefully. "What are we going to do?" At his words, I looked around us once more, realizing that we were still deep within the Vault and now not even in the right time. I fell to my knees in despair, and I began to cry again. We were lost in the dark corners of time. ________________________ And that was the intro to OoT! Chapter 1 and 2! All chapters can be found in the [url=https://www.bungie.net/en/Forum/Post/253302742/0/0]OoT table of contents[/url] after they are posted. I hope you all enjoy the upcoming chapters :) [url=https://www.bungie.net/en/Forum/Post/255567325/0/0]Chapter 3: Dark Corners[/url]