Destiny 2: Frozen In Time

Chapter 18: The Line Blurred

As soon as the trio gets onto the morning star they find a line of Fallen corpses that Taiki left behind in his wake of destruction.

"He's already begun his slaughter... Quick!" Suzuka says as the trio dashes through, using their natural equine speed to try and outpace the fallen exo. More cries of the Fallen can be heard, followed by gunshots from a gun that the girls haven't heard before, and it's not long before they manage to catch up to Taiki. They keep a safe distance to make sure that he doesn't see them trying to snoop, and then they notice that Atraks is nowhere to be found on the station.

"Where in the world did Atraks go?" Spe-7 asks quietly, trying not to attract Taiki's attention.

"No idea." Suzuka replies as the trio tail Taiki. Eventually they do find Atraks- on the other side of a glass window, and next to her is what appears to be some strange pod. The trio notices that Atraks appears to have transformed herself into an exo, noticing her completely white body and red exo eyes, and the fact that she looks completely mechanical.

"I think we have ourselves a Fallen exo... And no I don't mean Taiki." Gold says. Once Atraks spots Taiki she quickly gets to work, messing around with the pod's controls, and when it pops open it reveals someone that the trio have never seen before.

"...Who is that? Is that the guy that Variks was talking about? Taniks?" Gold asks as someone emerges from the pod. He sports a large red helmet that highlights his glowing yellow eyes, his arms and legs have been replaced with mechanical parts- his upper right arm having been replaced with a scorch cannon, and he lets out an angry growl as if wondering who woke him up.

"I think that is Taniks." Suzuka says. "Taiki says he had a lot of run-ins with this guy before." Atraks then debriefs Taniks on what's been going on with only a few words in Eliksni, and then Taniks notices that Taiki is standing on the other side of the window... Once the fallen mercenary realizes that it IS Taiki on the other side he screams out in rage, leaping at the window. He then starts punching it out of fury, leaving cracks in the glass before realizing that he can't break through, and then he lets out another scream.

"Well HE certainly remembers." Spe-7 adds, but instead of walking off Taiki brings out a gun that the trio had never seen before- it heavily resembled the Ace of Spades but it appeared to have strange red tendrils coming out of it- with two of them acting as iron sights and more wrapped around the barrel. One shot is all it takes- the sheer force of the shot completely destroys the window and puts a bullet through Atraks' head. Taniks can only look in shock as Atraks stumbles back and falls over, and Taiki simply walks off, leaving the equine guardians to try and figure out what the hell just happened.

"Did... Did he just shoot Atraks through the window?! And walk off just like that?!" Spe-7 asks in shock. It's then that Taniks notices the trio, and he cocks his head to one side wondering who they are.

"We're not here to fight." Suzuka says, putting her hands up and dropping her weapon. "We're here to stop him." She motions off in the direction where Taiki walked off to for good measure. Once Taniks realizes that this trio of guardians is actually trying to kill the very guardian that kept killing him he disarms, lowering his scorch cannon arm and ushering them over to make sure that Atraks is okay.

"I don't know a lot about exos, but I think she'll be okay." Fang says as he looks over the Eliksni exo. "Her eyes are still glowing so that means that she's still functioning." And with that Atraks slowly gets back up.

"Where... Is... Eramis?" Taniks asks in broken english. Spe-7 looks in surprise but then her look turns to sorrow as she wonders how to put it so he can understand.

"...She is dead... Taiki killed her." Is all that the equine hunter can say. Atraks only nods in agreement, and then she looks to the trio of guardians, wondering how the situation came to this.

"We all want one thing." Suzuka says. "We all want Taiki dead." Taniks nods in agreement. "We must work together to kill him."

"Eh?!" Spe-7 asks. "Wait wait wait you want us to work with them?!"

"They know the station better than us." Suzuka replies. "They know how to contain him to make sure he doesn't escape, and it'll be many on one. If we're all willing to work together, all of their troops will also aid us." Atraks and Taniks discuss with one another in their native tongue, trying to make sense of this temporary alliance, but when they finish talking they look to Suzuka. The equine warlock can't detect any hostility in their looks, and Taniks is the first one to break the silence.

"It takes undying prey... To kill undying prey..." Taniks says. "We will work together."

"Then it's settled." Suzuka replies. "Atraks, seal off the Morning Star. We can't let Taiki escape from here." And with that the Eliksni exo nods, vanishing off and leaving Taniks to join the trio of guardians. Much to Suzuka's relief the lights in the station go red and an automated voice can be heard throughout the whole place.

"Alert, this is not a drill. Please follow proper lockdown procedures. Repeat, this is not a drill. Please follow proper lockdown procedures."