We Stand Together

Chapter 24: Anger and Silence

Her fireteam is leaning against the ship when she arrives.

"So, where we going?" Axel's metallic voice questions.

The other two turn their heads to Eden, watching her expectantly. Uriah flies up, level with Eden's shoulder. He clicks and beeps before offering, "Venus."

Each one nods and heads inside the ship to take their respective places. Eden and Uriah move to the front and Jaren and the others to the back. Uriah quietly helps Eden set up the controls and within seconds, they're all racing toward Venus.

The ride there is fairly quiet except for some small talk between the rest of her teammates. Eden chooses not to enter the conversation, thinking to herself. She only perks up to speak when they are in the orbit of Venus.

The smooth, chartreuse planet looks the same as it always has but this time, when Eden looks at it, she becomes nervous.

Somewhere on the planet's surface, a Gate Lord is waiting for her to call it up and kill it. The task itself seems huge, but Eden won't back down. Not after all the trouble the prince gave her. A look of resolve hardens her features and a cool breath falls from her lips. She stands from her place in the pilot seat and walks to the cockpit where the Jaren, Lance, and Axel are.

"Alright Uriah, what do we have to do?" She asks, glancing to her Ghost.

A chirps ripples through his shell and answers, "Well, we need to track down a Gate Lord and then-"

"Gate Lord?" Lance interrupts.

He straightens up in the seat, eyeing her with wariness.

"What do you mean track down a Gate Lord? Eden, is there something you aren't telling us?"

She fidgets with her fingers, looking everywhere but at her fireteam. Through their connection, Eden hears Uriah tell her that now is the time to tell the truth. Reluctance spreads through her body but she knows it's for the best, to be honest, and open once and for all.

"Well, we need a Gate Lord for the Queen."

They all look at her more intently now, their brows lined with skepticism.

"Why would ya need to give her somethin' like that?" Axel grunts out, his gruff accent becoming thicker with suspicion.

The metal plates on his face shift slightly and Eden could almost interpret the look as a mistrustful stare.

She chuckles nervously and ruffles her black locks, keeping her eyes everywhere but at her fireteam.

"Well, we're working on trying to take down the Black Garden."

Her voice gets quieter with each word. The small cockpit suddenly feels even smaller as it gets silent and three pairs of eyes bore into her. After a few minutes, Lance speaks up.

"Why would you need to go there?" He asks, tone low and hard.

Shock shakes Eden to the very core and she gapes at her teammate. Lance has never sounded like that before, especially not to her.

"The Exo Stranger. She told me about it, about the dangers it poses."

Lance turns away from her, rubbing a hand down his face. Axel shakes his head muttering. And Jaren? He was probably the only one who looked unfazed by the confession. Calmly, quietly, he asks, "I trust you but I have to ask: why didn't you tell us earlier?"

Shame and guilt eat away at her, even though she knows he didn't say it in a way that indicated he is upset. She swallows past the lump in her throat and opens her mouth to respond when Lance interrupts.

"It doesn't matter. We're not killing a Gate Lord and you're not going to the Black Garden. Clovis, take control of the ship and take us back to the Tower."

Her expression becomes one of disdain as she stands to face Lance.

"No! We are not going back!" Eden hisses angrily.

Lance turns to her with a darkened scowl.

"No! It's too dangerous and what you're trying to accomplish is way above you. You will not be able to handle it. Do the Vanguard even know you're doing this?"

Hurt smacks Eden across the face and she gives him a wounded look. Anger churns through her body, stirring and mixing into a pot of terrible feelings.

"Yes, they do. They approved it," Uriah interjects, frantically looking between Eden and Lance. He knows as well as Eden that if he hadn't, she would have said something nasty.

The Warlock gives a look of disbelief before glaring at Eden.

"Oh, so you'll tell them, but you won't tell us? We'll have much to discuss when we get back to the Tower."

With that, he turns away from her, back towards her and ignoring her. Axel follows after Lance to set the destination but he does give Eden a weary look. Jaren stays where he is, glancing at her with something she can't identify. As usual. Eden spins away from him as Uriah appears beside her, nudging her shoulder comfortingly.

She's the guilty one in this. Eden knows that for a fact, but it's not going to stop her from what she's trying to accomplish, not after what the prince said and not after what Lance said. She's not giving up after everything that's happened, not now.

With an angry huff, Eden shoves her helmet on and grabs her guns.

"Eden, what are you doing? I told you-"

Eden doesn't stay long enough to hear what Lance says next because she's already on Venus with Uriah next to her. Wordlessly, she walks forward, not bothering to ask which way. Her Ghost automatically fixes her navigation system for her, highlighting the quickest route. Her thanks through their connection are all he gets in response.

She's halfway to the Endless Steps when the familiar hum of sparrows race her way. A tilt of her head reveals it's her fireteam but she chooses to ignore them, especially Lance.

In silence, they dismount the vehicles and walk side by side towards Eden. She says nothing, offers nothing, as they continue to walk forward. For the first time since she'd been paired with them, they don't talk, they don't laugh and joke. Lance is a ball of anger and stone cold silence on her right. On her left, Axel marches with uncertainty and hesitant steps. As usual, Jaren seems unreadable. Eden doesn't even try to decipher his emotions. In fact, she refuses to think about anything but killing the Gate Lord.

The trip is uneventful, up until they get to the steps. It still looks the same as before but as Eden gets further up, she notices a raised platform in front of a big metal gate.

"So, what am I going to expect?" Eden asks, breaking the silence.

Uriah appears before her, spinning his shell.

"Well, just a time altering, murderous robot who's three stories tall. Shouldn't be much," Uriah jokes, bumping against Eden's helmet. She doesn't smile.

Instead, she walks past her teammates and Ghost, standing on the platform. A white hologram circle forms around her and the gate in front of her begins to power up.

With anger in her eyes and silence in the air, Eden raises her auto rifle and waits.