Chapter Text
"Zone B captured, Zone Advantage to Alpha Team."
Ayana watched the screen with rapt interest, hugging a pillow as she sat cross-legged on the couch. She's spent the past few days on banalities; she now had registered accounts across finance and postal relations, a social identification code, and a small wardrobe to her name thanks to the introductory budget of Glimmer she'd earned with her account for her Guardianship status. Ghost had walked her through all the details, so she was officially set up as a member of society.
Not that she's done much to participate as one. Instead, she's taken full advantage of her ordered bed rest and opted to use some of the spare Glimmer she hadn't put aside for food to spruce up her utilitarian, blue and grey apartment, albeit mildly. Such as the red throw pillow she clung to as she watched a group of Guardians be reduced to atoms by a concentrated projectile of pure, volatile Void energy. Lord Shaxx's exclamations of praise rang out as the Warlock responsible worked to reclaim the lost zone by himself.
Life in the apartment was uneventful, but she found herself thoroughly entertained when she discovered the broadcasted blood sport. It was a welcome distraction when she had trouble sleeping, and it had the added bonus of giving her a crash course on Guardian combat from a safe distance, where she'd dutifully ask Ghost questions as they arose and get a rundown of varying detail. It's all been rather informative.
It was also really, really fun. In a grisly sort of way.
She was distracted from the match by a knock at the door, prompting her to turn down the volume before looking to Ghost. It was still early and she hadn't even ordered anything yet. Right as she was about to ask though, Ghost's eye flashed to signal a notification. There was a beat before he perked up.
"They're back."
She tossed the pillow aside and ran for the door, opening it to find Lancer waiting with Konik at his shoulder. He was out of armor, opting for a casual T-Shirt and jeans combo. The hat remained, however, or at least a nearly identical one, and the jacket he sported less severe details. He opened his mouth to greet her, and subsequently froze as he got an armful of Ayana. The blue light in his mouth flickered as he cleared his throat, awkwardly patting her on the back until she released him from the hug. "Hi to you, too."
She beamed at the pair, "Welcome back." She stepped aside for them to enter and made sure to shut the door behind them. "How'd it go? You were gone for a while."
"Went alright. Whole thing got bigger than we thought. Only got back last night," Lancer shrugged while he took in her living space. "But all in all, pretty standard run."
"So, they're all..."
"Dead and gone," he confirmed. "'Least until somethin' else decides to creep in and make claim."
Konik snorted. "Don't know why anyone would bother, that place was a maze. How did either of you get anywhere?"
"We managed," Ghost said with a spin of his shell. The movement earned Lancer's attention, and the elder Guardian offered his hand. Ghost looked to Ayana, and when given the go-ahead, complied with Lancer's request.
"Well, ain't you all fancy," Lancer praised as he examined the Ghost's new shell. Gone was the dented white and yellow, and he now sported a black and white color scheme, with gold accents and green leaf patterns decaling his fins. Ghost did a little twirl, chirping at the praise before Lancer handed him back off to Ayana. She shrugged, suddenly sheepish. It wasn't the most expensive model, being simply a paint job, but she couldn't in good conscience leave him in such a battered state, even if the dents in his core had mended themselves.
"You said to get something nice. He picked the colors,"
Both Guardians and Ghosts alike were caught short by the TV,
"Haha, look at them fall!"
"Ah," Lancer chuckled, leaning over the back of the couch as Ayana retook her old seat. "So, you found the Crucible, then."
"Mhm," she nodded. "Been trying to learn from it. It looks intense."
He snorted. "Yeah, that's a good word for it."
"Have you played?"
"Sure," Lancer said as he pushed off the couch. "Plenty of times, it's a good time if you know what you're gettin' into. Sucks ass if you don't. Also, never use the word "play" when talkin' about Crucible within earshot of Shaxx. Guy'll rip you a new one."
He didn't say anything else as he disappeared into the kitchen, so Ayana refocused her attention to the match. Less than three minutes left, and Alpha was winning by a healthy margin, but Bravo Team was fighting hard for a comeback. Just as a Titan summoned her hammer, she heard Lancer call out.
"Kid?"
"Yeah?"
"Why the hell don't you have any food?"
She turned to look over her shoulder at him as he poked his head back into the living room. "I've been ordering out?"
Lancer pinched the bridge between his eyes with a sigh, before straightening up, mind made up. "Alright. You got clothes? Other than those?" He gestured to her, referring the tank top and loose sleep pants she wore.
"Yes...?"
"Good, get dressed." He ordered. When she started to protest, he promptly took the remote out of her hand, turning off the TV. "You ain't livin' on takeout. Get dressed and we'll go get you stocked up. Quit pouting, you gotta know this shit."
Ayana refrained from voicing her insistence that there's a difference between pouting and frowning and got up with a grumble, which definitely didn't help her case. It's not like she hadn't been wanting to do this eventually, but she'd really wanted to see who won that match. She had just made it to the door when Lancer tore her from her musings. "By the way, heads up."
Ayana stopped at the door and turned around just in time to catch the helmet he tossed to her. She rolled the relic in her hands as she took in its design beneath the wear. "Where did this come from?"
Lancer gave a noncommittal shrug. "Found it in the cave, pretty sure it's yours. Or I guess was."
The design was familiar in some way, but Ayana wouldn't be able to identify how if you held a gun to her head. She'd have to figure out what to do with it later, but for now decided it was an effective space filler on one of the mounted shelves while she went to go change. By the time she'd settled on something, her initial frustration had been mostly replaced with trepidation and, admittedly, excitement. She'd been putting all of this off because it all seemed overwhelming. Sure, Ghost was there to assist her, but it's not like he needed groceries; he didn't really know any more about running errands than she did. But now that Lancer was... well, not exactly offering, but she wasn't going to waste the opportunity being a hermit.
She settled on a plain loose knit sweater and black pants. It wasn't terribly cold outside yet, but the Autumn chill was starting to make itself known. Tie it together with some plain lowcut boots and she was set, modest and comfortable. Lancer was already waiting for her at the front door, sparing her a brief nod before stepping out and into the concrete hallway. He seemed dead set on where he was heading at a glance, but in reality he wasn't going very fast and Ayana didn't have any trouble in catching up to him.
"Sooo," she hazarded once they reached the elevator. "Where are we going?"
"Down," Lancer said as he pressed the appropriate button. "Into the city. There are a few good market places, one of 'em ain't too far from here." He leaned against the back railing with crossed arms. "Lucky you got quarters so close to the lift. Feels like I gotta walk a marathon to get to mine."
Ayana stepped back to join him, though preferred to remain stood upright as they descended. "Does it really matter? Can't we all just teleport, or whatever? Like we did to get on your ship."
Konik took the liberty of answering this one. "It's not encouraged, because it's considered a disturbance of traffic. The barracks are shared by Guardians and Lightless personnel alike. The average worker doesn't have access to transmat on a whim, so Guardians are requested to generally abide the same limitation when they're here."
"Not that they can do much more than fine ya for it," Lancer grunted. "Only thing stoppin' ya is whether or not your Ghost's got a stick up its ass."
"I'm not transmatting you just so you don't have to walk to an elevator, Lance. It's good exercise."
"Right, 'course. Gotta watch my figure."
The pair bickered back and forth while Ayana and Ghost simply watched in shared amusement, that was until the elevator suddenly stopped and all chatter ceased. It opened to reveal a trio of Guardians, still in armor, who seemed to be in the midst of their own conversation as they stepped aboard. Ayana went to lean against the back wall alongside Lancer to give them room, and the movement caught the attention of the Hunter, who openly gawked. The other two weren't far behind in that regard, leaving the whole elevator in some kind of stare-down. Ayana found herself wishing that she was on Lancer's other side, just for that little bit of a wall between her and potential scrutiny.
It was the Titan who broke the silence first with a clearing of her throat. "Sorry, we didn't expect anyone else to be catching a ride,"
That sounded lame, even to Ayana, but she still put on her best smile given the circumstance. "It's no trouble. We're just heading down, is all."
"Cool, cool. So are we," she paused, rubbing at the back of her neck while her companions seemed content in making her do the talking. She spoke a little too loudly when she continued, "SO, I don't think we've seen you around before. You just move in?"
"Only a few days ago," Ayana answered. "Making my first errand run."
The group all made noises of understanding, and the Hunter spoke up with put-on fondness, "I remember my first errand run, I got lost trying to find paper towels. Good times,"
"Surprised you even found the store," came the Warlock's comment, earning a light punch to the arm. The mood seemed lighter after that, and with the tension now somewhat broken, the Warlock took to Ayana's other side. His voice had that Exo trademarked tinniness to it. "We just got back from a Vanguard Op south of here. I take it you haven't done any field work yet, being a New Light and all."
Their collective gaze was still nothing short of uncomfortable, but they were trying to be polite at least. Still made it no less awkward to answer, "No... I haven't even been assigned a Vanguard, yet."
"Huh, that's a new one." The Hunter cocked his head. "Most Guardians have that figured out within the hour, from what I've heard."
"Yeah, well. I had a bit of a rough start," Ayana tried to make light of it, offering a halfhearted shrug.
She was grateful when he didn't push it further. "Well, if you ever want some help, I'm sure we'd be happy to assist." He offered a handshake, using his other hand to gesture to himself, "Name's Shaw," the Titan, "this is Maeve," and finally the Warlock, "and he's Cas."
She took his hand and shook with gentle grace, "Ayana. I appreciate the offer," She crooked a thumb at her own companion. "Lancer's been helping me settle in, so far."
"Wait, really?" Shaw gestured between them, and surprise was evident in his voice. "You're with him?"
Ayana blinked.
She surveyed her company. While the trio displayed varying levels of intrigue, Lancer appeared completely nonplussed about the whole exchange. Ayana would have wondered if he was even listening, if it weren't for the cool gaze he'd been leveling them all with from beneath the brim of his hat. The group would look at him, occasionally, but never for long.
Ah. "He's the only reason I made it to the City."
"That's..." Shaw's gaze flicked to Lancer. "That's really lucky."
There was a ding as the elevator slowed to a stop, opening to reveal ground level. The group made their way to the proper exit while Lancer and Ayana tailed the back. Once outside, Maeve was the first to offer her farewells with the other two following suit with friendly handshakes and casual salutes. Pleasantries exchanged, Ayana watched the trio walk off. Once they were out of earshot, she turned to Lancer.
"Okay, what was that?"
"What was what?"
"You know," she motioned in the general direction the group had. "That. All of that."
"Guardians. Reckon they're a fireteam."
"That's not-" she took a deep breath. He was doing it on purpose. He had to be. "Why were they acting so strange?"
"No clue what you mean,"
Definitely on purpose. He started walking in another direction with his hands in his pockets, calling over his shoulder, "Try and keep up, will ya?"
In Ayana's four days of living, she's seen the sunrise from Earth's orbit, sweeping landscapes, and monsters that promised only death and decay.
And yet, she still found herself in awe, her attention easily claimed by anything and everything in the wonderful new world known as a common supermarket.
Still, Ayana did put in the effort to pay attention to Lancer's words as they walked the aisles. Avoid perishables such as dairy or produce unless the schedule allows it, eggs and cured meats are high priority for freezer stock. He walked her through brands and prices as he did his own shopping, and at the end of it all showed her where to get a basic set of cookware. The entire haul was relatively small, since she was only buying for one mouth to feed, but it was enough to take a hefty chunk out of her finance. Which is how, after their ghosts had transmatted their respective groceries, she wound up in a café with a plate of fries and a greasy, but delicious, loaded hamburger that Lancer refused to let her pay for.
"Talked to the Vanguard," Lancer took a bite out of his own burger, and despite the fact that he was actively chewing, his voice was fascinatingly unaffected. "You're an unknown factor, so puttin' you in the field's a no-go 'til we got you figured out. You'd just be a liability at this point."
Ayana tried not to visibly wilt at the remark. "By "figure me out," that entails... what, precisely?"
"Tests. Practice. Training," he supplied. "I'll be handlin' that. Figured I found ya, makes you my responsibility."
"So, what? You report my progress and let them decide what to do with me?"
"No, I report your progress and I decide what to do with you," He took a swig of his drink. "You're off-limits 'til I say otherwise."
She looked up from her fries with a frown. "You can do that?"
"Yup. And I did."
"And when do I get to decide things?"
"When you prove you can."
His voice had a certain... Ayana didn't want to say severity, to it. More like a finality that told her that any further comments wouldn't be heard. She frowned down at her own food, washing down the bitterness with a few fries.
The two of them proceeded to eat in silence, meanwhile Ayana silently scrutinized the Exo. She wasn't as subtle as she'd hoped, and Lancer called her on it after a waitress had arrived with refills, "I can see gears turnin', kid. Out with it."
"You're just going to dodge the question."
"I won't," He put a hand where his heart would be. "Swear on my Light."
She wasn't going to test her luck, so she steered the conversation in a different, but still pressing direction. "Are you someone important?"
He put down the remains of his burger to give a vague hand wave. "Not really. Did some tough jobs for the Vanguard over the years, got a reputation from it. Earned respect. Vanguard owes me a favor or two for my work, so I'm cashin' in now. They trust my judgement."
"And those guys on the lift? What was their deal?"
"Beats me," he shrugged. "Might've been 'cause I'm not all that..." he trailed off, humming thoughtfully.
"Approachable? Sociable? Friendly?" Konik's voice was heard as he materialized. "Am I getting warmer?"
"Fuck off."
Konik didn't even acknowledge him. "My point being, we tend to stick to ourselves unless an assignment dictates otherwise. Makes him a wild card to a lot of people."
"In that case," Ayana pressed on. "Why am I the exception? If you two are such a big deal, why go out of your way to help me?"
"Why not?"
Lancer's tone was deceptively nonchalant, and his gaze, similarly to before, was an unspoken dare to challenge him on it. She got the impression that any doubt she had in being worth his time would fall on deaf ears. It was only once they were finished eating and out the door that she relented, "When do we start? Training, that is."
"Soon as you get home and change," Lancer answered, already walking off while Ayana jogged to catch up with him. "Meet me in the court yard within the hour." It turned out that her attempt to catch up proved moot, as the second she did, he was gone, leaving a shimmer of Light in his wake as Konik took him away and Ayana standing alone on the sidewalk.
"... I thought Konik said Guardians weren't allowed to transmat,"
"Only within the Tower," Ghost clarified as he spawned over her shoulder. "And more of a case of not using it outside designated zones, even then. Would you like to transmat to your quarters? It'll save you a good twenty minutes."
Ayana had no idea what to expect from this suddenly scheduled "training," and she didn't find herself in much of a hurry to found out. She picked a direction and simply started walking, intent on getting in a little more sightseeing before she was needed. "Transmat me when it'll save me ten."
"Will do."
It was strange wearing the armor again after having not worn it for a few days, yet Ayana found comfort in it. And if she took longer than necessary putting the whole ensemble on, methodically checking every clasp and adjusting her grieves, that was nobody's business but her own. But despite her trepidation, she did leave the sanctuary that was her quarters eventually, and after a brief trip up the lift, found Lancer propped against a stack of crates just to the right. He was in full getup as well. He nodded in greeting before gesturing her to follow.
Traversing the Tower with Lancer was certainly different, Ayana absently thought. While her experience involved skirting around other guardians, Lancer's mysterious reputation has earned him quite the wide berth. Which made it all the more obvious how she was trailing close behind him, and there were quite a few odd looks shot her way. If he was as accomplished as it sounded, she could only imagine how strange she looked, being such a fresh face, so to speak. Like a beagle puppy following a wolfdog.
Her musings ceased when she realized they weren't going to the Hangar like she'd once presumed, and her confusion was replaced with building dread as Lancer led her down the stairs, past the woman with the glowing rock and into the warmly lit lobby. Any hope she had that they were going to the Vanguard was crushed under Lancer's boot as he ambled toward the desk at which Lord Shaxx was stationed. Lord Shaxx actually met him halfway, chuckling and gripping Lancer's forearm in greeting.
"Hivebane. Been a time since I've seen you, what do I owe?"
"Been a time since I've had time, y'know how it is," Lancer shrugged. "Missin' me in the Crucible?"
"Very much so, need someone to actually show these New Lights how it's done. Here to queue up, I hope?"
"Funny ya mention that,"
Ayana physically paled under her helmet. He wasn't going to do throw her into the Crucible. No way.
"I actually came to ask a favor. You don't got all your arenas in use, do ya?"
Lord Shaxx released Lancer's arm, fists on his hips and head cocked to the side. The friendliness he had displayed before was gone, and his tone was laced with suspicion. "Why."
Lancer raised his arms in a placating gesture, "Nothin' big, just wonderin' if I could borrow an empty one." He cocked a thumb her direction, "Wanna show her how it's done."
She almost wanted to cry, but the relief didn't last long as she straightened up under Lord Shaxx's scrutiny. In hindsight, he probably hadn't even noticed her presence until now. He said nothing as he stared her down, and the swivel of his head was exaggeratedly slow as he looked back at Lancer.
"She'd learn how to fight best by fighting."
"She ain't gonna learn shit by dyin' constantly," His claim earned a scoff. "I ain't throwin' her to a pack of rabid dogs 'til she knows how to bite back. She doesn't even know her Light, yet. And she won't have time to figure it out if she's gettin' put in the ground every thirty seconds by some asshole lookin' for an easy target."
"And you think coddling is the better solution?"
"She should get a chance to hone her skills, first. That's all I'm lookin' to do."
"My Crucible is designed to hone Guardians' skills. Are you implying it fails its core purpose?"
No hesitation. "For a rookie? Yeah."
Now, Lancer was by no means a small man. Ayana herself was pretty tall, and he had a few inches on her, yet. But he looked utterly average compared to Lord Shaxx, who stared down at him with silent but obvious vitriol. But he hardly looked intimidated, holding the other man's gaze with unwavering coolness. But just when Ayana was all but sure that Lancer was about to get punched in the mouth, Lord Shaxx turned away with a derisive snort.
"I expect her in the Crucible within the week. If she isn't, don't expect me to be so generous. The Distant Shore is vacant, today."
"That'll do," Lancer gestured for Ayana to follow him out, calling over his shoulder, "Drinks on me, next time."
Whether Lord Shaxx was too preoccupied with his screens to respond to Lancer, or was deliberately ignoring him, Ayana couldn't say. But she was fairly certain that she heard grumbling as they departed, so she played it safe and waited until they were a comfortable distance away from the irritable Titan before asking, "Did you have to insult him?"
Lancer barked out a laugh. "Shaxx? He's a big boy, he can handle a little jabbin'. Looks meaner than he is."
She thought back to the matches she's watched and how he spoke to her upon first meeting. "He... seems pretty mean, to me."
"Oh yeah, guy's an ass," He said with no real bite, and didn't elaborate further for the duration of the walk.
They actually were going to the Hangar, this time, and it was clear that Lancer had already bet on getting his way with how his ship, Peregrine, was primed and ready for them. Ayana returned a wave to Amanda as they spotted each other before following Lancer aboard and to the cockpit, propping herself against the back of his seat as they departed. Instead of going out and away from the city, he actually guided the ship out and up, and the blue skies rapidly faded into distant stars. He futzed around with dials and switches of which she had a novice understanding, and once angled, gave her the plain warning, "Hold on."
Peregrine flew out towards the cosmos, and Ayana found herself underwhelmed. The increase of speed was gradual, so why-
She hit the door with a harsh thud, at the same time which her ears painfully popped and stars flooded her eyes. The door's proximity sensor caught up with the registry and opened, causing her to fall further back. She knew better than to fight the momentum as she crashed to the ground, splayed on her back as she attempted to process what just happened. Sitting up with a groan, she realized the stars she saw weren't from hitting her head on the door, but the sight of millions of actual stars racing by them as Peregrine glided through hyperspace. Looking directly out through the windshield was borderline blinding, and getting up was a chore as gravity felt too strong and too weak simultaneously. She stumbled back to her prior position, gripping Lancer's headrest for a sort of anchor. The bastard snickered.
"I didn't know."
"I warned ya,"
"I know."
It felt like their course took them five minutes, but she had a feeling that wasn't the case. However long or brief it actually was, she made sure to heed the warning for the deceleration, bracing herself firmly against the back of the seat as to avoid being launched through the windshield. It was, fortunately, a much more gradual transition, but it was still enough to make her stomach lurch ever so slightly.
As the blur of light formed into distinct shape, Ayana found them rapidly approaching an unfamiliar planet, greens and reds muted by an ethereal haze. They coasted orbit for some time until Lancer seemingly found what he was looking for, and their descent began. The ship slowed as they hovered over an arena, autopilot kicking in as Lancer got up from his seat and pushed past, before nodding to her and transmatting to the ground below.
Ghost didn't need to be asked before dropping her off next to him, and it was only once she took in the cliffside they were on that she recognized where they were.
"Oh, I know this one!" She took a step forward, arms outstretched as she admired the geometric architecture. The line between architecture and nature was thin, giving the landscape and foundation an indecipherable blend. "The match I watched last night took place, here. What's it called again?"
"Distant Shore," Lancer, unbeknownst to Ayana, was currently checking the cylinder of his handcannon. "Shores of Time, if you're feelin' fancy."
She found herself walking between the decrepit columns, running her hands along the vibrant red moss that permeated every crevice. It was strange to be here in person, let alone when it was so quiet. The only sounds she heard were running water and the occasional call of fauna, a far cry from the gunshots and explosions she heard on the broadcasts. "So, we're here to train."
A click of the cylinder closing. "Yup."
She wished she felt his nonchalance about the whole thing, so she simply tried to fake it, putting on her best casual tone as she rounded the column. "When do we start?"
"Right now."
The resounding bang startled a cacophony of squawks and flapping wings around the arena. Beneath it all was the sound of her visor shattering, and her body crumpled to the ground, lifeless as blood trickled from the cracks.
Both Ghosts appeared at either side of Lancer, one's voice panicked while the other's indignant.
"Ayana!"
"Lancer!"
"What? Not like she's gonna stay dead," He strolled over and knelt down beside her, handcannon hanging loose in his hand. He looked over at Ghost and jerked his head towards the body. "Go on, pick her up."
Ghost's shell shuddered anxiously before he flew over, giving the armed Guardian a cautious glance as he did so. When Lancer made no move to intervene, he relaxed and allowed the Light to channel through him and into his Guardian. It was quite the display, if not for the fact that Lancer's seen it many a time in his life, at this point. As the glow faded and the Ghost's shell settled, Lancer's attention was drawn back to Ayana as she sat up with a jolt, gasping for breath. Her gaze shot to his gun, and her whole body tensed as she pieced together what just happened to her.
"You-"
He didn't give her time to finish. "Lesson one: keep your guard up."
He rose up in a slow, fluid motion, "Lesson two: you're gonna die," and offered to help her up. "A lot."
Ayana ignored the offering out of what he could only assume was spite, climbing to her feet and prodding at her now repaired helm. "I thought the point of this was so I could prevent dying."
Nonplussed, Lancer let his hand drop to his side. "That'd be ideal, wouldn't it? But let's be real. You're immortal, not omnipotent. You're gonna fuck up. The goal's to reduce the death count, 'cause tryin' to all out prevent it's gonna get you nowhere real fast."
As he spoke, he had taken to summoning an array of weaponry and propping them against the nearest chunk of stone. It was quite the armory he carried in the subspace he called his own, thanks to Konik, and admittedly, a fair share of it had been collecting dust in his personal vault less than an hour ago. Once he had everything clearly arranged, he waved Ayana over. She'd been preoccupied with scraping the toe of her boot through the leftover shards of glass, but she did comply, stopping beside him as she surveyed the impromptu gun show. When she made no other move, Lancer nudged her forward with a firm hand between her shoulder blades. "Pick one."
Ayana whipped her head to look at him. "Pick one?"
"A gun. Pick one."
It was a simple instruction, and yet she still looked lost. "We gotta know you can shoot. So, pick a gun. Doesn't matter which, we'll probably cover 'em all, eventually."
She did as told, cautiously running her hands over a scout rifle before moving on and doing the same to the next gun in line, "I thought we were here to determine my Light?"
"Oh, I'm sorry. You wanna do that, instead?" He offered, his tone facetiously pleasant. "Sure thing. Just one question. Do you know how we'd go about doin' that?"
"No..."
"Didn't think so. And you wanna know somethin'? Neither do I," Lancer said as he summoned his own rifle. "So, here's what we're gonna do. Good ol' fashioned showdown, one kill means one point. Normally, the goal's ten with a timer. But since it's your first time, we're gonna call it eight, no timer. We got all day."
Ayana eventually settled on a plain looking auto rifle, and Lancer was pleased to see that her likely history with firearms apparently carried over, at least somewhat. Her form was practiced and comfortable as she tested the sight on it, seemingly by muscle memory. "This hardly seems like a fair fight."
"That's 'cause it ain't," Rifle propped on his shoulder, Lancer gestured about. "Here's how this'll go. This cliff's gonna be your spawn point, mine's gonna be on the far side in the cave."
"Okay, wait. Two things," Ayana raised one finger, "Do I not get to explore the layout, first?" then another. "And why do you get to spawn in cover while I have to spawn out in the open?"
"You're not always gonna have time to explore before gettin' into a firefight," He answered, mimicking her motions. "And startin' cover won't matter here, 'cause I'm gonna give you time to move. I expect the same from you. The rules may change later down the line, but that's what we're goin' with for now." He tapped the side of his helmet. "I'll let you know on comms when I'm set up. Be ready."
Lancer left her with that, and Ayana watched him walk off, resigned to her fate. She shared a look with Ghost, her voice unwavering while she announced, "I'm going to die."
"Maybe not?" Ghost offered, and even with Ayana's helmet, he could feel the look she gave him. "Okay, yeah. Probably. But that's okay! We're here to learn, not win. And you've been watching the Crucible, right? This is just that."
"Watching and partaking are two different things," Ayana muttered. Sure, she's died before already, but that didn't mean she was all that excited to do it again.
Ghost was about to respond when Lancer's channel sparked to life. "Ready, kid?"
They shared another look, and after a nod from Ghost as he disappeared, Ayana took a deep breath, readying her weapon. "Not at all, let's do this."
"That's the spirit."
Lancer had gone through the cave, so Ayana went for the staircase, instead. She took it slow, using the shallow steps as cover even as she ascended. To her right was an exposed landing, and directly ahead was a tunnel that appeared to branch, an alternate path between the center clearing and the cliff.
There was only a few points of cover on the landing, and Lancer had disappeared with a scout rifle. Bad idea. She picked the tunnel.
The tunnel branched left and right, and after a quick peek around each corner, Ayana hazarded to remain on the outskirts, weaving through the overgrown debris and taking aim from behind cover. Something that was becoming increasingly obvious to her was the sound of her own boots on the stone and moss, the flow of mysterious liquid below that seemed too wrong to be water, and the rustling of vines hanging from the rocks. That was it.
Her voice was only a whisper as she hissed, "Where is he?"
"I'm not picking anything up on radar." Ghost informed, reminding Ayana of that particular aspect of her helmet's digital display. Just as Ghost said, it was empty, save for her own center icon.
"What do I do, then? How do I kill what I can't see?"
"He's trying to bait you, don't let him. Stay low."
When Ayana approached the mouth of a cave- Lancer's spawn point, she debated the sportsmanship of actually entering it. She figured that Lancer likely wasn't still at his spawn, and her radar still appeared dead, so she assumed it was fair game. The cave was fairly spacious with multiple exits, and the elevated one caught her eye first. A vantage point would be beneficial; she could get a feel for the layout within relative safety, if nothing else. But as she climbed the stone in the center of the space, ready to jump for the ledge, something bounced off her leg and hit the ground with a clang.
She spun around to aim her weapon from before the object in question caught her eye, and it took her almost a second too long to realize what a grenade looked like. She jumped down, scrambling to make herself as small as possible behind the stone. The shockwave made her teeth clatter, and the residual heat threatened to roast her as flames trailed around her cover and continuing onward, all the while Ayana remained folded in on herself to avoid getting burned before the fire died out.
Natural flames wouldn't have starved themselves as quickly as these did, and Ayana was grateful for the difference as she allowed herself to breathe. "Ghost?"
"I'm here," came his reassurance. "He charged a grenade with Solar Light. It came from where you had just come from. That means he's-"
She saw the red on her radar at the same time he did.
"-coming around RIGHT NOW, MOVE!"
It turned out Ayana didn't actually need to get to higher ground before attempting to make the jump, as in her panic, she managed to leap high enough to pull herself up the rest of the way with relative ease before Lancer had fully circled around. She wasn't fast enough to completely evade him, however, and the white hot sear in her leg alongside the crack of his rifle was proof enough.
She dropped to the other side and grit her teeth to keep from buckling, one hand gripping her bloody thigh as she hauled herself across the clearing, hoping to find a moment's peace in the tunnel. She dared not look down and see just how much she lost to that bullet, but the adrenaline rushing through her veins did little to distract her from the fact that she'd die of blood loss if Ghost didn't heal her soon. Ghost, bless him, was doing his best to provide his reassurances and instructions, but his words hardly reached her.
She needed to move faster. There was that spark in her chest, she could feel it, like before. She just needed to reach it. She could smell the ozone as she pushed herself further and further until she felt two things.
The first thing was utter, all encompassing agony as her nerves where set ablaze. All she could see was white and her ears were filled with the buzz of inestimable voltage.
The second thing was three hundred pounds of steel and polymer colliding with her from behind and not slowing until she was slammed against the nearest wall, her head making direct impact against the concrete. While her helmet did its job on the outside, Ayana's entire world was thrown off kilter, and she didn't know whether to scream or to vomit as the pain and nausea became all encompassing, further driven home by the overwhelming stench of burnt flesh. All that left her instead was a pained groan that was promptly cut short by a final shot from Lancer's hand cannon, and when Ayana came to, she woke to find herself back where she had started, her Ghost sheepishly floating overhead.
"You're playin' it too safe," Lancer stated over comms. "Get feisty."
Ayana sighed, getting up with a roll of her shoulders. This was going to be a long day.
"One more thing."
She looked up to the heavens, her annoyance barely restrained. "Yeah?"
"Try actually lookin' behind you, sometimes."
She was going to kill him.