Thunder's Storm

Reflection

Thantalus, Susanna, and Alex were sitting by a small fire in the ruins of a building just outside of Old Chicago. Thantalus was quiet as Susanna and Alex reflected on their experiences as guardians. "I was found by my ghost in the ruins of an old hunting shack, he said he found me in a pile of what seemed like fecal matter!" Alex said, he and Susanna laughed. "Well I was found in the ruins of an old dance and music hall or so my ghost thought." It was only a few months ago that I joined with the Titan Vanguard everything else is just history!" Susanna exclaimed cheerfully. "What's your story Thantalus? We're did you come from?" "What happened to your old fire team too?" Alex asked. Thantalus jumped up and moved to the balcony above them. Susanna stood up and slapped Alex hard in the face, "How could you ask something like that!!! That only happened a few weeks ago! He's still hurt..." Susanna yelled. Alex was a bit taken back by the ferocity in her voice. Susanna walked up to the warlock, who was sitting on the ground with his arms around his knees. His helmet was on and it's visor was darkened so she couldn't see inside. Inside he was crying, and he didn't want his new fire team to see him break down. Susanna patted him on the shoulder, " Wanna go on a short patrol? Just you and me! It should take your mind off things?" Thantalus stood," Yes, that would probably help a little bit"

Thantalus and Susanna were walking through a small line of ruined buildings . The area around them was marked with evidence of the Fallen and the Hive having a massive battle in the small clearing. Dead Ogres and Captains were lying about some bodies were still burning from the fire of a Fallen Scorch Cannon, a nasty weapon that hit with the force of a tank. It was quiet, Thantalus could hear his heart inside his chest beat in his ears and his head started to become sweaty. It was all to familiar. Thantalus was walking close behind Susanna, she had here shotgun at the ready and was clearing doors and rooms, making sure they wouldn't find any fallen booby traps or Hive Suprises lurking. The ground began to shake and the was began to quiver with what felt like fear. Susanna was watching a door frame making sure it wouldn't collapse and never saw it coming. A shot from a Hive Boomer struck her square in the side sending her reeling into the wall behind them. "Susanna!!" Thantalus screamed, and he trained his weapon in the direction of the shot. Thralls crested the small hill and charging close behind was The Hive Acolytes and Majors. Thantalus began to shoot the pulsed shots hitting every enemy on point, there were to many. Thantalus looked back at Susanna who was either laying barley conscious or dead by the wall. Thantalus broke, he stood from his position and walked out into the small clearing, arc energy lifting particles of metal and rust into the air around him. Lightning flashed from the horns of his helmet and his fingertips, his feet rising to a few feet off the ground. The strange energy rounds that the hive fired at him seemed to be absorbed my the immense energy he was creating around him. Thantalus raised his hands to point toward the hive forces and let lose a continuous bolt of lightning, chaining from one enemy to the other. The smell of burning Hive flesh filled the air and the remainder of the Hive forces retreated back to their burrow. Everything went black...

Susanna woke from being hit by the boomer and peeked outside the broken wall she got hit from. Thantalus was covered in arc and lightning and was shooting lightning at every enemy in his path, the whole time he screamed. "Not Again! Not Again! Not Again!" He yelled . When the last of the hive retreated, he turned to look at Susanna then fainted. Susanna hurried to Thantalus' side and picked him up and carried him to the small building they were taking cover in. She cradled his head in her lap and laid her shotgun close beside her. And she waited.

Thantalus woke, slowly at first. He was sure he saw an angel looking down from over him. The woman had tears in her eyes and long brunette hair was cascading toward him. Her gained his senses and realized, that's Susanna! What happened to me? Why is she crying? Thantalus spoke, "Susanna," his voice has hoarse, "I'm fine, help me up." The beautiful Titan sat Thantalus up and leaned him against the wall. "What happened?" Thantalus asked. "I'm not sure," Susanna said in a shaky voice, " I was hit, then I woke up and you were going insane! You were screaming while you killed all those Hive." Thantalus stood up quickly, havin to regain his balance in his disoriented state. He walked out of the door back to the direction if their camp. Susanna followed close behind. She was lost in thought, looking at the tall warlock, What happened to him? He wasn't himself, trying to protect me he lost all control. How does he have all that rage stored up? What happened to him?

Alex heard the fighting. He slowly stalked toward the direction of the fray with shadow like silence. As he approached the site of the battle he head the screams, one scream he knew well, the scream of a hive, the other though, was a human scream. Thantalus! He drew his Snipers Rifle from his back and looked through the scope, What he saw was paralyzingly horrifying. Thantalus seemed to glide across the ground lightning shooting out killing everything in his path. Hive acolytes were trying to run away, but had no chance, they disintegrated to dust. The Hive soldiers finally managed to escape, not without massive casualties. Alex saw Thantalus collapse then Susanna pull him back into cover. Everything in the path Thantalus took toward the hive was dead. The grass was dead in a large area and the rocks were scorched by the heat. Holy shit! I've got to contact Ikora.

Later that night
Thantalus, Susanna, and Alex sat around the fire. Thantalus was silent, staring at the ground. Susanna moved to sit beside him. Alex watched inquisitively. "What happened, Thantalus, what happened to your last fire team?" Thantalus looked up at Alex and Susanna. "The Taken happened."