The Deep End

The Deep End: Part 2

"Are you certain these are the right coordinates, Murdock?"

The glowing face of Mira-3's Holdfast Mask focused on the Arch Shell Ghost that hovered just above her splayed palm.

"Quite certain." The white panels of his shell twitched as he clicked, his purple iris gazing back up at her. "You know I am never wrong, but Rio on the other hand..."

A deep seeded, metallic sigh echoed from the Exo Hunter as she turned and gazed about the area.

        Mira-3 stood in a large chamber deep within the Well of Infinitude on Europa surrounded by tarnished Vex architecture embedded in the ice, massive struts of ancient metal holding up the ceiling. A deep pool of pure, roiling Radiolarian burbled softly around the large platform the Hunter waited on, the singular optic of her helm glancing at the blocky protrusions jutting out from it and the surrounding walls. Two massive hallways lead into this room, one just behind her where she had come from, fighting her way through several waves of Eliksni and Vex from the surface of Europa itself, and another just off to her left that led deeper into the Well. However it was mostly quiet now, save for the soft churning of the Radiolarian and the crinkling of the ice around her.

        The cape of her teal Empyrean cloak ruffled slightly as the Guardian turned and paced a few steps around the edge of the platform, anything to keep frost from forming on her Seigebreaker armor and Orpheus Rigs. Murdock floated along after her, his shell keeping perfect pace with her movements. The warm light of the chamber glittered nicely off the black, white, and golden accents of Mira-3's gear. Even the glowing, yellow optic of her helm that peered out from beneath the horns of her cloak made her almost seem at home amidst the Vex landscape. Before the discoveries on Europa, Mira-3 had always found a strange, unexplainable connection to the Vex, which is why it never bothered her when other Guardians picked on her for looking like them when it came to her armor choices.

        The Exo Hunter paused at the edge of the platform and stared hard at the pool of glimmering, white Vex Milk brimming with what she knew was deathly pain if she touched it, and that ever present knowledge that it was this very substance that helped to make her into an Exo.

Mira-3 found it fascinating and disturbing.

The Hunter huffed impatiently, "Just like that rat to make me hurry up and wait."

"At least you have good company to wait with." Murdock noted as he nestled himself into the folds of the cloak at her neck to keep warm, his reticle tilting brightly up at her.

"That I do, my dear Ghost, that I do." Mira-3 agreed, reaching up to pet his smooth shell with her gloved fingers, causing him to hum with content.

          Letting the fingers of her other hand wander, the Guardian felt for the handcannon at her hip, and she unholstered it to pull it up where she could see it. The singular eye of Mira-3's helm focused on the gold and black polished surface of the Ace of Spades in her hand as she lovingly caressed it with her fingers. Flipping the cylinder open with a flick of her wrist, the Hunter brought her other hand down to ensure each chamber was full, before spinning it and slapping it back into place.

"Do you still miss him?" Murdock's voice drifted up from her cloak.

"Cayde-6?" the Exo muttered turning the handcannon over in her hand. "I...I feel like I barely knew him." she paused, then swiftly holstered the handcannon. "But yes. I miss him."

"He seemed to like you well enough, I thought." Murdock noted with a clicking of his shell.

Mira-3's head looked up from the pool of white fluid and seemed to stare off into space: