Dawnhammer

Chapter 33 - Avenger

"Ghost, stand down!" Terris' shout shattered the silence of her mind. When her eyes opened she saw only white light in every direction, she only heard the echoes of his voice.

Ghost couldn't connect his desperation with the serene setting around her. She looked down and felt a shock of joy. She was standing. Her legs were long and shapely, the tendons and muscles hard as they held her aloft. She covered her mouth with a hand.

"Is this a dream?" she asked herself.

"It doesn't have to be." The young woman's eyes snapped up to see Archangel standing before her. Her skin was pale and beautiful, her green eyes shining. Her wings were finely feathered with silvered edges that stood in stark contrast to the royal blue dress she wore.

Ghost heard Terris' voice again, pleading quietly. "Please, Ghost. Don't make me do this." She looked around for him, for his ready grin and his penetrating eyes.

Archangel's gaze didn't leave her.

"Why is he saying those things?" Ghost inquired.

"He can't hurt me. No one can." Archangel took a step forward. "What do you remember?"

The white light shattered into a thousand pieces and fell to the ground like broken glass. In it's place, a view of space surrounded her. Debris filled the area as far as she could see. Electrical sparks flashed in places. Silent explosions flared out in reds and oranges in others. She could make out ship superstructures. Fighters, freighters, transports. From time to time, her eye caught on environmental suits and the remnants of human bodies.

And through it all, streaking through the darkness, she could see Dawnhammer, her forward edges glowing as if lit by the fires of hell.

"Terris?" Ghost's brow drew down in concern. The Guardian fighter banked towards her and her view was lost as a searing storm of hellish light arced the distance between them. The ground shook, but she didn't lose her balance. Whatever had been done to her legs made them strong and they responded instinctively. "Haden?" She whispered. Why were they attacking her?

The shards of light at her feet flew back into the air and blocked out her view of space, again.

Archangel's head was lowered in concentration, but her green eyes were focused sharply on her.

"What do you remember, Ghost?" She asked again.

The young woman wanted to ask why her friends had turned on her, but the urgency in Archangel's voice could not be ignored.

Instead of answering, the white light around them dimmed. It was her own memory. Marcus, carrying Ghost in his arms, followed the rest of the group through the airlock between Dawnhammer and the magnificent Archangel. They made their way to the command deck to be greeted by the red-headed woman and the three men. Her exuberance made Ghost laugh as she ran around the group, embracing each as if they were old friends.

She approached Ghost and Marcus last, nearly crushing her as she hugged the priest. When she drew back, she hesitated, her eyes taking in the young woman. Ghost couldn't let go of Marcus' neck, lest she fall. She remembered grinning and explaining that she wasn't in a position to return the embrace.

"Something special for you, I think." Archangel responded. She leaned forward and put her hands to both sides of the young woman's face, placing a gentle kiss on her lips. Ghost was so surprised by the sudden intimacy of the move that she couldn't respond. Though she was now watching her memory play out, she could feel the soft warmth of the woman's lips.

Her memory paused like a scene from a holovid.

Archangel walked through the memory and stopped before her own image.