"Wake up, Crim!" Nolan nudged me.
I groan in annoyance. "I don't wanna," I said. He flies himself onto my arm, dangling off my bed.
"C'mon! We have a lot of work to do!" He exclaimed.
I turned the other way. "Nooooo. Too tired," I complained.
"I can get you up one way or another, he warned.
"I'd like to see you try," I smirked.
Suddenly I felt a quick tickling sensation on my back, like his laser beam.
"No stop!!" I yelled, jumping out of my skin, turning to him laughing.
"I told you," he said.
I look at the other side of my bed where Carolina sleeps. She wasn't there.
"What time is it?" I asked, staring at the window.
"Twelve fifty-nine," he addressed.
"Damn, I sleep a lot," I said.
"Yes, you do, and there's no doubt about that," he said with assurance.

I took my time getting out of bed. I got up and walked like a zombie to the bathroom. When I got there,  I looked at the mirror to see my hair all messed up. I brushed my teeth, then makeup. My favorite signature makeup style, cat eyes, is what I used today. I stare closely at the mirror, blinking repeatedly and looking left and right, making sure my makeup was symmetrical and pretty.
"Crim, you look fine," said Nolan.
"Yeah, I'm just making sure," I replied.
Once I was sure, I put on a tank top and short pants that matched. Lastly, I grabbed my high heel boots from the front door of the room.
"I still don't understand how you can fight in those boots," said Nolan.
"And I don't understand why you're so annoying, but neither of us will know why, will we?" I roasted.
He sighed and disappeared back into my head. Then I felt bad.
"I was just messing with you," I said.
"I know," he replied.
"C'mon out."
He reappeared. "What?" He asked.
I pulled him towards the top of my chest and hugged him, twisting my body left and right.
"You know I mess around, you're not annoying. You are the most adorable thing ever," I said.
"Aww," he said. "You really think so?"
I tilted my head. "Well, maybe not as adorable as cats, but other than that, yeah pretty much."
Then he looked down. "Man, I felt better about myself before you said that part."
I smiled. "C'mon, lets go get somethin to eat," I said.
He followed me visibly as I skipped through the hallway and turned to the elevator room. I pressed the elevator button on the wall to call it to my floor. The elevator door on the right of me opened. Only one person stormed out, a Warlock, and he seemed really pissed. As he walks furiously, he bumps my shoulder.
"Hey!" I said. "Watch it!"
"Apologies," he replied with a low, deep, ominous voice.
I walked in the elevator, all to myself, and pressed the Plaza floor button.
As I wait, my phone rang. I pull it out of my back pocket. Carolina is calling me. My red hand drew my attention for a second. It was mildly bleeding.

"Drat!" I whispered.

"Hello?" I answered.
"Hey, have you seen Jacob?" She asked.
"Who?" I questioned.
"A Warlock, last I saw him he was walking towards the elevator," she said.
"Yeah, he walked out on our floor, 7th," I answered.
I hear her sigh in disappointment.
"Something wrong?" I ask.
"Just... Relationship problems," she says.
"Don't worry, I'll have it settled. Talk to you later?"
"Yeah," I replied.
I hang up and walk to the very front of the plaza, where Iron Banner is hosted, and pick up a few snacks.
I pick up a hand sanitizing wipe to clean the blood off.
"Lets see, what do we have here?" I examine.
I scan down a long table of food, thinking what I should eat. Halfway there I stopped.
"Yes! My favorite!" I exclaimed.
"You think that's healthy for you in the morning?" Nolan questioned.
"Listen," I said, snapping playfully. "Strawberry cupcakes are the best, no matter what. There's always a time for them."
I take a big bite and munch down on a few.
"Don't be complaining to me once you start throwing up," he said.
I didn't care until an hour later when I was in orbit.
I groan in nausea. "Ugh, stomach hurts..." I said, laying down on the center room of the ship.
"What did I say?" Nolan said.
"Yes I know! But still do it anyway. Besides, when do I ever listen to you?" I said.
"Which is why you need to," he suggested.
My stomach growls upset. I roll around and feel the forced urge to throw up. I get up quickly and run to the bathroom, vomiting in the toilet.
"Ugh, hearing that makes me want to vomit, and I don't even have a stomach," he said outside of the bathroom.
I breathe heavily, leaning against the toilet. "And there goes my breakfast," I said, staring at the pink colored vomit in the toilet.
Nolan flies in and looks at it. He reacts disgusted. "Ugh! That's just, no," he says flying back out.

When I recovered from that, I deployed in Venus starving. And lemme tell you, when I start my day without food, I'm not in the best mood, especially the status I'm in right now. I sparrowed up and drove towards the downtown section of the Ishtar city. There's a conflux nearby that will gain access to the Gatelord's location. Nolan scanned it and told me that he thought I had the hard job. I told him that I do, then we had a 10 minute debate about it and was still a stalemate. We dismissed it for later and drove to the location.
"By the way, I had to mess with their confluxes as I was in there," he said.
I hop off my sparrow and walked in the Ishtar Collective, the place where Nolan was fascinated by the Vex.
"Yeah, and?" I asked.
"You're gonna have your hands full," he added.
"Are you fu-" I stopped myself from throwing a tantrum, instead I growl aggressively and stomped my foot on the ground.
"And this is we don't eat cupcakes," he said.
"Could you shut up!" I yelled, stomping my foot again. He didn't say another word after.

+ + +

Pretty much when he said that he messed with the confluxes, he meant that he activated all the Vex portals and slowed my progress. So I decided to run pass all of them. By doing that, I made it the Gatelord palace. I jumped across a large ditch of Vex, surprisingly, and approached the front of the gate.
"Guess you're gonna have step inside the plate," said Nolan, with a voice that has fear in him.
I stepped in the holographic red ring. The ring lowers down and rises with a white ring, acknowledging me.
A somewhat loud Vex noise in front of me was made.
"Here we go," said Nolan.
Pieces of a giant separate Vex armor morphed out of the giant portal in front of me, formed like an armor stand, and clattered it's armor together and lands on its feet. It shouted it's Vex language and fired purple blasts at me, like the one in my dream, except that it was pink. That's my second recurrence lately. Can it mean something?
I didn't have enough time to think about it, instead, I dodged the blast and shot its white core at his lower stomach. He flinched back for every sniper shot I landed on him. He was overwhelmed by my pitch perfect sniper shots. Eventually, he collapsed and died. The giant portal started spinning nearby debris and imploded on itself. I walk to the Gatelord and decapitated it.
"Store his head in my inventory," I said.
"Yes ma'am," he replied. "This better get us in to the Black Garden, let's go get our key from the queen."
"Right," I said.

+ + +

Clip Begins Here

I enter the Reef once more and land. This time without an escort. The three guards guarding the Queen's throne let me in no problem. I walk across the narrow path with confidence, ready to see their, or his underestimation.
"It is alive," the Queen said, sitting on her throne. "and still has its ball."
The brother looks to me with confidence, as he doesn't know how blind he is.
"These is no shame in running away, Guardian," he said. "Apart from the cowerdance, it's an excellent strategy."
I stopped myself at the front.
"We didn't run," I said smirking.
"Was no Gatelord slain, Brother?" The Queen said.
"Oh we slayed a Gatelord," said Nolan.
I nod my head. "Nolan," I said looking at him.
He spawns the head that I put in my inventory on the floor in front of me. The Queen's Vandals reacted by pointing their spears at it.
"We need to find the Black Garden," I reiterate.
"Humph," the Brother scoffed. "They don't even know where it is."
"Let us tell them," the Queen demanded. "Search the Gatelord in which gains them entrance to the Black Garden."
The Brother turns to her and lowers his voice annoyed.
"Why?" He asked. "If you wish them certain death then just kill them here!"
"Often when we guess others motives, we reveal only our own," she replied.
"My motive is simply loyalty," he said. "To a Queen, and a sister."
They don't seem they get along very well. She's calm and observant, and he's doubtful and desperate.
"Then please," she says calmly. "Take what is required."
He sighs in doubt and approaches the Gatelord's head. He pulls out a knife and jabs at the head, rummaging through it. For a second I thought he was gonna stab me or something.
When he finds it, he pulls out the eye of it and looks at me as the red eye dies out.
"Dead, unfortunately," he said. He turns to her and says, "A wasted journey, I'm afraid."
He's pissing me off now. He's poking a bear that shouldn't be tampered with.
"Perhaps," the Queen says. "But I find these ones resourceful. We gift it, in sympathy for their Traveler."
I smirk at him. "Checkmate," I said in thought in a singsong voice.
He stares at the eye and looks at me. "Mars," he said boldly. "Eighty-four North, thirty-two East. Meridian Bay."
He tosses the eye at me quick and a bit aggressively at me. I catch it with one hand perfectly.
The Queen stands up, staring at me.
"I have shown you benevolence, Isabella," she said.
Wait, how does she know my middle name?
"Should the Awoken ever need an ally I will call on you...and expect you to answer."
"She's saying you owe us, Guardian," the Brother confirms.
"Oh uh, I understand," I stammer. I bow and say, "Your grace," and walk away.

As I do, an explosion went off. The whole outpost rumbled. I lose my balance and collapsed forward. Luckily I didn't fall, otherwise I wouldn't land on another planet for awhile. The alarm went off. I turn my waist to the Queen and see the two Vandals pointing the spears at the Queen. My instincts took over and threw a knife at one of the Vandals as the Brother killed the other.
"No, it can't be... We knew the Nine couldn't keep our gift," the Queen said.
"The who?" I asked perplexed. They stared at each other as I stand there unanswered.
"Go to the Prison of Elders and prevent any Fallen from escaping!" She exclaimed. Before I could answer, the main entrance opened behind me. It was that lady and her daughter.
"It's too late your grace!" The older lady said.
It was silent except for the gunfire and painful screams outside the entrance. We stared at each other, then at the Queen. The Queen finally stood up.
"Petra," she said.

"Yes, my Queen?" She replied, standing straight.

"Open the Reef to the Guardians for these...traitors. We gave them everything we offered for peace. We gave them mercy... They met that mercy, with betrayal. Now, they will feel my wrath."