From the Ashes- Afire Love part 2

echoes

The vertibird touched down on the landing pad just in front of the bunker. The cold of the night penetrated your armor, a chill ran down you spine. It had been over a year since you'd been here last, but the memories were still fresh in your mind. "Wait for us," you told the pilot, standing up.

You stepped onto the concrete ground, the breeze behind you indicating the vertibird was taking off.

Walking forward, you recognized the clearing in front of you as where the standoff between you, Maxson, and Danse took place. Your right hand began to throb. You stared down at the dirt under you, remembering Maxson dragging you away from the scene. And the ground in front of the bunker's door... it was tinted crimson.

Your breath caught in your throat.

The hand on your shoulder startled you. You turned sharply. Haylen stood there, unphased by the way you reacted. She stared deeply into your eyes with concern. "You okay?"

You didn't realize you were holding your breath until you spoke. "Yeah, I'm alright," you said quietly. "Let's head in. There's gotta be something in there."

"Of course, Sentinel."

You took the lead going into the bunker. Nothing had changed, everything was in its place. The elevator that you stepped into was the last place you'd felt somewhat at peace with him. There was a swelling in your throat.

You landed at the lower level. The doors slid open. The place was a complete mess, with toppled shelves, empty cans littered on the floor, and chunks of cement from the ceiling laying all over the place.

"Haylen, we should make this quick." Looking at the fragmented concrete above you, you figured it wasn't long before the roof would give out and the place would cave in.

Haylen noticed it as well. "Yeah, let's get to it then."

"You head farther in. I'll check around out here." Haylen nodded at your command and went deeper into the bunker.

Your first thought was why the shelves were knocked over. Sure, people could've came through and looting the place. But what if they were searching for something else?

You walked around the perimeter, pushing on the walls, determining if there were any hidden rooms.

A shout echoed through the base. "Shit!" Haylen cursed.

You followed her voice immediately, through the bunker and into the cave that was carved into the walls. "What happened?"

When you found her, she was was kneeling on the ground in the middle of the cave, staring straight down. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, just slipped," she said quickly. "Loose dirt. You have a flashlight on you?" 

"Sure," you said, beginning to dig through your pockets. "What's going on?" You pulled it out from the pocket on you lower thigh and handed it to her.

Silently, she flipped it on and shone it down. There was a spot where she'd kicked up enough of the dirt to reveal the dark stone underneath.
Placing the light between her teeth, she used her hands to sweep away the soil.

"Haylen, what..." you trailed off when you finally saw what she uncovered.

Two concentric circles with a cross going through them were marked on the stone. The more you looked at it, the more it seemed it had been singed into the rock, black marks burnt onto a grey background. Your lips parted as the scribe stared up at you.

"You have paper on you?" you asked her. The question was met with a nod. "Copy that onto it."

She took a small pad of yellowed paper front one of her front pockets, as well a half a pencil. You watched as she copied it down.

"I know someone who may have an idea of what that is," you explained while she drew. "We should take it to them as soon as possible."

"I agree," she said, folding the notebook shut. "Who would that be?"

"I've got a friend who lives in the Glowing Sea. He's smart. I'm certain he'll know something." You sighed. "But I'm not certain he'll want to help us."

"Why's that?"

"It's a long story. I'll tell you on the way there."

The vertibird sat waiting for you outside the bunker. You let Haylen in first, following close behind her and taking your seat.

"Just drop us in the Glowing Sea," you ordered.
In the corner of your eye, you caught the scribe giving you a look. "Oh, and stay clear of Waypoint Echo." I'd be better to avoid raising suspicion.

The engine roared as the vertibird took off, but it was quickly masked. You heard a distinct sound, and although you couldn't pinpoint why it was exactly, it sounded like stone rubbing against stone. And it was loud.

The aircraft reached cruising altitude, and as it swung around to face southwest you got a good view of the bunker.

Something was wrong. You stayed focused on it, staring at it intently. Suddenly, with a massive crash, the walls of the building shook, the roof caved it, and the floor and area around it sunk. The hill behind the bunker collapsed, the earth sliding in behind the building, covering a good portion of it.

The bunker itself had caved in.

The pilot jerked the vertibird up. "Jesus!" you heard him shout over the intercom.

You looked at Haylen. Haylen looked at you. Then, it was silent.