Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

The Light reaches out, ever curious. The Dark resists, ever obstinate.

"....dian.."

To live is to die. These are the laws often upheld. From the smallest insect, to the farthest star.

"Guar... ..n you hear me?"

But what is life to those who may live forever? What is death to those who die, and die, and die?

"It's ti.. ... wake up,"

What are you?

She came to in a rush, bolting up with a sharp gasp as humid air filled her lungs. She was all too aware of the rapid rise and fall of her chest, the heaviness of her limbs. The damp soil beneath her fingers, the overwhelming scent of mildew, the incessant drip, drip, drip of water between the cracks and gaps in stone. It was too much all at once, and that panic only grew as a small something was hovering in front of her face. All she could make out was a singular glowing eye in the dark that illuminated its fragmented form, shifting and rotating like its parts had minds of their own. A strangled shout escaped her as scrambled backwards, only making it so far before the back of her skull met rock.

It hurt.

A curse fell from her lips as the pain bloomed, and attempting to touch the source only made it hurt more, causing her to she wince and let her arm drop back to her side. It had, at the very least, broken her out of her blind fear, but it took all of her will not to let it regain its hold as she pressed herself against the wall, trying and failing to control her breathing and hammering pulse.

"Sorry, sorry!"

She recognized that voice. It had spoken to her earlier, hadn't it? Looking up, she realized that it was coming from the... robot? The voice sounded robotic, and what little she could see of the floating creature certainly didn't look organic. It also sounded anxious, having darted backwards in response to her erratic behavior. She could make out how its pieces clung tightly to its form as it cautiously drifted closer, akin to how one would approach a wounded animal.

"It's okay, I'm not going to hurt you," the voice echoed from it as a gentle whisper. "I'm sorry for scaring you, you don't need to be afraid. I promise, you'll be okay. I can help."

The pounding in her ears was slowly subsiding. The little robot's voice was smooth and gentle, and she allowed its reassurances to reach her as the tightness in her chest began to loosen, being replaced by a comforting warmth she could feel through... something. A bond. It wasn't long before she took her first steady breath since she'd woke, and she found herself extending her hand to the robot, palm up in an act of cautious acceptance. There was trepidation, but that didn't stop the little thing from easily gliding into the invitation, hovering comfortably above her palm. She lifted her hand closer to her face, fascinated by how it followed the motion as if her grip were tangible. She swallowed thickly before she finally found her voice, with words that sounded right but felt clunky in her mouth, "What... What are you?"

"I'm a Ghost," it chirped, audibly more relaxed than it had been before. After performing a flashy little twirl, it added with something akin to pride, "Your Ghost, actually."

"Ghost," She repeated it back, weighing it on her tongue. "My ghost."

"That's right."

The Ghost moved to hover just to her left, whirring gently as it examined the back of her head. "That's already beginning to swell," it pointed out, and she almost gave in to the urge to touch the injury again to confirm before it continued, "Allow me?"

She didn't understand what she was allowing, but she nodded anyway. She watched in awe as the pieces of its shell separated from its body, connected only by a brilliant blue glow as they slowly orbited around it, all the while the ache began to dull and fade. It was only once the Ghost returned to its original geometric shape that she reached back to feel. All she felt was velvet short hair, finding no pain, or even the slightest bump.

Her musings were cut off by a hopeful "Better?" from her new friend. She could see it much better now, the blue of its eye mingling with a warm orange reflected off its shell.

She gave the Ghost a smile, "Much. Thank you." and her smile grew as she watched its shell ripple happily. The way it fluttered about in delight had her wondering what she'd even been afraid of in the first place. One question on an ever growing list, she was beginning to realize. But as she opened her mouth to ask even one of those questions, a resounding screech echoed through the cavernous halls, brutal and haunting, startling them both. She was on her feet and her heart pounded anew, and her Ghost wasn't far behind.

"We need to get moving. Come on, I know the way out of here,"

And with that, it disappeared in a cloud of light before her eyes. Just... gone.

She blinked at the space the ghost once resided, and was subsequently blinded as that same light suddenly overwhelmed her vision. It faded just as fast, and she stumbled at the sensation of walls forming around her head. It brought on a brief feeling of claustrophobia, but as her hands shot up to feel, she relaxed as she realized that she had been given some sort of helmet. She watched in awe as a display appeared, and at the same time she heard static spark to life as her Ghost's voice rang through, "Don't worry, I'm still with you. I can guide you more safely this way."

Another scream rang out, chilling her to her core and distracting her from any further concerns she may have had about the tangible status of her mechanical companion. But she swallowed the lump in her throat and nodded, despite Ghost not being physically present to see it. "Okay," she said, and she stepped out of the small space and into a tunnel. Due to the acoustics, she couldn't even tell which direction the screams were coming from. She looked left, then she looked right. From where she stood, the overture of each was the same: cold, dark, and potentially evil. "Which way?"

"Right," was the immediate answer. "but take it slow. These tunnels branch, and we don't want to be spotted if we can help it."

"Spotted by, what, exactly?" Still, she didn't idle and started walking as directed, one hand tracing the wall as she went. She could barely see a foot in front of her, let alone the ground, so her eyes flicked between her hand and the void ahead while she walked, her only solace being the faintest light provided by her HUD, along with the feeling of coarse stone beneath her fingertips.

"Hive." A perplexing answer that only worried her more, but Ghost was quick to follow up. "I know that doesn't mean anything to you right now, but I promise it will eventually. Hopefully later rather than sooner."

Although her knowledge was next to none, as she shuffled through the pitch black corridors and ducked at every damning scream that echoed around her, she found herself sharing the sentiment.

Chapter Text

She wasn't sure how long she'd been walking, but after six forks in the road, two of which were straight shots, and the darkness surrounding them being so oppressively thick that she thought she could physically feel it, the anxiety was starting to get to her. "How much longer until we find the exit?"

"Not long... hopefully." Ghost answered, and she stopped in her tracks.

"Hopefully?"

"Well, I'm not entirely sure, anymore..."

"You said you knew the way!"

"Keep your voice down! I had to make adjustments to avoid the Hive, they're crawling all over the place."

She knew that much was true based on the howling, there were a few instances where they sounded all too close for comfort. Still, "So, for all you know, we could be further in?"

"I-" There was a pause. "I think we're okay. We might need to make a loop at some point, but we should be fine. I promise we haven't strayed too far. Trust me on this, okay?"

She didn't really have a choice, she knew that, deep down. Still, it didn't slip past her that he- the Ghost's voice was masculine, so she figured it was a he- hadn't really denied her accusation, but she let it go with a sigh and kept walking.

"So, you're a Ghost," She prompted, making sure to whisper this time.

"I am."

"What am I, then?"

"You're a Guardian- take a left, coming up." He warned before continuing. "I brought you back for a reason. You're strong, I can tell. A fighter. Humanity needs fighters- protectors."

"What do you mean, "brought me back?" I don't understand anything that's happening."

"Well... you've been dead for a very long time." He said. "You don't know how long I've been looking for you."

Dead. She had been dead. That... shouldn't be possible, she didn't think. But somehow, she knew it was. Whether it was the reverence in the Ghost's voice, an inherent trust born from his actions, or some latent understanding she lacked the context for, she believed him.

She paused as a curve in the path came into view, the key part being that she could see it. The far wall was illuminated by a pale blue glow. It wasn't like her Ghost's; no, it was greener, and more alarmingly, a chittering sound accompanied it from around the bend, accentuated by hollow rasps. She instantly dropped to a crouch at her Ghost's frantic command as whatever lied ahead shuffled into view.

It was a corpse, that was her first thought. Gaunt and decrepit, the creature took uneasy steps, hunched over and croaking as if each breath were its last. It held itself tightly with spindly arms, its body a bony shell sculpted and held together by sinew. It had no skin, its sharpened teeth bare and gaping. Where its eyes should be was the closest thing she could akin to flesh; the entire top of the creatures skull was encased in a membrane that glowed and pulsed. Moths fluttered around it, and she could see them burn in the fiery vapors that radiated from its body.

"Don't. Make. A sound." She heard Ghost whisper, "It's blind. Hug the wall, let it pass you. Whatever you do, do not startle it."

She felt sick just looking at it. It took all of her willpower not to jump out of the way as quickly as possible before it reached her, but she took Ghost's advice, creeping to the side until her back was flush to the tunnel's wall. She squeezed her eyes shut as the stench of sulphur nearly made her gag. Still, the creature didn't react to her presence, and after an agonizing seven seconds, it had wondered far enough back the way she came for her to quietly continue onward.

"That was a Hive?"

"One variant, yes. And those don't stray too far on their own, so be careful."

"Lovely, can't wait."

What slow progress they had been making had slowed to a crawl in the meantime, paranoid of every bend and what lied just beyond where her eyes could see. She didn't know how long she's been walking at this point; it could've been twenty minutes, or it could've been three hours. Her Ghost probably knew, but she wasn't sure she wanted to know, so she didn't ask.

Ghost's words eventually rang true as they came upon a three-way branch. Crowding the space that stretched between them stood a small group of Hive identical to the one before, at least from what she could tell. They swayed and purred amongst themselves, heads hung low and their heads glowing dimly. She counted five of them, and they appeared to be asleep.

"We have to go forward," Ghost said regrettably.

"How?" Her voice was barely a whisper but laced with incredulity. Her body was wound spring-tight, fighting every urge to flee at the slightest twitch from the horde.

"You," She could feel him brace himself for what he had to say next. "You could try going through them."

"Absolutely not."

"Just go slow, the way they're grouped probably means they're already used to being touched," He continued on. "Since they're dormant, they might not notice the difference."

"Key word being might?"

"If they do notice, run. Fast.

Listen, our options are to either turn around and potentially get more lost, or we continue forward and face what's to come. It's your call."

Ghost was right, and she hated it. But she absolutely refused to go through them, so her compromise was to continue the tried and true method, that she has done a total of once, and hug the wall. There really was no wiggle room, however, and brushing up against the nearest Hive was inevitable. A guttural noise escaped its throat as it twitched, and she could've died right there from the stress. Its head lifted to face her. Neither of them moved. She didn't dare to breathe as she stared into the swirling glow of its scalp. It would be mesmerizing if it were attached to literally anything else.

The monster didn't apparently share her alarm, and its head weighed down once more, having decided that whatever had disturbed it was of little concern, or perhaps even worth. She only gave but a moment's hesitation before she continued on her way, and refused to stop until she was at the mouth of the next tunnel. Casting one last glance at the horde, she finally released her breath. She's been alive for less than a day and already felt as though her heart was going to explode.

Too busy steeling herself for yet another stretch of walking, she registered the rock that slipped beneath her foot all too late. She was falling forward, she was hitting the ground with a yelp, and she had just enough wherewithal to lift her head before it made impact.

The sounds of startled shrieks echoed behind her, and she was up and running before she knew it. Her boots pounded the earth beneath her as she ran, and her Ghost manifested, bobbing and weaving across her vision but keeping two paces ahead.

"Right, go right!" He shouted. "Follow after me!"

More voices accompanied those behind, seemingly coming from every direction in the echoing halls. They weren't hidden anymore.

She did as he said and followed him. Left, left, straight, right, left. She ignored the desire to look behind, keeping her eyes solidly on her frantic companion like he was her lifeline because he was and he was terrified and so was she.

She narrowly avoided slamming into the glowing Hive that stumbled from the left tunnel, but as she attempted to run past it, she was violently launched forward by a wave of heat and debris. She groaned as an acidic burning ate at her back, the stench of rot and burnt flesh permeating her nose. Her ears rang from the explosion. Synthetic fabric melted against her skin, pulling with every failed attempt she made to force herself back up.

Her body cast a shadow as she was bathed in that wrong blue light. She tried to crawl away. Another deafening crack rang out, but she didn't get to hear it end.

Chapter Text

She came to in a rush, bolting up with a sharp gasp as humid air filled her lungs. She didn't get to dwell beyond that before Ghost's voice cut through the air.

"We have to move, now!"

Right. Cave. Hive. Explosion. Death-

Among the howls and shrieks rang something much deeper, far more primal. That was enough to get her moving again. She paid far more attention to her peripherals as she raced through the labyrinthian tunnels at her Ghost's instructions, but it wasn't long until trouble caught up with her as she was tackled to the ground. This Hive, aside from the lack of glow, looked nearly identical to the others from what little she could see. It screamed, drool flying from its maw as it gnashed its teeth at her. It was a tangle of limbs as she attempted to wrestle from its grip, spindly, three-fingered hands clamped around her wrists. She was left no choice but to kick it away, sending it into the opposite wall. It squawked, and she was the first to get her bearings. Without a weapon, she didn't have a choice aside from run.

It wasn't far behind her, but the distance grew as she outpaced it. Ghost led her on, and occasionally their path was illuminated by glowing pustules. They illuminated the ichorous growth that spread along the walls, but they were gone as quickly as they came as she ran.

She felt the weight of the darkness begin to lift before she ever saw it, but eventually, she did see it. There was light ahead. Real light, sunlight. She forced herself to go further, faster. She couldn't discern the pounding of her heart from the pounding of her boots. There was a crackling buzz in her ears, a tingling sensation beneath her skin. She was so close-

There was a hand around her neck, and her back was to the wall as the remaining air in her lungs was forced out with a whoosh. She gasped to reclaim it to no avail as dots swam in her vision.

This Hive was a lot bigger than the other. It rumbled a string of incomprehensible syllables, nonetheless dripping with vitriol. The grip on her neck tightened to a severe degree before beast carelessly tossed her aside, now firmly placing itself between her and the cave's mouth. Its towering silhouette was striking, exoskeleton more akin to armor and helm adorned with three large prongs. Three green eyes stared her down as it brandished a sword made of seemingly the same bone-like material as its body, barbaric yet elegant in its craft.

She coughed uselessly as she fought to swallow even a breath of air, and the taste of copper flooded her tongue. She heard Ghost hover behind her, and she was torn between relief and discomfort as she felt her windpipe repair itself. All the same, she didn't waste time as settled into a crouch start. She heard Ghost whisper, "Wait for it..."

The Hive's roar shook the ground beneath her feet. She felt static, and there was a smell of burning ozone.

"Wait..."

It charged, its sword swinging down in a decisive strike.

"GO!"

The blade struck with a resounding clang where she had once been mere seconds ago, meanwhile she dashed forward and slid to narrowly avoid the blow. She threw a kick behind her, hoping to at least slow it down. Her boot found its mark in the back of the Hive's knee with a shower of blue sparks before she took off for the exit. She felt heard it howl as it fell, but she also heard how fast it recovered, footfalls thundering behind her as she met daylight. She lunged forward in a desperate attempt to claim ground, though her landing was far from graceful. The Hive lunged after, but not after her.

She didn't know who screamed louder as her Ghost was plucked from the air, his shell convulsing as his core was trapped within the Hive's clutches. Its roars had quieted to a purr as it straightened to full height, cocksure and deliberate in its strides towards her. Light danced around its captive as he tried to escape, writhing in the Hive's hand, all to no avail.

She went to move, find her footing, but she wasn't fast enough as she was knocked back down by a firm kick to her ribs. The force sent her skidding along the dirt a short ways, short enough for the Hive to catch up and kick her again, rolling her onto her back and placing a foot directly upon her sternum. She uselessly clawed at its leg as it leaned over her, weighing her down. She wanted to look to her ghost, call out to him, but she was petrified. He was shouting, but she couldn't think, frozen in time and lost in the haunting glow of three damned eyes.

It lowered him towards her, and she reached for him. She couldn't reach. She cried, as she could only watch its grip tighten and his eye spasm, hear the sound of compacting metal and digital screams.

The Hive staggered as something bright and burning collided with the back of its head. She scrambled to catch her falling ghost, folding herself around him as the Hive blazed above them. Its screams rang out as it clawed at itself, and then it was quiet, cut off by a loud bang. The Hive continued to burn as it fell, leaving nothing but ash before it hit the ground. She stayed curled protectively around her companion even as the sound of flames died out, only relaxing enough so she could examine him easier; much to her relief, he blinked back at her with a weak chirp- his once pristine shell was scratched and his core was dented, but he was okay. They were okay.

There was a thud ahead, followed by footsteps approaching her. They stopped before her, and she heard a new voice, gruff and commanding. "Eyes up."

It was the second intelligent voice she'd heard since she woke up, and that was enough to get her to do as told. She slowly sat up until she was resting on her knees, cradling her Ghost close as she took in their savior.

Standing before her was a large man- nothing close to the Hive's stature, but definitely on the bigger side of human, she was sure. His clothes were casual at a glance, but closer inspection showed armor under his jacket and the holstered gun strapped to his thigh. But what stood out most was the wide brimmed hat adorned with a horned emblem on the front- placed over a helmet- and the smoking rifle wielded comfortably in his hands, sporting a dark stained wood and gold trim. The figure ambled over to where she knelt and dropped to his knee, giving the pair a once-over. "You're fresh."

It was a statement rather than a question, but still, she nodded. Even with the barrier of a helmet, she knew that her barely repressed sobs could likely be heard, no matter how hard she tried to take a steady breath. The stranger didn't bother to acknowledge it. Whether that was out of politeness or indifference, she didn't know, but she was grateful all the same when all she received was a thoughtful, "Hm."

Their heads whipped around as the familiar sound of screams rang out from the cave's mouth. It was then that a new Ghost appeared with a smaller, more rounded shell, its parts painted various tones of grey and tan. His voice was deeper than her own Ghost's, but smoother than his owner's. "We should get moving before the sun sets."

The strange Guardian simply stood as the rifle dematerialized along with the Ghost, and she couldn't help but jump as something much larger appeared from the ether next to them. She realized it was a vehicle of some kind, though it was missing wheels, as the Guardian mounted it. He started it, and the bike lifted to hover above the ground, effectively making her earlier confusion moot. He revved the engine experimentally until he realized that she hadn't left her spot on the ground. "The hell you waitin' for? Hop on."

Not wanting to test fate more than she already had today, she was quick to oblige. Her own Ghost disappeared as she settled in behind the man, and she found that she had to be mindful in doing so, careful not to bend, or more likely cut herself on, the decorative metal tassels that adorned the jacket's upper back and were, in actuality, not so decorative. She tentatively snaked her arms around his torso as he gave the engine another rev, and this proved to be smart choice as the hover bike accelerated, dodging and weaving through the clearest gap in the trees at breakneck speeds.

Nothing was said for a while, but her curiosity outweighed her nerves. She called out over the wind, "Where are we going?"

"There's a clearing not too far from here," he shouted back, "I'll call my ship down once we get there."

She nodded, but upon realizing that he definitely wouldn't be able to see that, shouted back a quick "Okay," and went back to using his neck as a windbreak. The height difference meant she fit just beneath the brim of his hat, and she idly wondered how it was staying on. Maybe it was attached to the helmet.

They reached the clearing in record time, just as the sun had fallen behind mountain ridge, and he skidded the bike to a halt just at the edge of the trees. The younger Guardian took that as her cue to dismount before he followed suit, the sound of a much larger craft approaching overhead. The grass bustled around their legs as what must have been the stranger's ship descended upon them, and without any extra fanfare, he was whisked away.

She heard Ghost finally speak up within her helmet, "Brace yourself," before the world fell away in a sparkling light, only to be replaced by new surroundings. She shuddered as the sensation quickly faded away, leaving her standing within the simple interior of the ship. "Tingly."

"You get used to it," The stranger said from behind her, propped against a doorway that she could see led to the ship's cockpit. He waved absently at the bed before turning on his heel. "Get some rest, we'll be city-bound in the morning. Bathroom's in the back." He paused, casting one last glance over his shoulder.

"Oh, and good job. You survived Day One, against Hive no less. Congrats."

On that note, he disappeared as the door shut behind him, and she was left alone. There was a part of her that wanted to explore the new environment, but she wasn't too keen on invading a mostly kind stranger's privacy, not that there was much to the space to begin with. Besides, the adrenaline's finally begun to wear off and that bed was looking far too alluring at this point. Decision easily made, she didn't even bother removing her helmet as she collapsed onto the bed nook with a huff, rolling over to stare at the nook's ceiling before her eyes drifted shut.

Before sleep could claim her, however, there was a fizzing sound, followed by the gentle plop of her ghost landing on her chest. She cracked one eye open in acknowledgement, a smile pulling at her lips. "We made it."

"Told you we'd be fine," Ghost said. His tone had a put-on confidence, and it was enough to make her giggle. "You did great out there."

"I didn't do anything,"

"You survived," he insisted. "And don't feel bad about the Thralls. Those things are nasty, they catch even the best Guardians off-guard, sometimes."

Assuming he was referring to the glowing Hive, she shuddered. But that wasn't what bothered her, not really. "You almost died." She pointed out, muttering, "Some Guardian I am, can't even protect my own Ghost."

He said nothing for a time, only emitting soft clicks as he contemplated. "You were scared. You didn't even have time to learn your Light."

His eye was downcast as he continued, ashamed, "I... I should've asked a Guardian for help before going in there to find you. I put you in a position neither of us were ready for. I'm sorry."

She certainly wasn't expecting an apology from him, and the sincerity of it broke her heart. She didn't entirely understand what he meant when he mentioned her Light, but she figured that was an explanation for later. She gently rested her hand over the ghost's shell, stroking one of the points with her thumb. He seemed to feel it, as he nuzzled into the touch with a mechanical purr. "We're both new to this, aren't we?" She offered her best reassurance, the call to sleep becoming irresistible with each passing second. Her words were punctuated with a yawn, "We'll get there."

"Yeah," She faintly heard him say. She thought she could hear a newfound vigor in his voice as she drifted off.

"We'll get there."

Chapter Text

Waking up for the first time was disorienting. The second time, stressful. But this time? It was just a chore.

She sat up slowly as every inch of her body screamed in protest and pried off her helmet, eyes squinting in the dark. She rubbed at them in an effort to wipe away the crust that had built up, all the while stretching her sore back and earning a marginally satisfying pop. Her throat was scratchy and her lips were chapped, and all in all, she felt like she'd rather just crawl back into the grave her Ghost had drug her out of.

"Good morning!" speak of the Devil, "How are you feeling?"

Even answering felt like effort, "Like a million tiny thralls blew up in my muscles."

Ghost, for what it was worth, had the decency to wince. "Oof, yeah, that tracks. You really exerted yourself yesterday," He bobbed once and apologetically added, "I'd heal you more, but I'm still a bit out of it, myself."

He certainly sounded to be in better spirits, but she could see the lethargy in his movements. She remembered how bad his day had been too, and she felt the groggy crankiness dissipate a bit as she offered her hand. He happily accepted it and let himself be guided along while she shuffled her way to the bathroom. She felt around for the light switch, only to go blind once she actually found the damn thing because, contrast to the low lighting of the rest of the ship, the bathroom was lit with bright florescence that bounced off the plain white tiling of the confined space. It had the barest of essentials: a sink with a mirror cabinet, a cupboard beneath, a toilet, and a simple standing shower at the back, with little room for much else. If it was small for her, she could only imagine how it felt to be the ship's owner.

She opted to not waste any more time and knelt down while Ghost opted to float to the side, happy to find she was right to check the cupboard for towels. She grabbed one, and after a moment's thought, grabbed a second one. She placed the extra towel in the sink, gave it a bit of fluffing, then reached out to physically guide her Ghost into the makeshift bed. Once he realized what she'd done, Ghost let out a warbling beep as he nestled into the fabric, so she tucked the bunches around him a little tighter for good measure before tending to herself.

First went the gloves. She paused briefly as she saw wisps of light flow along the back of her hand, and she caught herself idly tracing the pattern before shaking her head and continuing on.

Next was the pauldron, a lightweight leather piece that was torn and faded with age. There was a symbol of some kind carved into it- a circle, or maybe a sun, with five alternating points inside of it. Teeth, maybe? Whatever it was, it didn't hold much relevance to her now, so she simply put the pauldron aside, using the toilet as a seat while she removed her boots and what handful of accessories survived the passage of time, before finally allowing the worn body suit to pool at the floor.

It was only then that she allowed herself to look in the mirror proper, taking in the strange woman before her. She leaned over the sink as she lifted a hand to pull at the skin beneath her eye. Sure enough, her eyes glowed like a fire in contrast to the soft blue of her skin, framed by thin, dark eyelashes. Shimmers of light danced along her figure and framed her face, climbing up her neck and jaw before fading into her temples. Glowing freckles dusted her cheeks and nose, along her shoulders and collarbone, amongst other places. Her hair, what little there was, was a deep purplish color and was shaved to a buzz length, and she found herself reaching up to run her hand through the velvet.

It was strange, standing there to memorize her own face, the shape of her nose, the strength of her jaw, the ink that marked the expanse of her brow and even beneath her eyes, but she had to. This was her, but the face she saw held no significance to her. She had to learn it all over again.

"You're very pretty."

She startled, looking down at her Ghost who was still comfortably nestled in the sink. She backed up and almost hit the back of her knees on the toilet in her haste, but she realized any shame she suddenly felt about crowding over her Ghost while in the nude was probably unwarranted. He didn't look to particularly care. So she relaxed, letting herself grin as she scratched at his fin.

"Aren't you a charmer,"

"Just being factual." He called after her as she stepped into the shower. She snickered, closing the plain privacy curtain and reaching to turn on the water. But as she did, she found herself gasping harshly at the freezing water that pelted the back of her neck.

"Cold cold cold,"

"Jump ships like these don't tend to have water heaters," Ghost called out over the water.

Oh, so he knew that. "A warning would've been nice."

"Sorry..."

She was mad for a total of thirty seconds, which was about how long it took for her to adjust to the temperature before she quit pouting and took in the space. She found that there weren't any actual soaps in the shower, which was perplexing. Surely that guy bathed sometimes, right? The rag in here looked clean, so she found herself legitimately questioning it. Forcing those questions aside, she really didn't want to get out and rebuild her tolerance for the water, so she settled for using her nails, scraping the sweat and grime from her skin in slow, methodical movements.

They sat in silence for a time while she washed up, but something continued to eat at her. Something was missing. She felt weird broaching the subject, but considering she was flying with company, it felt better to rip the band-aid off now. "So..."

"... So?"

"Do you know if I have a name, by any chance?"

Ghost made a contemplative noise, and after a few clicks of silence she heard him say, "No. I mean, I'm sure you did before, but I really don't know anything about you before your resurrection. We- Ghosts, I mean- find our Guardians, and that's it. A new life. For you, and for us."

"How do you decide who's worthy if you don't know who they were before? What they've done?"

"It's not about what you've done, or who you were. It's who you can be that matters."

"How can you even tell?"

"I... don't really know. We just can," he answered. "It's difficult to explain, but we can search for decades, centuries waiting until we find the perfect Guardian. Our Guardian. And when we do- well, when I did, I could feel it. I found you, after all this time! You were," he suddenly paused. It was silent long enough that she was tempted to poke her head out and ask, but he continued before she got the chance. "You were so close. I could sense you. For the first time since I'd been born, I could sense you.

I know I should've waited," he said. "But I just couldn't. I had to meet you. And I'm glad I did."

She was suddenly grateful for the water running down her face as she swallowed the lump in her throat. She had to ask. "And if you made the wrong choice?"

And he said, full of pride, "I didn't."

She didn't know what to say, his faith was so genuine that she didn't dare voice the inevitable doubts that came with his words. She cleared her throat, trying to move past it and steer the conversation back. "Well, in that case," she started, "New life, new me... new name? You make it sound like there's a lot of Guardians out there, so I should probably go by something, right?"

"Oh, yes!" A series of beeps and whistles emanated from him, and when she went to peek around the curtain, she found that the ghost had begun to orbit around the bathroom, all the while muttering "A name, you need a name..."

She pressed her lips in a thin line as to not laugh at the precious display. "There isn't a huge rush, I can always-"

"Ayana!" Ghost exclaimed as he turned to face her. He took on a more informative tone as he continued, as if he were reading off a script. "Derived from the name 'Aayan' of Arabic origin, meaning either 'Gift of God' or 'One who is bright, or swift.'"

She blinked at him and he shrunk, embarrassed. "Because- well, yesterday you ran a lot, and you were really fast. And in a way, you are a gift of the Traveler, so-"

"Hey hey, it's alright," she was quick to cut off his nervous ramble. "I... don't know about the 'Traveler' part, but I like the swift angle." She smiled. She tested the name on her tongue, "Ayana. Eye-yah-na. Ayyyaaana."

"I can come up with something else if you don't like it,"

"No. No, I think I like it." She turned off the water and stepped out of the shower, grabbing the still folded towel she'd gotten for herself and wrapping it around her torso with a resolute nod. "Ayana."

Ayana watched as her ghost did a joyous little spin when it dawned on her. "Do you have a name?" She'd been so wrapped up in everything else, she hadn't even considered that she'd just been mentally calling her Ghost 'Ghost.' Was that rude? It felt rude.

The Ghost paused- how it was able to perfectly freeze in mid-air was beyond her- before doing an awkward little bounce, "Oh, well... no. But it's no big deal, really."

"Hey, that's not fair," she frowned. "If I get a name, so do you. I just..." Ayana hesitated. "... need to come up with something. Preferably something meaningful, like..." Like what? She's been alive for less than a day- as if she would have knowledge of anything meaningful.

She'd fallen silent, but Ghost understood. "You have time to think about it. Like you said, there isn't a rush. Until then, I can just be Ghost. It's what I've gone by for most of my life, anyway. Whatever you come up with, I'm sure it'll be perfect."

This little robot was too sweet for his own good.

Shaking her head affectionately, she gently padded herself dry before hanging the towel over the curtain rod. She knelt down to grab her old garments, but was surprised to find them gone. In their place, carefully stacked atop the back of the toilet, was a fresh set of lightly armored clothes, sporting a grey and blue color scheme. At Ayana's confusion, Ghost supplied, "Those were dropped off while you were in the shower."

Ayana lifted up the bodysuit with a critical eye; upon closer inspection, it had built in under armor, primarily in the abdominal region. It wasn't clearly visible, so she wasn't sure whether she should doubt its usefulness or commend its tailorship. But it was what she was given, and it was actually clean, so she didn't feel the need to complain right this moment and went to put on her new ensemble. Once everything was in place, from the lightweight pauldrons and breastplate to the boots and greaves, she straightened up and opened the bathroom door. Upon doing so, she was hit with the smell of something... savory.

She didn't have to question it for long, as once she stepped out, she spotted what looked to be some sort of kitchenette- was everything in this ship compartmentalized? She definitely hadn't seen that setup before- manned by who she assumed to be her host, stirring a pan of stripped meat. Put aside on the back burner was a larger skillet filled with something yellow and fluffy looking. Whatever it was, It all smelled amazing.

"Morning," he called out, eyes still on his his task, lightly tossing the pan's contents and asking over the sound of popping grease, "Armor fit alright?" When Ayana didn't answer, he looked up to find her openly gawking at him. "What."

The upper parts of his armor had since been removed, leaving him in nothing but the black and grey bodysuit from the belt up. His helmet and hat were nowhere to be seen. She had assumed the tinniness in his voice had been due to the helmet, but no. "You're... You're a robot."

He made a noise that sounded akin to a snort in response, the inside of his mouth flashing electric blue with the sound. "And you're blue. We all got our quirks." He vaguely gestured over his shoulder with the spatula, "Plates above the bed."

She hadn't even realized there were cupboards above the bed. But sure enough, once Ayana found her grip on the indented handle, she slid it open and found a small assortment of plastic dishware, and tucked in the bottom right was a tray that contained cutlery. There was a dining booth tucked in the far back of the living space, just beyond the bathroom door, so she gathered what she believed to be necessary for the two of them and set up the booth accordingly. Once done, she remembered that he'd actually asked her a question.

"The armor's okay," She stepped around him so she could get access to the hatch at his left. "A bit tight in places, but I'll live." If the dishes were above the bed, and the kitchen was across from the bed, did that mean the storage to the left of the kitchen was- it was! Success.

"'s better to get armor custom fit, but anything's better the rags we found you in. Had Konik find something cheap for ya to wear in the meantime. Matches your helmet, too."

The cooling unit was sparse, but there was at least water, so she grabbed the jug and maneuvered her way back to fill the cups; she filled one, but paused before she filled her own. "Wait, cheap?" She looked at him, "You mean you paid for this?"

It was a marvel how expressive he could be, and the brow plate did little to mask his incredulity as he gestured to himself. "You think I own anything in your size?"

Even without the jacket and armor, it was clear that the man was a tank. He wasn't only tall, he was large, with broad shoulders and a toned physique under the formfitting bodysuit. If not for the white and bronze face plating, he could have easily been mistaken for some sort of bodybuilder.

She briefly wondered why a robot had such defined musculature, but she put those thoughts aside. "But I can't pay you,"

"Ahp, ahp, ahp, none a' that." He cut her off, meeting her at the booth to dish out the first pan of food. "You would've just had to scavenge around for something- that ain't fun, trust me. 'Sides," he took the jug of water from her and took the liberty of filling her neglected cup. "I got plenty of Glimmer to spend. So don't go thinking you owe me," He returned the water to the cooling unit and abandoned the now empty pan on the stove top, reaching for the second. "'Cause you don't."

Ayana, having been effectively put aside, simply took the seat nearest to the bathroom and watched him work. Ghost meanwhile had precariously balanced himself in the crook between her neck and left pauldron, content where he sat. When her host returned the the remaining food, she opted to lift each plate so it was easier for him to dish out the contents.

"No clue how you like your eggs," He muttered. "Doubt you know, either. So, you're getting scrambled."

Ayana picked up a fork and pushed the eggs around experimentally. Her curiosity was piqued, so she gathered a hefty portion and took a bite. It was delicious, and she didn't hesitate after that, tucking into her first meal as if it were her last. The meat was even better; though a little greasy, it was salty and savory with a sweet smokiness underneath. She was having the time of her life.

"Damn, unseasoned eggs and low-grade bacon's all it takes to keep you happy. Noted."

She gulped loudly, suddenly embarrassed. He was sat across from her, idly chewing on a piece of bacon while his other arm was lounged across the back of the booth, and here she was already over halfway through the plate. She straightened up with a cough and reached for her water with a sheepish, "Sorry."

"Don't be. First thing you've eaten since... ever, I take it." He brushed her off coolly, leaning forward to grab his own drink. He took a slow pull it, then startled the remaining company with the force in which he planted back on the table. He leaned forward, "Now," and pointed at Ayana's Ghost with his fork. "You."

Ghost squeaked, and Ayana felt him feebly try to burrow further into her neck before he gave up and drifted forward, his gaze downcast as he floated before the suddenly indignant Guardian.

"The hell were you thinkin', going into a Hive nest by yourself?"

Ghost's shell scrunched. "I'm sorry. I hadn't realized she was that deep inside when I started,"

"But the minute you did realize how far deep she was, you should have turned around." Another voice spoke up as the Ghost from before materialized, gliding into her own Ghost's space. Konik, Ayana was almost certain that she heard the name 'Konik,' earlier. While his Guardian's tone was angry, Konik's was more stoic, but nonetheless scolding. Ghost dipped to hover closer to the table, but still he met the gaze of his smaller peer.

"Lone Ghosts should never, never, risk their lives in such a manner." Konik continued. "If you believe your Guardian is in a dangerous location, you ask another Guardian to assist you in recovery. Especially where the Darkness is involved. What if you hadn't been able to resurrect her at all?"

Ghost's voice was meek as he said, "The nest wasn't well established, I still had enough access to the Light to bring her back. I was even able to revive her after-"

"So, she did die down there," The man cut in. "You realize if you'd tried to pull this stunt even a week later, you'd've been stuck. No Light, nothing." he barked, causing Ghost to jerk back. "You brought your Guardian back in a dangerous environment that almost permanently cost her life and yours. You'd be scrap metal if we hadn't shown up sooner, all because you were too impatient to wait for backup."

"Quit it."

She ignored the pair's collective gaze as she scooped Ghost up and away from his verbal assailants. It was only once she had him firmly cradled to her chest that she continued, "He said he was sorry. He already apologized to me as well, but I didn't even need it in the first place. I don't know anything about the Light, or the Darkness- all I know is that I wouldn't be alive at all if it weren't for him. Besides," She ran a thumb along one of his fins. "it all worked out in the end, didn't it?"

The other Guardian stared at them for a time, and Ayana stared back. But it wasn't long before he relented, waving his Ghost away and pinching the bridge between his eyes with a long, weary sigh, laced with static. He didn't say anything after that, instead turning his attention back to his once neglected breakfast. Once she tucked Ghost back into his space on her shoulder, she didn't know what else to do but follow suit. She was sure to eat a lot slower than before while the awkward silence permeated overhead.

She cracked first. "Ayana."

His fork hovered in the air mid-bite, and he slowly pulled it back with a flat "What?"

"It's my name," She said, fidgeting under his glare. "I figured if we're traveling together, we should maybe know names? So..." She extended her hand over the table. "Ayana."

He didn't move for a time, but just as Ayana was about to awkwardly retract her offering, he eventually dropped the fork with a huff and clasped her hand in his own. The plating of his face, limited as they were, shifted into something she realized was the best he could manage for a smile. "Lancer-9."

Chapter Text

Earth was beautiful, especially from a star's eye view. Ayana made sure to drink in the visual for as long as she could, watching the swirling of clouds below and the wayward sun breaching over the planet's horizon before Lancer's ship began to descend back down, letting gravity do a chunk of the work.

It was only once they'd finished eating and Ayana followed Lancer to the cockpit did she even know they'd been stationed in orbit. Lancer explained it was the safest course of action, and that hostiles on the surface weren't afraid of taking potshots at the overhead traffic if given the opportunity, a sentiment both Ghosts strongly shared. Ayana hadn't met any sort of "Fallen" yet, but Konik's offhand remark about nearly getting sniped out of the air many times was enough to concern her.

Ayana stood propped against the back of Lancer's seat as they cascaded down towards the Earth's surface, and it wasn't long before they were straightened out and headed south. "This city you mentioned," she said, "What can you tell me about it?"

"What's there to tell? It's a city." Lancer's shoulders lifted in a shrug. "There's people, both Lightless and not. 's got a wall around it. Traveler's there."

"I don't know what "Lightless" means, and I don't know what a Traveler is."

"You could at least try to be helpful, you know." groused Konik, earning another shrug from his Guardian. Sighing, Konik drifted to Ayana's right while Ghost floated at her left.

"The City, often referred to as the Last City, is a monument to Humanity's tenacity. It's a society built on the combined efforts of Lightless and Guardian alike, and is the strongest standing conglomerate since the Collapse."

"The City's protected by walls to keep hostiles out," Ghost supplied. "Along the walls is where the Guardians primarily reside, the Towers being the central hubs. That's where we're going, now." He looked to Lancer. "That is where we're going, right?"

"Bingo."

Ayana cut back in with, "I still don't know about the other two things."

"Civilians are Lightless, meaning the don't have access to the Light." Konik answered first. "The Light isn't a gift granted to just anyone. We Ghosts are harbingers of it, picking who we believe to be not only worthy, but capable, of the Traveler's power. Your Light is how you're alive right now."

"Used it to take down that Knight," Lancer added. "The Light's got all kinds of uses."

Ayana thought back to the Hive from before, the blaze that engulfed it. "That was the Light?"

"Yup."

"... Does that mean I can do that?"

"Maybe."

She was getting increasingly annoyed at his halfhearted answers. "Alright, I have a bit on the City down, the Light, and the Lightless. But what is the Traveler?"

"That."

Before Ayana could voice her frustration, she saw it as the ship broke over the mountain ridge: A towering ring of concrete and steel protecting all within, obscured from the Heavens by a sphere, hanging in the sky like a celestial beacon that cast the city below in an ever present shadow.

"Woah,"

"Yeah."

Lancer reached up to flip some switches on the overhead console, turning a dial until the interference cleared, upon which he called out "This is Peregrine to Ground Control, permission to dock northside. You read me?"

While waiting for confirmation, Ayana leaned over to whisper. "So, when we get there, are there going to be more... um.. robots? Like you?"

"Exos," Lancer corrected. "And yeah. Frames too."

"What's the difference?"

A new voice came through the radio before he could answer. "Loud and clear, Peregrine. Dock 6 is open and ready for arrival."

Lancer reached up to turn off the transmission, then placed both hands back on the steering wheel as they headed toward the nearest tower. "You see a robot? That's a frame. You see a robot dressed and shaped like a person? Exo."

A hangar quickly became discernible, and Lancer gently guided the ship into the free space with practiced ease. There was a bout of turbulence as the landing gears made contact, nearly causing Ayana to lose her balance if not for Lancer grabbing hold of her arm as he stood from his seat. He herded her back towards the quarters. "Grab your helmet. You'll wanna make a good first impression, so look professional."

She did as told, making her way over to the bed and picking up the final piece to her ensemble and sliding it on. There was the sound of seals securing and ventilation subtly whirring to life, and she gave Lancer a thumbs up.

"Good," Lancer said, having already replaced his helmet and currently adjusting the brim of his hat. "Now watch your step."

That was the only warning she got before the floor opened up.

Granted, it didn't open up fast, but the ground suddenly beginning to slant beneath her feet was still plenty to make her yelp, stumbling to the side as the center of the floor gave way and descended into a ramp down and out. After the sound of active hydraulics ceased, Lancer made a cursory flourish of his hand, not bothering to walk around to where the ramp began and instead opting to jump the short distance with a heavy thud. Ayana followed his lead, because if the ramp could hold his weight, it could surely withstand hers.

They were greeted at the bottom by a young looking blonde with choppy hair and a charming grin, who made a show of looking over Lancer's shoulder at his cargo with a low whistle, "Shucks, Lance, you brought me a Guardian? You shouldn't have."

"Yup, don't say I never got you nothin'," He turned his attention to a data pad as it materialized in his hand, scrolling through its contents before turning it off and gently slapping it into Ayana's chest once she stopped by his side. She instinctively grabbed it as Lancer instructed her, "Take this to Commander Zavala. Blue guy, Hall of Guardians, can't miss 'im."

"Wait," Ayana spun on her heel so fast, she nearly gave herself whiplash as she watched Lancer retreat back up the ramp. "you're leaving?"

"Last I heard, there's a Hive nest developing due north that needs cleaned out." He called over his shoulder. "Ring any bells?"

"You said it was dangerous going in there without backup,"

"I said it was dangerous for a Ghost to go in there without backup. I'll be fine."

"But I just got here!" She stressed. "I don't know where to go, or what to say, or-"

Lancer turned around and pointed at Ayana's Ghost. "You know your way around?"

Ghost bobbed in the air in an approximation of a nod, "I do."

"There ya go, then." Lancer declared, continuing on his way but stopping just at the top with "Oh! Right, almost forgot." He turned back around with a small leather bag in his hand, the particles of Konik's transmat just fizzling away, and gave the bag an underhand toss down. Ghost transmatted it before Ayana could even think to catch it. "Some Glimmer. Get your little guy somethin' nice."

Ayana watched in growing despair as the ramp began to ascend, and just before it sealed all the way, Lancer knelt down and tipped his hat in farewell. She could only wave back as the ship's engines roared back to life, and Ayana felt a pang of sadness as she watched the ship get air and depart, hoping she'd see him again.

Once the noise had died down, Ghost gently nudged the side of her helm. "I'm sure he'll be just fine."

"Oh-ho, yeah. Don't you worry about him, hun. Lance ain't no slouch." The woman took place next to Ayana, extending a gloved hand. "Amanda Holliday. You named yet?"

Ayana made sure the data pad was securely tucked under her arm before accepting the offer. She tried a smile, remembered that she was wearing a helmet, and then nodded. "Ayana. It's nice to meet another friendly face."

Amanda's grip was as firm as her smile was kind. "Here's hopin' you'll meet plenty more around here. Listen, I gotta get back to it, but you're welcome to stop by anytime." She pointed waited for Ayana to look back in the intended direction before continuing. "There's a stairwell back that way that'll lead you to the Plaza, your Ghost can guide you from there."

Ayana was sure to thank her, exchanging farewells before heading on with Ghost trailing behind her. There were a handful of workers residing along the way, some of which even spared her a cursory wave as she passed, and it was quickly dawning on her why Lancer had pointed out her complexion. The vast majority was very... warm looking. Certainly a far cry from her own appearance, and she found herself self-consciously grateful for the helmet.

It wasn't long before she reached the Plaza, and Ayana found what she realized were other Guardians traversing about the open space, flittering between vendors. She was stunned by the level of variation amongst them, ranging from tactical utility to vibrant flamboyance with everything in between. She saw the frames that Lancer had mentioned stationed about as well, some of which were even armed.

"This way," Ghost called, confidently weaving through the traffic and swirling amongst the other Ghosts that crossed his path. "I'll show you around once we touch base with the commander. It shouldn't take too long."

Not looking to argue, Ayana simply followed along, doing her best to stay out of the others' ways as she went. Fortunately, they all seemed to have the same idea as they curved around her without much more than a glance, a nod if someone felt friendly.

Ghost soon led her down a staircase, and she heard the woman at the bottom before she saw her. Standing in the dark while hunched over a glowing green orb, she was mumbling haunting nothings, mentions of the Hive and the Darkness, and many more things that Ayana couldn't begin to understand. Ayana was sure to give her a wide berth as she treaded past.

The following chamber's atmosphere was quiet and low-lit, and the back wall, adorned with an assortment of trophies that ranged from armor and weaponry to unnerving skulls, was illuminated by an overhead that bathed the area in a warm glow. Crimson banners adorned the ceiling and walls, marked with a sigil of clashing swords. More of those skulls hung from the ceiling, the largest of which took center point between the banners in an ominous display. But back on ground level, there was actual furniture in the form of a leather couch and matching chair, with coffee tables and nice rugs. It all made for a rather cozy looking study.

"I will not accept surrender, Guardian! You have dignity to maintain!"

Ayana jolted at the booming voice that echoed through the hall, scrambling for purchase as she nearly dropped her data pad. Once she got her bearings, her eyes fell upon the source: a Guardian donned in white and orange stood behind the desk next to the study. Fur adorned his shoulders, and the helm he wore, with an almost half and half paint job, sported an elegantly curved horn, gilded with gold on his right and the broken remnants of its counterpart on his left. He had once been slouched over the blue-lit screen that seemingly earned his ire, but upon hearing Ayana's disarray was now staring back at her as he slowly extended to full height.

Oh, he's massive.

"Have a problem, Guardian?"

His voice was much softer than it had been, but it most definitely hasn't lost the biting edge she'd heard five seconds ago. She couldn't see his eyes any better than he could see hers, but his stare felt like a crushing weight pinning her in place, and Ayana would have been perfectly content if the ground simply swallowed her then and there.

She apparently took too long to find her tongue, because the absolute mountain of a man behind the desk snapped, drawn out as if he were talking down to a particularly slow child, "Speak."

He hadn't even raised his voice, but she still jumped. "No- I mean sir- I," she stopped herself right then and there. What was it he just said about dignity? She wasn't sure she had any left, at this point.

Thankfully for her, Ghost was quick to the rescue. "We had been told to report to Commander Zavala?"

He simply jabbed his thumb towards the next room, attention already reclaimed by the screens at the corner of his desk. "Go on, then."

Apparently dismissed, Ayana followed as instructed without further comment, crossing the room as swiftly as possible while keeping her gaze downcast. She'd already earned a fraction of his ire- she wasn't keen on experiencing any more.

Ghost's voice echoed in her helm as he bobbed after her. "That's Lord Shaxx, handler of the Crucible. He's... something, but his contributions to the City and Guardians alike have been vast. But don't worry, you have time before you should have to deal with him."

The next room had to be the right place, she was sure of it- even without Lord Shaxx's apathetic instruction. It looked to be a control room of sorts, much larger than the previous space with a more professional atmosphere. Personnel, human and autonomous alike, manned the various monitors along the walls, and there were more yet down the steps that led to the center of the room. A large arched window took up the far wall, bathing the room in natural light that mingled with the warm industrial lighting above and the cool glow of the screens. In the center of it all stood a long table that was attended by three individuals. Their status as Guardians was obvious, if not by the Ghosts that hovered by each, then by the air of importance that surrounded them.

As Ayana descended to the sunken floor, her gaze favoring the towering banners not unlike the ones in Lord Shaxx's space with their own sigils. But she couldn't pretend that she was simply here for the decorum forever, so she cautiously approached the table to make herself known and stopped at the nearest end.

Whatever she'd planned to say died in her throat as she took in the faces of each guardian. An man in leather armor stood to the left, hunched over a yellowed map. His downcast face was primarily obscured by a hood, but she could make out some kind of horn protruding from the front and the hint of an Exo's face. To her right was a dark skinned woman in flowing purple robes, with hair buzzed short similarly to Ayana's own hair. A large tome sat open before her as she carefully flipped the pages. And lastly, at the other end of the table and directly across from Ayana, a man armored in silver and red stood with a data pad of his own as he scrolled through it with a frown.

Ayana's head slowly panned between the man and the Exo.

Lancer described Zavala as a blue guy. He had failed to mention that there were two blue guys.

The Exo, thankfully, took notice. He looked up from his map, gave her a once-over, then straightened up only to spin on his heel and lean against the table. Likely coming to a conclusion based on her attire, he offered, "Hey, you look new. What's up?"

His tone was nonchalant and oddly... comfortable? As if he were talking to an old friend rather than a stranger. Ayana wasn't sure if it was a deliberate choice on his part, or simply who he was, but it helped soothe the butterflies in her stomach, even if only a little. She looked to her Ghost, but he only gave her a little nod and whispered prompt, "Go on,"

Right, so this part was on her, then. She took a slow breath as she turned her attention back to the Exo, who to his credit, seemed to be a lot more patient with her struggle than the last guy.

"I was told to report to Commander... Zavala?" She tentatively offered him her data pad, "Are you him?"

"Heh," He gently pushed it back towards her with a smile. "Luckily, no. Waayyy too much paperwork."

He continued at a louder volume, pointing over his shoulder at the armored figure behind him. "Nah, you're looking for that one. Easy mistake. I mean, look at us," he sauntered over to the man in question, stopping at his right and lounging an arm around his shoulder. "Practically twins."

Commander Zavala's sigh was as much weary as it was anything else. The Exo didn't push his luck, but he didn't look all that remorseful as he backed away with his hands raised in surrender. He returned to his earlier spot but remained attentive, adjusting his cloak out of the way and crossing his arms as he propped himself against the table's edge, giving Ayana a pat on the back before nodding her to go.

Ayana maneuvered around the table in order to stand before the commander, and he looked up at her and offered the slightest smile. It was warm and welcoming, though it didn't quite match the intensity of his eyes, blue and sharp. He discarded his data pad and offered a hand for hers. "Speak freely, Guardian. Report."

She pawned the object in question off to him, letting her hands hang at her sides as she straightened to full height. "Sir," She managed to keep the uncertainty out of her voice as she explained, "My name is Ayana, I was told to deliver that to you. Lancer-9 sent me."

Zavala's brows furrowed as he read the tablet's contents, pausing to give her a contemplative look. "You were risen within the depths of a Hive nest."

"Yes, sir."

"And you two," he glanced at her Ghost, "managed to survive and escape."

Ayana winced and rubbed the back of her neck. "Well, not... quite. There were Thralls,"

"Cursed Thralls." Ghost supplied.

"Right. They uh, they got me once. But we did get out, at least."

There was a low whistle behind her, and the Exo's voice rang out. "That's rough. Good thing Lance found you in there."

Ayana was about to correct him when Zavala cut in. "Lancer found her after she escaped the nest."

She nodded, and there was a distinct sound of the Exo's mouth clamping shut.

"Weapons?"

"None, sir. I mostly just ran."

Zavala hummed. Whether that was good or bad, Ayana didn't know. He checked the report before continuing, "It says here that you nearly lost your Ghost."

She couldn't deny it. "Yes, a Knight grabbed him after I got out," Ghost drifted closer to the side of her helm with a quiet beep. "That's when Lancer showed up. If it weren't for him, neither of us would be here."

One of her hands comes up to hover protectively by her companion, keeping him close while Zavala gave him an indecipherable look. She was prepared for another lecture, but that lecture never came as Zavala's attention shifted to the Ghost that hovered over his own shoulder: a Ghost nearly identical in shell design to hers, with the exception of some red decaling. It was also in better shape overall, the white being pristine without a dent to be found. The two of them stared at one another for a time in unspoken discussion until the commander regarded her once more.

"The circumstances of your resurrection were strenuous, that much is certain. And based on the report, would I be correct to assume that access to your Light was limited?"

"I don't think I felt anything until I was nearly outside the cave," She answered honestly. "Save for when I got revived and initially risen."

"That complicates things," he finished tapping something up on the data pad, then offered it back to her. "Arrangements are currently being made for your quarters, retire there at your leisure. You are to remain on standby for the time being, until we have determined your Light's affinity and your skillset. You will be assigned from there."

"Sweet, that's settled, then." The Exo was next to her in an instant, throwing an arm over her shoulder and guiding her back up the steps. Ayana was too surprised to protest, so she let herself be led along as he continued, "I'll show her where to go. Say, newbie, you eat anything yet? There's a ramen place that makes the best spicy noodles, you'll love them. Now, it's kinda outta the way, but trust me when I say they are SO worth it,"

"If I'm not mistaken," The woman in purple called out, and he froze, "Ayana's ghost should have all the necessary data sent directly to him. Correct?"

As the attention was shifted to the Ghost in question, he chirped, "Ah! One moment," his eye went dark for a beat, "Got it. Information received, Ikora."

"Excellent," Ikora smiled at Cayde's back, almost smug while her tone was light. "Then Cayde need not neglect his duties."

Zavala smirked. "Indeed."

Cayde slumped forward, tilting his head up with a sigh. "So close."

"You really weren't," Zavala informed. Cayde merely grumbled as he slinked back to his post, and Zavala gave Ayana one last cursory nod. "Dismissed... And Guardian,"

Ayana halted at the top of the steps, looking back over her shoulder.

The commander smiled. "Welcome home."

At a glance, the average passerby wouldn't realize anything was amidst. Just a gap in otherwise beautiful evergreen scenery.

But as Lancer stood at the mouth of the cave, idly scraping the toe of his boot through the scorched dirt, he planned. "How far down you think it goes?"

"Difficult to say," Konik informed. "Could be anywhere from one to three klicks. Can't be more than four. The cave system appears to vast, based on radar."

"Open space?"

"I won't be able to give an accurate answer until we're inside, but I doubt it."

He summoned his shotgun and checked the ammo. "Dark's already that thick, huh."

"It's thick enough," Konik hovered over Lancer's shoulder as they delved in, lighting the way for the time being. "Revival won't be an issue, but try to be frugal. We weren't a moment too soon in coming here."

"Old fashion way, then." Lancer let out a dry laugh, "I think I can manage that."

The tunnel was a gentle incline, but the rate at which the sun's rays diminished confirmed they were in fact going down. Not particularly surprising, and it wasn't long before the crunch of dry dirt grew damp beneath Lancer's boots. Konik's eye lit the way forward, exposing the black molds that dug into every crevice they could find. Even that sight grew more grotesque with time, riddled with growths long since burst, leaving gaps akin to gaping wounds that blemished every surface. No matter how many times Lancer was exposed to it, it never failed to make him feel like he had skin that could crawl.

Lancer didn't bother stopping at the first fork in the road, or the next. He did stop however when Konik's lighting flickered out, allowing his helmet's nightvision to take over and dropping to a crouch with an eye on his flashing radar. "What do we got?"

"Five, coming up on the right. They're stationary."

He took it slow until the Thralls were in sight, easing around the corner and rising back to his feet once he could confirm that they were indeed dormant, the glow of their husks a lethargic pulse. There was enough space between him and the group, he could get them all with one shot.

Lancer allowed the shotgun to be swapped for his rifle and took aim.

"It's going to be loud,"

"Yup," The Thrall in the middle, that was his best bet. "Faster, too."

The crack of the gun was drowned out by the chain combustion, there was a tremor in the ground and Lancer locked his knees, throwing an arm up as rancid debris was thrown in every direction. He could feel the heat even through his layers, but it was gone just as quickly, leaving a cold air and rotten stench.

The silence lasted for but a second before screams echoed through the tunnels, and Lancer followed the noise with his shotgun back in hand, taking off in a dead run as arc licked at his soles.

"How many?"

"A lot."

The first three Thralls went down like nothing, one shot, two shot, three. He barreled into the next, letting the Arc's jolt finish the job and chain to two more. He dropped into a slide, keeping his momentum as a Knight swung its blade and missed. He unloaded his last two shots into the Knight's back, and only once it fell did Lancer stop to reload before pressing on to meet the cacophony of howling shrieks with the barrel of his gun. His feet pounded into the mud and he closed the gap with a lunge, the smell of charred flesh mixing with the ozone as he landed. Two more shots for the stragglers before he veered onto the left path. A well timed punch made swift work of any single adversary, allowing him to continue undeterred.

His foot caught beneath him and he felt the piercing cold dig into his leg, making him curse while the enclosed space was illuminated in green by the snare. He shot at the borders, and of course it was then that more Cursed Thralls stumbled upon him. He barely managed to break the trap's hold on his leg in time to stagger back, firing a blind shot into the nearest husk. The force of the explosions sent him to the ground, but he'd gotten enough distance between them to suffer only moderate injury that Konik promptly worked to repair.

He climbed back to his feet. "Reading anythin' big yet?"

"Maybe."

"The fuck you mean maybe?" He ran to the right, leading the hoard that poured out of the left further in as he let energy build in his arm.

"I'm reading something, but I can't tell what is. Could be Ogres, could be a ritual, could be another batch of Thralls. I thought you agreed to be frugal with your Light."

"Oh, I'm sorry," He skidded to a halt and braced himself as the charge grew stronger. The walls were bathed in electric blue as Arc danced along his body, accumulating in his fist. "You wanna clear 'em out?" Once the leader was close enough that Lancer could count the damned thing's teeth, he let loose, sending a shockwave forward that eviscerated the creature and all that followed it. "Be my guest."

Konik couldn't sigh in his current state, but the Ghost's frustration was palpable. "We're clear for a moment. Keep going this way, the reading's getting stronger."

Lancer followed his Ghost's instructions but took his time in doing so; loose rocks rolled under his boots, and he could only imagine what a pain in the ass it must've been to try maneuvering down here without being prepared for it.

His thoughts were interrupted when he realized, looking down, that he didn't have to imagine. He crouched down to confirm that yes, among the tramplings of Hive traffic, there were distinct impressions in the soil that didn't belong to a clawed foot. Ayana's boots. He found himself following the trail backwards until it stopped at a gap in the wall to his left. It looked like a bit of a tight fit, but he could probably squeeze through.

"Lancer,"

"In a minute." He stored his and entered sideways for easier access, finding himself in a decently sized pocket. Konik appeared next to him, providing a more effective light, and Lancer knelt over the displaced dirt in the back of the space. "So, she was here."

Konik scoffed. "We're over a klick deep. That Ghost had to have had a death wish."

"Y'know, you weren't all that careful lookin' for me, either."

He was quick to defend, "That was different. You weren't in a Hive nest."

"Nope," Lancer rose back up. "Just out in the open. In Fallen Territory."

"No Darkness, though." The ghost scrunched. "I was careful."

"Sure,"

"I was," Konik groused, heading back to the mouth of the pocket to light the way. He stopped, shining his eye at the ground. "Hey, look at this."

There, partially sunk into the ground, rested a rusted old helmet. Lancer picked it up to examine it further, turning it around to get a better look at the front. It was modeled similarly to that of a bike helmet, though the visor didn't reach the jawline, leaving an open gap. The visor itself, or what was left of it, was spider cracked, making visibility completely useless.

There were differences, likely generational, but the core principle of the helmet's design was one he recognized. "The hell was a Queen's Guard doin' in a random cave system?"

"Could've been a scout," Konik offered. "If she was even still under the Queen at the time. There's a chance she defected when the Awoken split and kept the armor."

"What got her?"

"How should I know? Fallen, maybe? She probably got hit and took refuge here before succumbing to her injuries."

"Hm," Lancer stored the helmet away. He'll have to drop it off for Ayana, later. Maybe she'd want it. "Let's get movin'."

They were back on the path soon enough with Konik safely hidden away once more. It was an uneventful trek, but Konik's signal grew rapidly stronger until Lancer stumbled, having nearly fell into a sudden drop before he caught his footing. Leaning over the edge of the pit, it didn't take a genius to realize the source of the weird reading: a massive hatchery, brimming with bloated, writhing worms. Lancer grimaced as watched them wriggle about while he summoned a grenade. He charged it with solar and gave it an underhand toss, and the heat rapidly expanded akin to a miniature sun upon contact, effectively incinerating the brood. He waited for the light to die out and watched for any further movement, and was satisfied to find none before he turned to backtrack in favor of another tunnel.

"You picking anythin' else like that up?"

"No, that was the only one of those, I think. There could still be a ritual happening somewhere."

"Great. Any idea-"

He let out a pained shout as a shot singed his shoulder, dropping a barrier that lit up the area. He was met with an Acolyte, seemingly alone but Lancer knew better than to assume that was true. Back to it, then. He lunged through and grabbed the Acolyte, heaving it around and slamming it into the barrier and holding it there as the Light ate at its armored back. The creature howled and fired blind shots that Lancer narrowly dodged before he caved in its skull against the nearest stone wall. His shotgun was back in his hands before the corpse hit the ground and he was running as he reloaded. There were indeed more, and he unloaded one, two, three, four, dropping into a slide for the fifth.

The roar that he heard reverberated somewhere deep within, and he followed it, bending and weaving through the labyrinth and only slowing for Konik's confirmations and the occasional clearing of assailants.

His hunt came to an end when the trail ended in a vast expansion, in which the center held a massive ritual circle overseen by a carved stone rune that floated above. Crystals hovered around the cavern, channeling Darkness and further fueled by the Wizards who sung their cursed melodies. Thralls and Acolytes swarmed the makeshift arena to defend their idols, and Lancer used his thrusters to get some breathing room, taking potshots here and there until he touched ground in the nearest clearing. He swapped his shotgun out for the rifle and aimed for the nearest crystal, shattering it in two hits.

A Wizard shrieked, and Lancer went to shoot her next. The first shot went awry, and he was knocked further off course as a horde closed in around him, screeching and tearing at his jacket. He could only brace himself as he let a charge build before sending it into the nearest target, an unlucky Thrall who functioned as a link for the Arc to chain through the crowd, and Lancer took the opportunity to get back on the move.

He took out a few more crystals in the meantime, tossing a grenade over his shoulder while he focused on cutting down the Wizards. He nailed three of them when another roar rang out, and Lancer couldn't get out of the way in time as the behemothian Ogre lumbered in and swung down, the shockwave of its fists meeting the earth knocking the Titan off his feet.

Lancer rolled out of the way as the Ogre attempted to slam down again, and lined up a shot from his place on the ground. The shot met its mark, and the beast cried out as lucent fluids erupted from the growths in its head, clutching at its injury, giving Lancer ample time to find his footing again.

The Ogre, no longer requiring Lancer's immediate attention, was left to thrash about while Lancer rushed into the nearest gathering crowd shoulder first, letting the sparks clear the way. The result left him out in the open, and whatever curse he'd meant to utter died in his throat as he choked on the Darkness that suddenly swirled around him. His limbs felt heavy, weighed down by the surrounding pressure that only grew as he was surrounded, attacked from all sides. His shields were gone in no time and he was forced to ground as the Thralls piled on top of him, ripping and clawing at whatever they could reach.

His Light was barely a spark in his chest, ever building but stubbornly out of reach. He needed to move.

Shotgun. One, two. click.

Fuck's sake.

It took several desperate swings and kicks before he could reach the handcannon strapped to his thigh, and even more to get the gun aimed even somewhat decently to blow out a thrall's leg. He scrambled into an army crawl as they landed blow after blow on his back, internal systems screaming for repair, but he didn't waste time on defense and focused on escaping the suffocating snare.

There was a sound of crumpling polymer as pain shot through his shoulder blade. Just a little more.

A Thrall fell from a shot to the knee. Lancer crawled over it. His vision was flashing red.

Almost... there.

The air buzzed and crackled as the smell of ozone permeated everything, and Lancer stood within the crater caused by the thunderous jumpstart. Energy coursed through his wiring and over every inch of his form as he took a step forward. He charged with balled fists. He left nothing but devastation in his wake as the Arc jumped off him and took out the collateral.

He ignored them all, launched into the air once he was close to the Ogre he had left standing and slammed down in a manner akin to the trick it had pulled on him. Arc traveled with the shockwave, climbing the beast's legs and up its spine. Lancer took the small window of opportunity to use the collapsing beast as leverage, his boot firmly planting itself in the still oozing head wound as he pushed off of it to close the gap between himself and the nearest Wizard. He bodied her, and she used her final shrieking breaths to desperately claw at him until he pushed off of her to do the same to the next, and then two more.

He felt the thunder in his chest begin to ebb, so with one last push, he summoned his sword and ran at the nearest wall. He jumped, thrusters active for extra momentum, and pushed off the wall to get that last bit of height he needed. He channeled his Light into it and, as the blade was set ablaze, he swung. The motion carried him and he met his mark, and the rune cracked, the spells holding it up severed as it crashed to the ground below.

Lancer landed next to it with a thud. A grenade made decent work of the stragglers on ground level, a few more bullets for the crystals, and the cavern was mercifully silent. His breathing was ragged and every part of him ached. His arm had a stiffness that it shouldn't as he went to adjust his hat, only to find that it was no longer there.

He grumbled while he went to find the hat, and he eventually did with the help of Konik. With the crystals destroyed and the ritual so abruptly ended, the space was dark as shit, and the dirt and soot that stained the torn garment didn't make searching for it any easier. Still, he put it on; he'd just have to get it repaired later, along with the jacket.

With that sorted, he turned his attention back to the rune. It still had some power left that was still fading, and the closer the got, the more clearly he could hear it. He knelt in front of it, running his hand over the faintly glowing symbol etched into it. "What,"

"I don't know," Konik hovered beside him. He should be scanning it. "I don't..."

"Put it in the report."

"Right,"

Neither of them moved for a time, lost in their own minds as the rune hummed its dying tones.

Chapter Text

"Zone B captured, Zone Advantage to Alpha Team."

Ayana watched the screen with rapt interest, hugging a pillow as she sat cross-legged on the couch. She's spent the past few days on banalities; she now had registered accounts across finance and postal relations, a social identification code, and a small wardrobe to her name thanks to the introductory budget of glimmer she'd earned with her account for her guardianship status. Ghost had walked her through all the details, so she was officially set up as a member of society.

Not that she's done much to participate as one. Instead, she's taken full advantage of her ordered bed rest and opted to use some of the spare glimmer she hadn't put aside for food to spruce up her utilitarian, blue and grey apartment, albeit mildly. Such as the red throw pillow she clung to as she watched a group of guardians be reduced to atoms by a concentrated projectile of pure, volatile Void energy. Lord Shaxx's exclamations of praise rang out as the Warlock responsible worked to reclaim the lost zone by himself.

Life in the apartment was uneventful, but she found herself thoroughly entertained when she discovered the broadcasted blood sport. It was a welcome distraction when she had trouble sleeping, and it had the added bonus of giving her a crash course on Guardian Combat from a safe distance, where she'd dutifully ask Ghost questions as they arose and get a rundown of varying detail. It's all been rather informative.

It was also really, really fun. In a grisly sort of way.

She was distracted from the match by a knock at the door, prompting her to turn down the volume before looking to Ghost. It was still early and she hadn't even ordered anything yet. Right as she was about to ask though, Ghost's eye flashed to signal a notification. There was a beat before he perked up.

"They're back."

She tossed the pillow aside and ran for the door, opening it to find Lancer waiting with Konik at his shoulder. He was out of armor, opting for a casual T-Shirt and jeans combo. The hat and jacket remained, however, and both looked to be in better condition than they had been before. He opened his mouth to greet her, and subsequently froze as he got an armful of Ayana. The blue light in his mouth flickered as he cleared his throat, awkwardly patting her on the back until she released him from the hug. "Hi to you, too."

She beamed at the pair, "Welcome back." She stepped aside for them to enter and made sure to shut the door behind them. "How'd it go? You were gone for a while."

"Went alright. Whole thing got bigger than we thought. Only got back last night," Lancer shrugged while he took in her living space. "But all in all, pretty standard run."

"So, they're all..."

"Dead and gone," he confirmed. "'Least until somethin' else decides to creep in and make claim."

Konik snorted. "Don't know why anyone would bother, that place was a maze. How did either of you get anywhere?"

"We managed," Ghost said with a spin of his shell. The movement earned Lancer's attention, and the elder guardian offered his hand. Ghost looked to Ayana, and when given the go-ahead, complied with Lancer's request.

"Well, ain't you all fancy," Lancer praised as he examined the ghost's new shell. Gone was the dented white and yellow, and he now sported a black and white color scheme, with gold accents and green leaf patterns decaling his fins. Ghost did a little twirl, chirping at the praise before Lancer handed him back off to Ayana. She shrugged, suddenly sheepish. It wasn't the most expensive model, being simply a paint job, but she couldn't in good conscience leave him in such a battered state, even if the dents in his core had mended themselves.

"You said to get something nice. He picked the colors,"

Both guardians and ghosts alike were caught short by the TV,

"Haha, look at them fall!"

"Ah," Lancer chuckled, leaning over the back of the couch as Ayana retook her old seat. "So, you found the Crucible, then."

"Mhm," she nodded. "Been trying to learn from it. It looks intense."

He snorted. "Yeah, that's a good word for it."

"Have you played?"

"Sure," Lancer said as he pushed off the couch. "Plenty of times, it's a good time if you know what you're gettin' into. Sucks ass if you don't. Also, never use the word "play" when talkin' about Crucible within earshot of Shaxx. Guy'll rip you a new one."

He didn't say anything else as he disappeared into the kitchen, so Ayana refocused her attention to the match. Less than three minutes left, and Alpha was winning by a healthy margin, but Bravo Team was fighting hard for a comeback. Just as a Titan summoned her hammer, she heard Lancer call out.

"Kid?"

"Yeah?"

"Why the hell don't you have any food?"

She turned to look over her shoulder at him as he poked his head back into the living room. "I've been ordering out?"

Lancer pinched the bridge between his eyes with a sigh, before straightening up, mind made up. "Alright. You got clothes? Other than those?" He gestured to her, referring the tank top and loose sleep pants she wore.

"Yes...?"

"Good, get dressed." He ordered. When she started to protest, he promptly took the remote out of her hand, turning off the TV. "You ain't livin' on takeout. Get dressed and we'll go get you stocked up. Quit pouting, you gotta know this shit."

Ayana refrained from voicing her insistence that there's a difference between pouting and frowning and got up with a grumble, which definitely didn't help her case. It's not like she hadn't been wanting to do this eventually, but she'd really wanted to see who won that match. She had just made it to the door when Lancer tore her from her musings. "By the way, heads up."

Ayana stopped at the door and turned around just in time to catch the helmet he tossed to her. She rolled the relic in her hands as she took in its design beneath the wear. "Where did this come from?"

Lancer gave a noncommittal shrug. "Found it in the cave, pretty sure it's yours. Or I guess was."

The design was familiar in some way, but Ayana wouldn't be able to identify how if you held a gun to her head. She'd have to figure out what to do with it later, but for now decided it was an effective space filler on one of the mounted shelves while she went to go change. By the time she'd settled on something, her initial frustration had been mostly replaced with trepidation and, admittedly, excitement. She'd been putting all of this off because it all seemed overwhelming. Sure, Ghost was there to assist her, but it's not like he needed groceries; he didn't really know any more about running errands than she did. But now that Lancer was... well, not exactly offering, but she wasn't going to waste the opportunity being a hermit.

She settled on a plain loose knit sweater and black pants. It wasn't terribly cold outside yet, but the Autumn chill was starting to make itself known. Tie it together with some plain lowcut boots and she was set, modest and comfortable. Lancer was already waiting for her at the front door, sparing her a brief nod before stepping out and into the concrete hallway. He seemed dead set on where he was heading at a glance, but in reality he wasn't going very fast and Ayana didn't have any trouble in catching up to him.

"Sooo," she hazarded once they reached the elevator. "Where are we going?"

"Down," Lancer said as he pressed the appropriate button. "Into the city. There are a few good market places, one of 'em ain't too far from here." He leaned against the back railing with crossed arms. "Lucky you got quarters so close to the lift. Feels like I gotta walk a marathon to get to mine."

Ayana stepped back to join him, though preferred to remain stood upright as they descended. "Does it really matter? Can't we all just teleport, or whatever? Like we did to get on your ship."

Konik took the liberty of answering this one. "It's not encouraged, because it's considered a disturbance of traffic. The barracks are shared by guardians and Lightless personnel alike. The average worker doesn't have access to transmat on a whim, so guardians are requested to generally abide the same limitation when they're here."

"Not that they can do much more than fine ya for it," Lancer grunted. "Only thing stoppin' ya is whether or not your ghost's got a stick up its ass."

"I'm not transmatting you just so you don't have to walk to an elevator, Lance. It's good exercise."

"Right, 'course. Gotta watch my figure."

The pair bickered back and forth while Ayana and Ghost simply watched in shared amusement, that was until the elevator suddenly stopped and all chatter ceased. It opened to reveal a trio of guardians, still in armor, who seemed to be in the midst of their own conversation as they stepped aboard. Ayana went to lean against the back wall alongside Lancer to give them room, and the movement caught the attention of the Hunter, who openly gawked. The other two weren't far behind in that regard, leaving the whole elevator in some kind of stare-down. Ayana found herself wishing that she was on Lancer's other side, just for that little bit of a wall between her and potential scrutiny. 

It was the Titan who broke the silence first with a clearing of her throat. "Sorry, we didn't expect anyone else to be catching a ride,"

That sounded lame, even to Ayana, but she still put on her best smile given the circumstance. "It's no trouble. We're just heading down, is all."

"Cool, cool. So are we," she paused, rubbing at the back of her neck while her companions seemed content in making her do the talking. She spoke a little too loudly when she continued, "SO, I don't think we've seen you around before. You just move in?"

"Only a few days ago," Ayana answered. "Making my first errand run."

The group all made noises of understanding, and the Hunter spoke up with put-on fondness, "I remember my first errand run, I got lost trying to find paper towels. Good times,"

"Surprised you even found the store," came the Warlock's comment, earning a light punch to the arm. The mood seemed lighter after that, and with the tension now somewhat broken, the Warlock took to Ayana's other side. His voice had that exo trademarked tinniness to it. "We just got back from a Vanguard Op south of here. I take it you haven't done any field work yet, being a New Light and all."

Their collective gaze was still nothing short of uncomfortable, but they were trying to be polite at least. Still made it no less awkward to answer, "No... I haven't even been assigned a Vanguard, yet."

"Huh, that's a new one." The Hunter cocked his head. "Most guardians have that figured out within the hour, from what I've heard."

"Yeah, well. I had a bit of a rough start," Ayana tried to make light of it, offering a halfhearted shrug.

She was grateful when he didn't push it further. "Well, if you ever want some help, I'm sure we'd be happy to assist." He offered a handshake, using his other hand to gesture to himself, "Name's Shaw," the Titan, "this is Maeve," and finally the Warlock, "and he's Cas."

She took his hand and shook with gentle grace, "Ayana. I appreciate the offer," She crooked a thumb at her own companion. "Lancer's been helping me settle in, so far."

"Wait, really?" Shaw gestured between them, and surprise was evident in his voice. "You're with him?"

Ayana blinked.

She surveyed her company. While the trio displayed varying levels of intrigue, Lancer appeared completely nonplussed about the whole exchange. Ayana would have wondered if he was even listening, if it weren't for the cool gaze he'd been leveling them all with from beneath the brim of his hat. The group would look at him, occasionally, but never for long.

Ah. "He's the only reason I made it to the City."

"That's..." Shaw's gaze flicked to Lancer. "That's really lucky."

There was a ding as the elevator slowed to a stop, opening to reveal ground level. The group made their way to the proper exit while Lancer and Ayana tailed the back. Once outside, Maeve was the first to offer her farewells with the other two following suit with friendly handshakes and casual salutes. Pleasantries exchanged, Ayana watched the trio walk off. Once they were out of earshot, she turned to Lancer.

"Okay, what was that?"

"What was what?"

"You know," she motioned in the general direction the group had. "That. All of that."

"Guardians. Reckon they're a fireteam."

"That's not-" she took a deep breath. He was doing it on purpose. He had to be. "Why were they acting so strange?"

"No clue what you mean,"

Definitely on purpose. He started walking in another direction with his hands in his pockets, calling over his shoulder, "Try and keep up, will ya?"

In Ayana's four days of living, she's seen the sunrise from Earth's orbit, sweeping landscapes, and monsters that promised only death and decay.

And yet, she still found herself in awe, her attention easily claimed by anything and everything in the wonderful new world known as a common supermarket.

Still, Ayana did put in the effort to pay attention to Lancer's words as they walked the aisles. Avoid perishables such as dairy or produce unless the schedule allows it, eggs and cured meats are high priority for freezer stock. He walked her through brands and prices as he did his own shopping, and at the end of it all showed her where to get a basic set of cookware. The entire haul was relatively small, since she was only buying for one mouth to feed, but it was enough to take a hefty chunk out of her finance. Which is how, after their ghosts had transmatted their respective groceries, she wound up in a café with a greasy, but delicious, loaded hamburger that Lancer refused to let her pay for.

"Talked to the Vanguard," Lancer took a bite out of his own burger, and despite the fact that he was actively chewing, his voice was fascinatingly unaffected. "You're an unknown factor, so puttin' you in the field's a no-go 'til we got you figured out. You'd just be a liability at this point."

Ayana tried not to visibly wilt at the remark. "By "figure me out," that entails... what, precisely?"

"Tests. Practice. Training," he supplied. "I'll be handlin' that. Figured I found ya, makes you my responsibility."

"So, what? You report my progress and let them decide what to do with me?"

"No, I report your progress and I decide what to do with you," He took a swig of his drink. "You're off-limits 'til I say otherwise."

She looked up from her fries with a frown. "You can do that?"

"Yup. And I did."

Nothing was said for a time while the two of them ate in silence, meanwhile Ayana silently scrutinized the exo. She wasn't as subtle as she'd hoped, and Lancer called her on it after a waitress had arrived with refills, "I can see gears turnin', kid. Out with it."

"You're just going to dodge the question."

"I won't," He put a hand where his heart would be. "Swear on my Light."

She wasn't going to test her luck, so she spoke plainly. "Are you someone important?"

He put down the remains of his burger to give a vague hand wave. "Not really. Did some tough jobs for the Vanguard over the years, got a reputation from it. Earned respect. Vanguard owes me a favor or two for my work, so I'm cashin' in now. They trust my judgement."

"And those guys on the lift? What was their deal?"

"Beats me," he shrugged. "Might've been 'cause I'm not all that..." he trailed off, humming thoughtfully.

"Approachable? Sociable? Friendly?" Konik's voice was heard as he materialized. "Am I getting warmer?"

"Fuck off."

Konik didn't even acknowledge him. "My point being, we tend to stick to ourselves unless an assignment dictates otherwise. Makes him a wild card to a lot of people."

"In that case," Ayana pressed on. "Why am I the exception? If you two are such a big deal, why go out of your way to help me?"

"Why not?"

Lancer's tone was deceptively nonchalant, and his gaze was an unspoken dare to challenge him on it. She got the impression that any doubt she had in being worth his time would fall on deaf ears. It was only once they were finished eating and out the door that she relented, "When do we start? Training, that is."

"Soon as you get home and change," Lancer answered, already walking off while Ayana jogged to catch up with him. "Meet me in the court yard within the hour." It turned out that her attempt to catch up proved moot, as the second she did, he was gone, leaving a shimmer of Light in his wake as Konik took him away and Ayana standing alone on the sidewalk.

"... I thought Konik said guardians weren't allowed to transmat,"

"Only within the Tower," Ghost clarified as he spawned over her shoulder. "And more of a case of not using it outside designated zones, even then. Would you like to transmat to your quarters? It'll save you a good twenty minutes."

Ayana had no idea what to expect from this suddenly scheduled "training," and she didn't find herself in much of a hurry to found out. She picked a direction and simply started walking, intent on getting in a little more sightseeing before she was needed. "Transmat me when it'll save me ten."

"Will do."

It was strange wearing the armor again after having not worn it for a few days, yet Ayana found comfort in it. And if she took longer than necessary putting the whole ensemble on, methodically checking every clasp and adjusting her grieves, that was nobody's business but her own. But despite her trepidation, she did leave the sanctuary that was her quarters eventually, and after a brief trip up the lift, found Lancer propped against a stack of crates just to the right. He was in full getup as well. He nodded in greeting before gesturing her to follow.

Traversing the Tower with Lancer was certainly different, Ayana absently thought. While her experience involved skirting around other guardians, Lancer's mysterious reputation has earned him quite the wide berth. Which made it all the more obvious how she was trailing close behind him, and there were quite a few odd looks shot her way. If he was as accomplished as it sounded, she could only imagine how strange she looked, being such a fresh face, so to speak. Like a beagle puppy following a wolfdog.

Her musings ceased when she realized they weren't going to the hangar like she'd once presumed, and her confusion was replaced with building dread as Lancer led her down the stairs, past the woman with the glowing rock and into the warmly lit lobby. Any hope she had that they were going to the Vanguard was crushed under Lancer's boot as he ambled toward the desk at which Lord Shaxx was stationed. Lord Shaxx actually met him halfway, chuckling and gripping Lancer's forearm in greeting.

"Hivebane. Been a time since I've seen you, what do I owe?"

"Been a time since I've had time, y'know how it is," Lancer shrugged. "Missin' me in the Crucible?"

"Very much so, need someone to actually show these New Lights how it's done. Here to queue up, I hope?"

"Funny ya mention that,"

Ayana physically paled under her helmet. He wasn't going to do throw her into the Crucible. No way.

"I actually came to ask a favor. You don't got all your arenas in use, do ya?"

Lord Shaxx released Lancer's arm, fists on his hips and head cocked to the side. The friendliness he had displayed before was gone, and his tone was laced with suspicion. "Why."

Lancer raised his arms in a placating gesture, "Nothin' big, just wonderin' if I could borrow an empty one." He cocked a thumb her direction, "Wanna show her how it's done."

She almost wanted to cry, but the relief didn't last long as she straightened up under Lord Shaxx's scrutiny. In hindsight, he probably hadn't even noticed her presence until now. He said nothing as he stared her down, and the swivel of his head was exaggeratedly slow as he looked back at Lancer.

"She'd learn how to fight best by fighting."

"She ain't gonna learn shit by dyin' constantly," His claim earned a scoff. "I ain't throwin' her to a pack of rabid dogs 'til she knows how to bite back. She doesn't even know her Light, yet. And she won't have time to figure it out if she's gettin' put in the ground every thirty seconds by some asshole lookin' for an easy target."

"And you think coddling is the better solution?"

"She should get a chance to hone her skills, first. That's all I'm lookin' to do."

"My Crucible is designed to hone guardians' skills. Are you implying it fails its core purpose?"

No hesitation. "For a rookie? Yeah."

Now, Lancer was by no means a small man. Ayana herself was pretty tall, and he had a few inches on her, yet. But he looked utterly average compared to Lord Shaxx, who stared down at him with silent but obvious vitriol. But he hardly looked intimidated, holding the other man's gaze with unwavering coolness. But just when Ayana was all but sure that Lancer was about to get punched in the mouth, Lord Shaxx turned away with a derisive snort.

"I expect her in the Crucible within the week. If she isn't, don't expect me to be so generous. The Distant Shore is vacant, today."

"That'll do," Lancer gestured for Ayana to follow him out, calling over his shoulder, "Drinks on me, next time."

Whether Lord Shaxx was too preoccupied with his screens to respond to Lancer, or was deliberately ignoring him, Ayana couldn't say. But she was fairly certain that she heard grumbling as they departed, so she played it safe and waited until they were a comfortable distance away from the irritable Titan before asking, "Did you have to insult him?"

Lancer barked out a laugh. "Shaxx? He's a big boy, he can handle a little jabbin'. Looks meaner than he is."

She thought back to the matches she's watched and how he spoke to her upon first meeting. "He... seems pretty mean, to me."

"Oh yeah, guy's an ass," He said with no real bite, and didn't elaborate further for the duration of the walk.

They actually were going to the hangar, this time, and it was clear that Lancer had already bet on getting his way with how his ship, Peregrine, was primed and ready for them. Ayana returned a wave to Amanda as they spotted each other before following Lancer aboard and to the cockpit, propping herself against the back of his seat as they departed. Instead of going out and away from the city, he actually guided the ship out and up, and the blue skies rapidly faded into distant stars. He futzed around with dials and switches of which she had a novice understanding, and once angled, gave her the plain warning, "Hold on."

Peregrine flew out towards the cosmos, and Ayana found herself underwhelmed. The increase of speed was gradual, so why-

She hit the door with a harsh thud, at the same time which her ears painfully popped and stars flooded her eyes. The door's proximity sensor caught up with the registry and opened, causing her to fall further back. She knew better than to fight the momentum as she crashed to the ground, splayed on her back as she attempted to process what just happened. Sitting up with a groan, she realized the stars she saw weren't from hitting her head on the door, but the sight of millions of actual stars racing by them as Peregrine glided through hyperspace. Looking directly out through the windshield was borderline blinding, and getting up was a chore as gravity felt too strong and too weak simultaneously. She stumbled back to her prior position, gripping Lancer's headrest for a sort of anchor. The bastard snickered.

"I didn't know."

"I warned ya,"

"I know."

It felt like their course took them five minutes, but she had a feeling that wasn't the case. However long or brief it actually was, she made sure to heed the warning for the deceleration, bracing herself firmly against the back of the seat as to avoid being launched through the windshield. It was, fortunately, a much more gradual transition, but it was still enough to make her stomach lurch ever so slightly.

As the blur of light formed into distinct shape, Ayana found them rapidly approaching an unfamiliar planet, greens and reds muted by an ethereal haze. They coasted orbit for some time until Lancer seemingly found what he was looking for, and their descent began. The ship slowed as they hovered over an arena, autopilot kicking in as Lancer got up from his seat and pushed past, before nodding to her and transmatting to the ground below.

Ghost didn't need to be asked before dropping her off next to him, and it was only once she took in the cliffside they were on that she recognized where they were.

"Oh, I know this one!" She took a step forward, arms outstretched as she admired the geometric architecture. The line between architecture and nature was thin, giving the landscape and foundation an indecipherable blend. "The match I watched last night took place, here. What's it called again?"

"Distant Shore," Lancer, unbeknownst to Ayana, was currently checking the cylinder of his handcannon. "Shores of Time, if you're feelin' fancy."

She found herself walking between the decrepit columns, running her hands along the vibrant red moss that permeated every crevice. It was strange to be here in person, let alone when it was so quiet. The only sounds she heard were running water and the occasional call of fauna, a far cry from the gunshots and explosions she heard on the broadcasts. "So, we're here to train."

A click of the cylinder closing. "Yup."

She wished she felt his nonchalance about the whole thing, so she simply tried to fake it, putting on her best casual tone as she rounded the column. "When do we start?"

"Right now."

The resounding bang startled a cacophony of squawks and flapping wings around the arena. Beneath it all was the sound of her visor shattering, and her body crumpled to the ground, lifeless as blood trickled from the cracks.

Both ghosts appeared at either side of Lancer, one's voice panicked while the other's indignant.

"Ayana!"

"Lancer!"

"What? Not like she's gonna stay dead," He strolled over and knelt down beside her, handcannon hanging loose in his hand. He looked over at Ghost and jerked his head towards the body. "Go on, pick her up."

Ghost's shell shuddered anxiously before he flew over, giving the armed guardian a cautious glance as he did so. When Lancer made no move to intervene, he relaxed and allowed the Light to channel through him and into his guardian. It was quite the display, if not for the fact that Lancer's seen it many a time in his life, at this point. As the glow faded and the ghost's shell settled, Lancer's attention was drawn back to Ayana as she sat up with a jolt, gasping for breath. Her gaze shot to his gun, and her whole body tensed as she pieced together what just happened to her.

"You-"

He didn't give her time to finish. "Lesson one: keep your guard up."

He rose up in a slow, fluid motion, "Lesson two: you're gonna die," and offered to help her up. "A lot."

Ayana ignored the offering out of what he could only assume was spite, climbing to her feet and prodding at her now repaired helm. "I thought the point of this was so I could prevent dying."

Nonplussed, Lancer let his hand drop to his side. "That'd be ideal, wouldn't it? But let's be real. You're immortal, not omnipotent. You're gonna fuck up. The goal's to reduce the death count, 'cause tryin' to all out prevent it's gonna get you nowhere real fast."

As he spoke, he had taken to summoning an array of weaponry and propping them against the nearest chunk of stone. It was quite the armory he carried in the subspace he called his own, thanks to Konik, and admittedly, a fair share of it had been collecting dust in his vault less than an hour ago. Once he had everything clearly arranged, he waved Ayana over. She'd been preoccupied with scraping the toe of her boot through the leftover shards of glass, but she did comply, stopping beside him as she surveyed the impromptu gun show. When she made no other move, Lancer nudged her forward with a firm hand between her shoulder blades. "Pick one."

Ayana whipped her head to look at him. "Pick one?"

"A gun. Pick one."

It was a simple instruction, and yet she still looked lost. "We gotta know you can shoot. So, pick a gun. Doesn't matter which, we'll probably cover 'em all, eventually."

She did as told, cautiously running her hands over a scout rifle before moving on and doing the same to the next gun in line, "I thought we were here to determine my Light?"

"Oh, I'm sorry. You wanna do that, instead?" He offered, his tone facetiously pleasant. "Sure thing. Just one question. Do you know how we'd go about doin' that?"

"No..."

"Didn't think so. And you wanna know somethin'? Neither do I," Lancer said as he summoned his own rifle. "So, here's what we're gonna do. Good ol' fashioned showdown, one kill means one point. Normally, the goal's ten with a timer. But since it's your first time, we're gonna call it eight, no timer. We got all day."

Ayana eventually settled on a plain looking auto rifle, and Lancer was pleased to see that her likely history with firearms apparently carried over, at least somewhat. Her form was practiced and comfortable as she tested the sight on it, seemingly by muscle memory. "This hardly seems like a fair fight."

"That's 'cause it ain't," Rifle propped on his shoulder, Lancer gestured about. "Here's how this'll go. This cliff's gonna be your spawn point, mine's gonna be on the far side in the cave."

"Okay, wait. Two things," Ayana raised one finger, "Do I not get to explore the layout, first?" then another. "And why do you get to spawn in cover while I have to spawn out in the open?"

"You're not always gonna have time to explore before gettin' into a firefight," He answered, mimicking her motions. "And startin' cover won't matter here, 'cause I'm gonna give you time to move. I expect the same from you. The rules may change later down the line, but that's what we're goin' with for now." He tapped the side of his helmet. "I'll let you know on comms when I'm set up. Be ready."

Lancer left her with that, and Ayana watched him walk off, resigned to her fate. She shared a look with Ghost, her voice unwavering while she announced, "I'm going to die."

"Maybe not?" Ghost offered, and even with Ayana's helmet, he could feel the look she gave him. "Okay, yeah. Probably. But that's okay! We're here to learn, not win. And you've been watching the Crucible, right? This is just that."

"Watching and partaking are two different things," Ayana muttered. Sure, she's died before already, but that didn't mean she was all that excited to do it again.

Ghost was about to respond when Lancer's channel sparked to life. "Ready, kid?"

They shared another look, and after a nod from Ghost as he disappeared, Ayana took a deep breath, readying her weapon. "Not at all, let's do this."

"That's the spirit."

Lancer had gone through the cave, so Ayana went for the staircase, instead. She took it slow, using the shallow steps as cover even as she ascended. To her right was an exposed landing, and directly ahead was a tunnel that appeared to branch, an alternate path between the center clearing and the cliff.

There was only a few points of cover on the landing, and Lancer had disappeared with a scout rifle. Bad idea. She picked the tunnel.

The tunnel branched left and right, and after a quick peek around each corner, Ayana hazarded to remain on the outskirts, weaving through the overgrown debris and taking aim from behind cover. Something that was becoming increasingly obvious to her was the sound of her own boots on the stone and moss, the flow of mysterious liquid below that seemed too wrong to be water, and the rustling of vines hanging from the rocks. That was it.

Her voice was only a whisper as she hissed, "Where is he?"

"I'm not picking anything up on radar." Ghost informed, reminding Ayana of that particular aspect of her helmet's digital display. Just as Ghost said, it was empty, save for her own center icon.

"What do I do, then? How do I kill what I can't see?"

"He's trying to bait you, don't let him. Stay low."

When Ayana approached the mouth of a cave- Lancer's spawn point, she debated the sportsmanship of actually entering it. She figured that Lancer likely wasn't still at his spawn, and her radar still appeared dead, so she assumed it was fair game. The cave was fairly spacious with multiple exits, and the elevated one caught her eye first. A vantage point would be beneficial; she could get a feel for the layout within relative safety, if nothing else. But as she climbed the stone in the center of the space, ready to jump for the ledge, something bounced off her leg and hit the ground with a clang.

She spun around to aim her weapon from before the object in question caught her eye, and it took her almost a second too long to realize what a grenade looked like. She jumped down, scrambling to make herself as small as possible behind the stone. The shockwave made her teeth clatter, and the residual heat threatened to roast her as flames trailed around her cover and continuing onward, all the while Ayana remained folded in on herself to avoid getting burned before the fire died out.

Natural flames wouldn't have starved themselves as quickly as these did, and Ayana was grateful for the difference as she allowed herself to breathe. "Ghost?"

"I'm here," came his reassurance. "He charged a grenade with Solar Light. It came from where you had just come from. That means he's-"

She saw the red on her radar at the same time he did.

"-coming around RIGHT NOW, MOVE!"

It turned out Ayana didn't actually need to get to higher ground before attempting to make the jump, as in her panic, she managed to leap high enough to pull herself up the rest of the way with relative ease before Lancer had fully circled around. She wasn't fast enough to completely evade him, however, and the white hot sear in her leg alongside the crack of his rifle was proof enough.

She dropped to the other side and grit her teeth to keep from buckling, one hand gripping her bloody thigh as she hauled herself across the clearing, hoping to find a moment's peace in the tunnel. She dared not look down and see just how much she lost to that bullet, but the adrenaline rushing through her veins did little to distract her from the fact that she'd die of blood loss if Ghost didn't heal her soon. Ghost, bless him, was doing his best to provide his reassurances and instructions, but his words hardly reached her.

She needed to move faster. There was that spark in her chest, she could feel it, like before. She just needed to reach it. She could smell the ozone as she pushed herself further and further until she felt two things.

The first thing was utter, all encompassing agony as her nerves where set ablaze. All she could see was white and her ears were filled with the buzz of inestimable voltage.

The second thing was three hundred pounds of steel and polymer colliding with her from behind and not slowing until she was slammed against the nearest wall, her head making direct impact against the concrete. While her helmet did its job on the outside, Ayana's entire world was thrown off kilter, and she didn't know whether to scream or to vomit as the pain and nausea became all encompassing, further driven home by the overwhelming stench of burnt flesh. All that left her instead was a pained groan that was promptly cut short by a final shot from Lancer's handcanon, and when Ayana came to, she woke to find herself back where she had started, her ghost sheepishly floating overhead.

"You're playin' it too safe," Lancer stated over comms. "Get feisty."

Ayana sighed, getting up with a roll of her shoulders. This was going to be a long day.

"One more thing."

She looked up to the heavens, her annoyance barely restrained. "Yeah?"

"Try actually lookin' behind you, sometimes."

She was going to kill him.

Chapter Text

On the first day, the game was first to eight. Lancer killed Ayana eight times.

On the second day, the game was the same. Lancer killed Ayana eight times.

On the third day, he brought the game up to ten. He killed her ten times. She almost got him more than once, but still, she couldn't land a kill.

On the fourth day, something clicked. She knew the arena now, and she knew her gun. She was learning her weaknesses and her strengths. He killed her ten times, but she managed to kill him for two.

The first kill was an act of frustration more than anything, Ayana wasn't afraid to admit: after having ran around the arena trying to evade her assailant for over thirty minutes in a game of cat and mouse, she'd hidden around a pillar and, once Lancer had attempted to follow, promptly bodied the exo off the nearest cliff. He was heavy, but with a little assistance from the Light she's started to grow familiar with, she had the push she need to send Lancer over the edge, but not without getting grabbed and yanked along with him, sending them both careening to the ground below. When they both came to, their ghosts having brought them back up to the cliffside, Ayana woke to the sound of Lancer laughing to the point of static.

The second kill was one that she was quite proud of. At this point, Ayana has learned that, while Lancer 100% had raw strength on her, Ayana was agile. So, when she suddenly turned on her heel and began to run towards him, weaving from side to side and throwing off his aim, Lancer didn't know what to do when she jump kicked him in the chest, forcing him back and stunning him long enough for her to steal his rifle. She hit his temple with the butt of the gun, and once he stumbled back further, she shot him in the head with it. It was petty, but she considered it payback.

Of course, he snuffed that strategy immediately when he began to use his thrusters whenever she attempted to instigate close quarters. He'd propel himself away or over her, keeping the distance until he was prepared. And once he was, he simply tanked whatever she threw at him and returned the energy twofold.

It wasn't fair. She wanted thrusters.

Lancer has used several strategies to take her out up to this point: long distance with the rifle, close to mid range with the hand cannon, weaponizing his own mass against her, cutting her off with grenades, he never used the same method twice. It had become something of a stalemate; she's learned how to avoid, if not counter, everything he's been throwing at her, and he could easily deflect whatever she threw at him. And after several hours of running around and taking cheap shots, Ayana was running on fumes. But still, she was running, hoping she could get the jump on Lancer from behind. She cut through the outskirts before taking a sharp left into the center clearing. He wasn't on her radar, she had time. Her boots splashed through the creek as she headed for the far cave until-

A grenade.

She saw it coming.

She was out in the open. There was no way she could get back to cover before it went off.

Ayana acted on a whim, letting her legs give and dropping into a slide. Her form was terrible as she hit the ground, hissing in from the pain that flared in her hip and elbow even as turned her head downwards to brace for the eminent impact.

She saw her shadow cast by the explosion followed by the ringing in her ears from the blast. Displaced pebbles leapt from the shockwave, and there was a distinct smell of burning grass. There was a beat before Ayana relaxed, realizing she was... fine. Her ears were still ringing and she was definitely bruised from the impromptu fall, but she was fine.

She then noticed that she still cast a shadow, one not cast by blazing solar, but something softer, pale and rippling. She lifted her head and stared, dumbfounded.

In front of her was a glass-like wall, tall and radiant. Its structure shimmered like a mirage, the only evidence of its physicality being the spiderweb cracks that stretched along it. Ayana pulled herself up and back on her feet, reaching a tentative hand out to touch it. And she did touch it, but it felt... like she was touching nothing. It was there, her fingers pressed against it, but it was like touching solid air that buzzed beneath her fingertips.

Ayana jumped as Lancer let out a holler.

"YES! Now THAT'S what I've been lookin' for!" He jogged over, making sure to give the wall a wide berth before he stopped beside her and slapped her on the back. It had enough force to send her forward a bit and, to her own shock, through the wall as if it weren't even there. Ayana recovered fast and whipped around, taking a step back.

"Where did this even come from?" She asked with an emphatic wave of her arms, her voice incredulous. One moment, she was looking death in the eyes again, an explosive flying at her face, and the next moment,
 
"You made it." Lancer walked back around. "And this," He made a show of knocking his fist against the wall, the resulting sound being a hollow bang. "is a barrier. Titan trademark. Which means," He took place next to her, slinging an arm over her shoulder as he leaned down, a grin evident in his voice. "You're one of us, kid."

After four days of regular resurrection, Ayana grew accustomed to her following ailments from getting brutalized all day being cured. But Lancer had sent her home yesterday after their little barrier discovery, meaning Ayana was left with the lingering exhaustion and muscle aches. Ghost alleviated it a bit and even offered to do more, but Ayana declined. Despite the pain, there was something... grounding about it. She felt a sense of pride in her efforts, and her bruises and weary muscles felt like a reminder of that.

Still hurt like a bitch though. And when she turned in early that day after eating a quick meal, she passed out the minute her head hit the pillow, leaving her in a dreamless state for about fourteen hours until the loud sound of a metallic fist banging on her bedroom door jolted her awake.

"Rise and shine, Baby Blue," Lancer's voice rang out from the other side. "Big day ahead of us. Suit up."

Once Ayana's heart rate slowed, she took one look at her clock and blanched. She whipped around, not even waiting for Ghost to  fully appear before hissing, "Why did you let me sleep until ten thirty?"

"Lancer told me to let you sleep!" Ghost insisted, gliding out of the way while his guardian dashed for the joined bathroom to wash up. She rushed, and Ghost was quick to transmat her armor for her. She was hastily adjusting her cuirass with one hand while her helmet was tucked under her arm, and once she was ready, she hurried out to find Lancer in full gear propped against the back of her couch, channel surfing.

"Made good time. Grab somethin' quick to eat."

Ayana deflated with a relieved sigh. Maybe her panic wasn't warranted. Still, she threw an apology over her shoulder as she slinked to her kitchen. "Sorry for sleeping in so late."

"Why? You earned it." He called out while she surveyed her fridge for something easy. Maybe a bagel. "You did great, yesterday."

"I only got you twice."

"And you weren't gettin' me at all, before. You learned. Keep doin' that and you might even get me three times, some day."

Ayana scoffed, "Ha," and popped the bagel down for toasting. "Ha."

"Real talk, though?" Lancer strode over, taking the time to remove his hat and helmet and placing them on the counter while he pulled out a stool. "You're a quick learner, and it ain't like you're goin' into this completely blind. I saw how you took to wielding a gun, you got impeccable form. Shit from the old you's still rattlin' around in that skull, you just gotta reacquaint yourself with it."

She sighed while she unceremoniously dropped a paper plate on the counter. "I don't know who the "old me" is."

"Nobody does. Don't mean it ain't in there." The pop of the toaster caught their attention, and they sat in silence while Ayana continued to prepare her breakfast. He did eventually break the silence again, however. "I mean it though. This shit ain't easy, and you've shown progress in just a few days. You're doin' fine."

Ayana felt pride swell in her chest. Doubt ate at her every day, but hearing Lancer's casual confidence in her was what she needed to hear. She had Ghost's reassurance, and it was wonderful, but she's come to the conclusion that such devotion from ghosts is the status quo. She wanted to live up to his view of her, sure, but she's decided it was best to take it with a grain of salt. But hearing encouragement from her elder was a more tangible boost to her morale. But a part of her felt guilty. "Thank you. And... thanks for training me. I know you said you've been taking time off for this."

"You're right, I have." He leaned forward a little, "And y'know? The Vanguard allowed it, but they're missin' me out there, I think." and stood up, walking around the island to stand beside Ayana, leaning against the counter. "But I can't just up and leave ya, now can I? You ain't ready for solo. So." Ayana finished spreading cream cheese on one half of her bagel and, before she could protest, Lancer swiped it from her plate and took a bite, tilting his head inquisitively. "Reckon we need to compromise, don't we?"

Ayana opened her mouth to argue about the stolen half of her food, but let it snap shut as her brow furrowed. She scanned his face, trying to decipher his unspoken meaning, but it quickly dawned on her, and she tensed. "No."

Lancer's eyes grew brighter. "Yeah."

Ayana sighed as she watched the rippling blue beneath Peregrine as it flew over vast waters. She couldn't say she was looking forward to what was to come, but in this moment, an end to what's already been a seventeen hour flight, on top of the headache that was jet lag, sounded too good to be true. "Remind me where we're going, again?"

"Cosmodrome, Old Russia. There's an old research facility that gets lots of traffic," Konik said as Lancer manned their route. "Golden Age tech's ripe for scavenge, so it attracts all kinds."

"And our job is to... what? Go in and get what we can before our enemies do?"

"Not really, considering the place has been picked clean at this point," Konik supplied. "But the base has structural integrity and has enough scrap lying to secure Fallen activity. It was originally claimed by the House of Devils, but after the House's disbandment, the base has essentially become a squat zone for wandering wannabe kells to congregate and rebuild. Our job is to go in, knock them down, and get out."

"Right," Ayana nodded. "What are Fallen?"

"A pain in the ass," was Lancer's contribution to the conversation. "Refuse to fuckin' die."

Their collective attention was drawn to approaching land, and Lancer took to higher altitude. Old wreckage littered the coastlines, rusted walls and archaic buildings punctuating baron landscape dusted with snow. Even from this high, Ayana thought she could make out the gutted framework of aircrafts, buried and forgotten by time. Peregrine soared above it all on a set course, and Ayana felt her throat tighten with each covered mile as reality set in. She wasn't ready for this. Not even close. And as she watched the passing relics beneath them, she wanted nothing more than to go home and hide within the comforts of her plain little apartment.

"Oi,"

She looked up. "Hm?"

"Don't go spacin' on me, now. We're gonna hit an outpost, soon."

They began their descent as Ghost transmatted an auto rifle into her hands, and she dutifully checked the clip before doing the same with a pistol. Lancer stalled the ship into an idle hover and stood from his seat with a roll of his shoulders. A nod to Konik was all he exchanged before he was gone, leaving Ayana and Ghost alone to follow. The two exchanged a look, and she could only sigh. "I can't do this."

"You can. WE can." He fluttered about, gently bonking himself against her visor. "Hey. Look at me. I can't see your eyes in there, so you better be looking at me." He ignored her snickering, pressing firmly against her even as she tried to tilt her head back. "Listen. We can do this. You and me. And we're not alone in this, we have help. But we're in this together. Okay?"

It took all of her effort to keep her shoulders from shaking while she bit her lower lip. "Uh-huh."

"Now say it with me: We got this."

"... We got this."

"Good!" He backed off, bouncing back with some extra flair. "Now say it like you mean it. We, got this."

Ayana chuckled at her companion's theatrics. But still, she did her best. "We got this."

"We'll work on it," Ghost decided, apparently satisfied for the time being, and Ayana found her vision going white as the familiar sensation of transmat made itself known. When she came to, she stood at the mouth of a worn down building, shivering at the bite of cold that pierced her armor. Supply crates were stacked about, one of which Lancer was leaning against while Konik took the reigns in talking with a Warlock that Ayana actually recognized.

"Cas," Ayana greeted as she took her place to stand by Lancer, who gave her a cursory glance before sliding over so she could join him. Meanwhile, Cas's attention was easily guided to her as he tilted his head.

"Ayana? That you under all that armor?" When she nodded, he turned to call over his shoulder, "Guys! Get out here, Ayana's with him! Come say hi!"

She was surprised when the first face she saw poke out from the entrance was, in fact, a face instead of a helmet, and one she didn't know at that. A younger man with tanned skin and black spiked hair smiled at her, and it wasn't until he stepped out further that she recognized Shaw's armor. Before he could even get out a syllable, he was pushed aside by who Ayana was now quick to identify as Maeve, despite her own lack of helmet. While Shaw had a sort of everyman look to him, Maeve was far more distinct; maroon hair was tied up in a short tight braid with loose hair hanging in the back, while shaved sides framed her violet face. As she jogged over, Ayana could make out a pattern of lightly colored dots, forming a perfect line that traced the bridge of her nose and height of her cheekbones.

"Ayana, hey!" She slowed to a halt beside Cas, raising her hands in a time-out gesture. "Okay, wait. Before we do anything else: what's the verdict?" When Ayana didn't answer, she made a show of leaning forward and rubbing her chin thoughtfully. "No robes, no hood... no mark, but the armor looks pretty... Titan-y?"

Now that she knew what Maeve meant, Ayana grinned and couldn't help but stand taller at the acknowledgement. She pointed a thumb to her chest as she confirmed, "Titan."

In the same moment that Maeve whooped victoriously, Cas and Shaw, the latter of which had wandered over to join them, expressed what Ayana could only assume was put on despair as Maeve heckled them both. "A deal's a deal, boys! Pay up."

"Wait, did you three," She watched incredulously as the two of them pawned some glimmer over to the apparent victor. "bet on me?"

"Okay, I get this looks bad, but," Cas was the first to speak up. "it wasn't a bet on if you'd be good or anything like that. Just your class. Which, if you ever change your mind- ow."

"It's just a little game we like to play, sometimes." Maeve explained while Cas rubbed where she had elbowed him. "Always fun to get another one of your own, y'know?"

"I hate to interrupt," Konik interrupted, "but we should get going before it starts getting dark on us. We were told we'd rendezvous, here."

"With Dash? She went ahead," Shaw pointed over his shoulder. "Said something about wanting to scope the place out before you arrived."

"Fuckin' hell," Lancer straightened up, grumbling as he gestured for Ayana to follow him around towards a staircase left side. Ayana went to follow, but not before offering a playful salute that was happily returned by the trio.

"Good luck out there." Was Shaw's farewell, followed by Cas and Maeve's.

"Watch out for dregs. And vandals. No wait, marauders."

"Especially the marauders."

Ayana nodded in false understanding before hurrying after Lancer, who apparently had little interest in waiting for her to catch up. She jogged until she found pace with his strides, trailing slightly. "Can I ask a question?"

"Not like I can stop you."

"Why don't you talk?"

He actually stopped to look back at her, and she didn't need to see his face to recognize the blasé tone. "I'm talkin' to you right now."

"That-" She paused. "Was bad choice of wording. Why don't you talk around other people? You said nothing, back there; Konik was doing all the talking. And I think he did most of it when we went shopping, too. So, why don't you talk?"

"I talk," He groused. "I just don't spout bullshit to fill dead air. And Konik knows what needs said, so I just let him say it." He continued on, stepping over... what appeared to be some kind of a dead body. Whatever it was, it looked somewhat fresh and definitely not human, unless there were four-armed individuals running around that she had yet to meet. "'Sides, you've literally seen me chat before. I talk when people are worth my time."

"Uh-huh," As much as Ayana wanted to appreciate the unspoken compliment she just received, there were more weird bodies scattered about and she was finding herself increasingly distracted. "What are these?"

"Fallen," He made a point of nudging one aside with his boot before walking on. "Looks like our third did some of the dirty work for us, but there's a lot more where these came from. Watch your radar."

Ayana tightened her grip on her gun, cautiously eyeballing every corpse. "Our third?"

"Standard protocol calls for these OPs to be done in teams of three." Konik's voice crackled over the comms. "We've been assigned to Dash-13, a local supply runner stationed here. According to the report, she's who called in a request for cleanup."

"Wouldn't have killed her to wait." Lancer muttered. "Not like we're behind schedule."

"She's never been known to sit idle."

Ayana shortened the distance to walk beside him, tilting her head. "You've run with her before, then?"

"Couple times. Good at what she does, has spunk. Reckon you'll like her."

It was a silent trek after that, winding through rusted corridors, Lancer with a sense of purpose and Ayana with a sense of dread. There was something oddly tranquil about the place, but Ayana couldn't find it in herself to enjoy it. It was more claustrophobic to her than anything. And the sounds of the building settling only made her more jumpy, checking her radar like clockwork until they reached an open door that led outside. Lancer stopped and extended an arm, and Ayana barely had time to stop before walking into it. She was about to ask why until a new voice rang out, feminine and laced with that tell tale tinniness of an exo,

"Oh heyyy, you guys made it!"

Just outside the door laid an old truck body, and sat atop of it was a guardian Ayana's never met, wearing a well worn tactical ensemble personalized with scavenged scraps and a quilted cloak. Pops of teal accented her padded armor, and the rags along her right arm were colored to match. Bobbing beside her was a ghost with a vibrant shell, its facets replaced with a sort of hard light in the front that glowed a brilliant warm gold color. The stranger uncrossed her legs and hopped down with her ghost trailing after her. "Hope you don't mind me scouting ahead a little."

"Y'know, I do, actually." Lancer dropped his arm. "Would rather you be settin' a good example."

"Good example?..." She trailed off, her attention turning to Ayana. She didn't say anything at first, and Ayana wondered if she was expected to say something until, "Oh my gosh, are you a baby?" She looked at Lancer, pointing with a staged whisper. "Is that a baby?"

"... I wouldn't say-"

"Yeah," He ignored how Ayana's head snapped to gawk at him. "And she doesn't know shit. So help me show her the ropes, alright? And quit runnin' off. Or at least let us know when you do."

She straightened up with a tap of her heels and a two fingered salute, "Sure thing, boss. Good example from here on out," before offering a handshake to Ayana. "Welcome to the Cosmodrome, newbie."

Ayana shook the offered hand with a firm grip, deciding to let the earlier comment slide for now. "Thanks. I'm Ayana."

"Dash-13. And this," She pointed to her ghost, who did a flashy little twirl as Ghost appeared over his guardian's shoulder. "is Honey."

"Hiya!"

"It's nice to meet you both," Ghost bobbed politely, only to exclaim in surprise as Honey darted forward, stopping directly in front of him. "Hel-lo!"

"I love your shell," Honey's radiant fins fluttered ecstatically as she orbited around him. "it's so cute!"

"Oh- thank you!" Ghost beamed, mirroring her cheery disposition. "My guardian got it for me. It's not too much, is it? She let me pick the colors but I wasn't sure,"

"Ahem," Konik appeared between the two of them, forcing them to part for him. "We're losing daylight. Dash, lead the way."

"Right away, miniboss," Dash turned with a flair of her cloak, summoning a small pistol into her hand and gesturing onward. "Come on, the path's clear for a ways- I checked. Hope you don't mind."

Lancer's sigh was unrestrained as he watched her take off. He started after her with Ayana in tow, the ghosts collectively disappearing in their wake. Dash was already out of sight, and as they drew closer to... wherever they were going, as Lancer seemed to know the way regardless, Ayana heard him grumble with no small amount of enervation,

"Fuckin' Hunters."

Chapter Text

It didn't take a lot of time for Ayana to realize a few things about her company.

For one, Dash wasn't as flighty as she'd initially come across, having dipped back to join the group relatively quickly and letting Lancer take the lead. The second thing was that, unlike Lancer, Dash liked to talk. She got to learn how Dash had been stationed in Russia for the past three years, essentially working as a scavenge and salvage expert while other guardians were tasked with oversea transport. She knew the layout of the area like the back of her hand, and she was more than happy to go into far more detail about the Fallen than Ayana really needed to know, but she didn't want to be rude.

"So, the House of Devils are red, right? Those are the ones we're looking for."

"Sorta-kinda," Dash made a vague hand gesture. "They were red, but the Houses have taken quite the hit over the years, so they're pretty disorganized. Not sure Devils even count as a House, anymore."

"Ohhh right, I think Konik said something about that."

"Yeah, it's a mess. Makes things easier for us, though. You've really never dealt with Fallen, before?"

"Haven't really had the chance," Ayana admitted as they wound through corridors, flinching from the occasional drops of water that leaked from the damaged roof.  "Your, uh... handy work? That was my first time even seeing one."

"No way,"

Their conversation stopped short when they found their way outside, Lancer raising a hand to stall them. While surrounded by more rusted walls, the area was certainly spacious. Ayana barely had time to let her eyes survey before she was yanked to the side and downwards until she was ducked behind an old chunk of cement, but before she could ask, Lancer simply pointed in the direction of Fallen wandering around to the right. Dash ducked down beside her with her pistol at the ready, keeping her voice low.

"Our target's a lot deeper inside. I can-"

Lancer didn't let her finish. "I'll clear the path. You two stick together."

He vaulted over their cover and took off in a dead sprint. The largest of the Fallen group caught sight of him first, jumping back. But that didn't save the rest of them as Lancer hit one of them like a truck, arc lighting up the air as it chained collateral.

Ayana blinked.

"... Welp, you heard the man." Dash grabbed Ayana's arm, and as she started to tug her along into a run towards the left side, she threw something on the ground that resulted in a cloud of mist. When it cleared, there was a brief moment of panic when she couldn't see Dash at all save for the faintest shimmer, like a trick of the light. She followed where her hand should be, and then realized that she couldn't see her own arm. Or any part of herself for that matter.

"Um,"

"Pretty cool, huh?" Dash called out from somewhere vaguely in front of her. "I'd say watch your step, but... y'know. Just hang tight and keep on the move, this won't last all that long."

While Ayana wrapped her head around the fact that they apparently had the power to turn invisible, she could hear Lancer wrecking havoc. He was a force of nature, eviscerating everything in his path and leaving nothing in his wake. She caught little more than glances of him because he never slowed down for more than a second. She knew he was fast, she'd learned that by the first hour of training with the guy. But watching him target his enemies put it into perspective even more than being the target, as here, she got to see the aftermath, the sheer force of his Light reducing even their corpses to ash.

They dove for cover at Dash's instruction, just in time for their smokescreen to evaporate. While Lancer was preoccupied, there was still trouble ahead in the form of stragglers who had their weapons at the ready. They were firing at him with little success, but they were smart enough to keep their difference from the sparking behemoth. And, unbeknownst to them, right in Dash and Ayana's way.

"Alright, here's the plan," Dash whispered. "I'll clean out those guys, you cover me."

Ayana frowned. "You don't want me to help?"

"I mean, you can help," She offered, summoning a small combat knife. "But it's your first day. So, y'know, your call."

Ayana watched her shimmer out of view as she took off, this time without the use of whatever piece of tech she'd used before, only for her to reappear a few seconds later as she swiftly brought the blade down on a Fallen's neck. It screamed and clamored in vain to get ahold of its assailant, but Dash was nimble, already weaving through the group to gain her footing before she went back in to down another. While Lancer's speed was used in tandem with brute force, Dash's methods were graceful and fluid, almost akin to a dance.

There was a shimmer behind Dash, not unlike her own invisibility. Ayana reacted quick, aiming around the wall and firing. She'd meant to aim for the head, but the shot went wide, causing both Dash and her attacker to stumble. Whatever it was, she'd at least distracted it, and Dash recovered first. The now exposed Fallen was dealt with quickly, slumping to the ground as she pulled her knife from its head.

Dash looked over to offer Ayana a thumbs-up, to which she returned while she pretended to not be embarrassed about completely missing. But when Dash suddenly froze and bolted towards her, Ayana almost didn't react in time to Ghost's callout inside her helmet:

"Behind you!"

She narrowly dodged the down swing of a blade, tumbling to the ground and rolling on her back to take aim, and she froze at the sight of chitin and bone, ghoulish features, three green eyes in the dark.

The familiar visage of a Knight stepped out and into the light, and she tried to scramble backwards. She was too slow to aim again, her gun being kicked out of her grasp before its foot was planted on her chest to hold her in place while the beast took to swing again, intent to not miss a second time.

She felt that familiar panic swell inside her, threatening to suffocate her. But she reached up to grab the Knight's knee, tugging at that little spark she's grown familiar with and channeling it into a strong pulse of arc energy. It wasn't enough to do significant damage, but it had to have been enough to hurt with how her assailant reared back with a snarl. It gave her enough time to grab her rifle again and land a few shots before it could recover, only for it to be put down for good by a barrage of blades that burned the beast alive while Ayana shielded herself from the heat.

She tentatively looked up when the Knight stopped screaming to find Dash had knelt beside her, her voice laced with concern.

"You good?" When Ayana nodded, she followed up with, "You sure? You're shaking a little."

She hadn't realized she was, but she tried to shrug it off. "I'll be fine, just- I've dealt with Hive, before."

"Ah," Dash offered her a hand, which she graciously took as they both stood up. "Bad time, I take it."

"Yeah,"

"Don't sweat it. I probably should've mentioned that they were here, too. I didn't even think to ask if you knew about them..."

"It's okay, really," Ayana tried to insist. She already felt like the weak link, here, she didn't need them thinking she was too scared to face a problem on her own. It was embarrassing enough to realize that Dash had seen how she froze up after reacting so slow. "We should get moving before Lancer gets too far ahead of us."

Ayana almost took off without her in the hope of putting this little moment behind them, if not for Dash grabbing her arm. "Hold on a sec,"

It turned out she just wanted her smokescreen to charge again, and they were off soon enough. In the time it took to handle their little diversion, Lancer had covered quite a bit of ground and was currently going toe to toe with another one of the larger Fallen. He wasn't even using a weapon.

"Should... Should we help him?"

"Nahhhh, no need to get in the way." Dash knelt down to watch from behind cover, beckoning Ayana to join her. "Light knows he's dealt with worse than an itty bitty Captain."

The "itty bitty Captain" had to easily be two or three heads taller than Lancer if it stood up straight. "Such as...?"

Their attention was diverted when Lancer went low, slamming himself into the captain's chest and using its ruined balance as an opening, twisting one of its lower arms until it cracked and went limp. When the captain went to swing down one of its blades in retaliation, he caught that arm just as easily with an arc charged grip, pulling it up and over as he jump kicked into the captain's stomach while it convulsed. The force of impact combined with the leverage he had gained was enough to heave the captain over in a modified suplex. Lancer landed and rolled, grabbing one of the captain's lost swords and plunging it into its skull before it could stop twitching from the aftershocks.

He stood up with a sigh, rolling his shoulders to shake off the the way he'd hit the ground. He took a moment to brush the dust off his jacket before he turned, gaze scanning until it settled on his audience.

"The hell y'all doin'?"

Ayana was still gaping inside her helmet when Dash jumped to her feet.

"Just enjoying the show! You always make these so fun."

Lancer merely scoffed as they left their vantage point, "Right. Whole lotta help you are."

He stopped suddenly once they stood before him. Before either of them could ask, he'd grabbed Ayana's shoulder and twisted her a little so the light caught her armor better. "What happened?"

She looked down, perplexed, only to realize that, on top of scuffed paint and dirt, her breastplate had been left with a sizeable dent. "Um,"

"Got ambushed by a Knight," Dash spoke up, saddling up to Ayana and draping an arm over her shoulders. She hung off her a little due to the height difference. "But we got him! No biggie."

Lancer's silence was palpable, and when he gave Ayana a level look, she tried not to visibly wince. "What'd I tell you about lookin' behind you."

Her shoulders slumped, her voice flat. "To look behind me."

"And what'd you do."

"... Not that."

"What'd we learn."

"To do that."

"Right."

He resummoned his shotgun and use it to gesture ahead, waiting for Dash to take the lead before he and Ayana went to follow her into the building ahead of them. It was a twisted path with a couple stairways before the sound of battle and inhuman howls echoed from ahead and Dash gestured for them to stop. She offered Lancer a few hand signals that Ayana didn't know while she tilted her head emphatically. When Lancer nodded and waved her off, Dash was gone, going invisible and leaving them alone in the hall.

Lancer turned to Ayana and raised a hand, speaking in a low voice. "Copy me."

As the sounds of violence picked up, he paid it no mind, tucking his thumb into his palm, closing his fingers over it once before releasing them again. He waited for her to do the same before clarifying. "Fallen."

He did another, palm open and facing her before he made a show of twisting his hand inward. His fingers closed individually to follow the twist, his thumb resting along the outside of his index. Same as before, he waited for her to get the motion down. "Hive."

She nodded in understanding, doing the first gesture, "Fallen," and then the second. "Hive."

"Good to know when you gotta keep a low profile," he explained. "Lots to go over, but we're keepin' it simple for now."

There was a deafening shot up ahead that made Ayana jump, but Lancer didn't look particularly worried even as he gripped his gun a little tighter, waiting. Dash showed up soon enough, stepping aside with a flourishing bow. She let Lancer get ahead before falling back to keep pace with Ayana.

"Thanks for the earlier save, by the way."

"Don't mention it," was her instinctual response, but she paused, trying to recall if there was some great stunt on her part that she forgot about. "On second thought, mention it. When did I save you? You did all the saving."

"Y'know, with the Marauder. The invisible guy?" Dash explained. "He would've gotten the jump on me for sure."

"Somehow, I doubt that. Besides, I didn't even hit him."

"But you threw off his groove, and it gave me time to nail him. That was teamwork, right there. And the Knight? You kicked ass! The whole," She mimicked a grabbing motion while making a buzzing noise. "thing? That was sick."

"You're the one who killed it. I just... y'know, shocked it a little. After I got a grip and actually moved, instead of laying there like an idiot while it swung a giant sword at my head."

"Pssh," Dash waved her words off. "So what if you choked a little? You're a newbie, you did fine. The Hive are friggin' scary. Say, how long have you been up and moving, anyway?"

"Oh, it's been..." Ayana thought on it for a minute, shrugging. "A week, I think? Give or take."

Dash cut her off to stand in front of her, her hands on Ayana's shoulders. "Hold on, pause. Are you serious? A week?"

Ayana blinked down at Dash a few times, doing the math. "Uh... yeah. I think it might be a week exactly, actually."

She was let go with a little shake as Dash threw up her arms. "Okay, I take it back; you did great. You're like... a baby baby, what the hell."

"Do you have to call me that?"

Her gripe was ignored as Dash gestured about while they kept walking, "You've been around for a week and you feel bad about getting a little scared? Jeez. I was a wimp when I first woke up, got me feeling all self-conscious. Took me even longer to get the hang of using a gun."

"I dunno, the guns came pretty naturally," Ayana admitted. "I've gotten to get a feel for them while training with Lancer. I have a harder time with Light stuff, honestly."

"You train with Lancer?"

A hushed order from Lancer interrupted them, and they dropped to a crouch behind him without another word. It didn't take long to learn why they were taking the stealthy approach, Ayana's eyes finding her radar as it pinged several times, flickering in shades of red. Lancer told them to wait at the bottom of the stairs before going up himself and out of view. It was a tense few seconds before he showed back up, gesturing from his vantage point with a twist of his wrist as he closed his hand.

Hive.

Dash moved first, reloading her pistol as she climbed the stairs, and Ayana took the time to do the same with her rifle before following.

There wasn't a whole lot of light in the space, the sun having set too low to reach them. But there was runic scrawling on the mold-infested walls that glowed a sickly green, and it was with that light that Ayana could make out the shapes of several hostiles. The sight alone put her on edge, but the sounds they made, low and guttural while they moved about, were enough to make her shudder.

Lancer turned to Dash and used a signal that Ayana understood, and Dash was gone immediately, going invisible so she could wrap around for a flank. When he put a hand on Ayana's shoulder, tilting his head expectantly.

She looked ahead, then down at her gun, gripping it tightly. She took a deep breath and nodded.

When he took off, she wasn't far behind, and the chaos was instant. Inhuman screeches filled the air, the blaze of Dash's solar incinerating whatever it touched. Lancer's arc was equally devastating, anything he missed getting finished off with his gun. Ayana could hardly compare, but when a group of Thralls clamored towards her, she found that she held her own well enough. She kept moving, led them along and mowed them down with her rifle when the distance was great enough for her to do so. Rinse, repeat.

Ayana's vision suddenly went dark while her limbs grew heavy. She couldn't breathe, couldn't move. She wanted to shout but she could barely get air into her lungs. Everything sounded so far away, her heart was pounding. She thought she heard Ghost, but she couldn't listen to him. It was dark and cold and it was weighing her down and she couldn't see-

She gasped as air flooded her lungs, only for it to be knocked out of her again when she hit the ground. She barely had time to process Lancer's weight on top of her before he got up again, grabbing her rifle and unloading what was left of the clip into a Hive that was different from the rest, its body falling from the air and being left a heap on the ground. Lancer relaxed his aim, satisfied that it was dead, then looked back at Ayana as she got to her feet again. He tossed her the rifle, and when she caught it, he asked, "You good?"

Ayana still found it difficult to catch her breath, and she was sweating. Her hands were shaking even as she focused on reloading the clip. "I think so,"

"You're not." He took a step towards her, putting a hand on her shoulder while he pointed to the dead Hive. It was larger than its kin with an ornate crest, and its lower half morphed into what looked like torn scraps. She wasn't sure if it even had legs.  "See that thing? Kill those first, if you can. They pull all sortsa tricks like the one it just pulled on you. Don't give 'em the chance."

When Ayana lowered her head and looked away, he let her go with a sigh.

"This one was hidden, I'd've taken care of it otherwise. You didn't know, so don't beat yourself up over it."

His words helped her relax a little, even though she still felt guilty. It was clear that she was far more of a liability than an asset on this operation, but her company seemed determined to pretend otherwise.

"... Okay."

He seemed satisfied with that, looking towards Dash as she reappeared beside him. "How we lookin'?"

"Coast's clear, but there's some security up ahead that'll need cracked," Dash informed, walking alongside Lancer while Ayana trailed behind. "Honey thinks it might take a few minutes, but we might be able to shave time if all three work on it. One ghost per firewall."

The next area was spacious and, to Ayana's surprise, lit somewhat adequately. She wouldn't have expected a place like this to have functioning lights, let alone working electricity. But its purpose was obvious to her once she saw what looked to be a generator powering some sort of laser gate. Lancer leaned against the generator while he inspected it, before promptly giving up and holding out his hand, above which Konik appeared on cue to take over. Honey joined him, and the two flittered around the device for a beat before both looked toward Ayana. Konik was the one to call out,

"Ghost, here."

Ghost responded immediately, but he hovered beside his guardian for an extra beat, and it was Ayana's gentle encouragement that pushed him to drift over.

"I've never actually done this before."

"That's okay, we'll show you the ropes," Honey chirped, and she began to scan the console attached to the front while the others followed her lead. "See these lines of code? Those are yours, Konik and I will handle the others. Just follow our lead, and we'll be through before you know it."

"It seems pretty complex..."

While the ghosts worked, the guardians hung back and talked amongst themselves.

Dash leaned over at Ayana's right, keeping her voice low. "Hey, so... why did Konik call your little guy just "Ghost" instead of his name?"

Ayana winced, rubbing her neck. "So, I actually haven't... named him, yet?"

"You haven't na-"

Dash's loud exclamation was quickly silenced at Ayana's hushed insistence, and Ayana sighed. "I just haven't come up with anything yet, okay? I already feel bad about it."

"I mean, okay, I guess. But seriously? I had Honey named within like... an hour."

"What do you expect me to do? Pick a name at random?" She grumbled, "I just don't want to give him something that doesn't fit."

"Well, no, but maybe you could... I don't know, draw from life? Stuff you like?"

"Stuff I like," Ayana repeated. "I've been alive for a week. I don't know what I like."

"... Point. Lance, how did you name Konik?" Dash was quick to redirect, looking past Ayana and up at Lancer, who only responded with a shrug,

"I didn't. He already had one when I woke up."

"I'm not looking to call him "Ghost" forever," Ayana let out a defeated sigh. "But I want him to have a good name. And I don't have a lot of inspiration to pull from."

Dash made a show of rubbing her chin through her helmet, humming thoughtfully. "I know lots of people who name their ghosts after old stuff. Places, people, things like that."

"Okay. Cool. How do I learn about old stuff in a timely fashion."

"Library? The City's gotta have a ton of those, right?"

Their conversation was cut short by Konik, who for the first time since Ayana's known him, shouting, along with Honey, the two in the midst of a heated argument while Ghost anxiously continued his own efforts and attempted to avoid getting caught in the crossfire.

"You're undoing my work!"

"It's my work, you're the one who refuses to stay in his lane!"

"That's because you're doing it wrong."

"Oh, I'm sorry, which one of us specializes in Fallen related OPs?"

"Based on what I'm seeing, neither of us!"

Lancer muttered a curse, loading his shotgun, much to Ayana's confusion. "Konik..."

"Honey, play nice..."

Their ghosts ignored them, continuing to snarl and gripe at one another while Dash and Lancer readied their weapons, and Ayana didn't know what else to do other than follow suit, looking around anxiously.

"What's happening?"

"They're fuckin' with a security system," Lancer grumbled. "Wanna guess what happens if they don't pay attention?"

As if on cue, the air was filled with the sound of sirens, Honey and Konik stopping to look down at Ghost, who flinched away from their collective gaze.

"What did you do!?"

Amongst the cry of the sirens came the bloodthirsty shrieks from every direction in a cacophony, the three's radars blaring red. Fallen swarmed ahead, to the left, from above and behind as Lancer pulled her back and behind some storage containers. Fallen clamored on the walk way above them snarling and roaring at them through the grated platform as Lancer answered his own question,

"They cut the wrong wire."

Chapter Text

"Don't suppose you three could work a little faster?"

Ayana found herself crouched behind the generator, defending one side while a barrier protected the other, separating the ghosts and the worst of the chaos that raged on with reckless abandon. Waves upon waves of Fallen surrounded them with no end in sight. Dash and Lancer did what they could to weed out the masses, but it was like for every one killed, two more took its place.

"Patience is a virtue..." was Honey's sing-song response, and Ayana watched how one of the laser gates flickered in and out of view before it returned to its fully powered state.

Lancer was on the other side, sliding low and aiming high with his shotgun while Dash had swapped her pistol out for a submachine gun. They managed to clear out the newest crowd, but not before Dash was downed by a well aimed sniper, and Lancer's voice came through loud and clear over the comms,

"Not right now, it isn't."

"The Fallen are getting smarter," Konik muttered as Honey zipped away to help her guardian. "The programming is different than before, every time we come close to shutting one down, it diverts the power and reactively throws decoy code to distract us while it rebuilds itself."

"There has to be a weak spot, right?" Ghost pressed. "No way it's foolproof. If it goes into overdrive to defend where we almost crack it, maybe we can brute force the others."

"We've already tried, that's where the decoy code gets in the way."

"But it's only a decoy, meaning it's probably even weaker. If we actually tackle it, we should be able to get through and have time to work on the real firewall."

"I don't care what y'all do, just do it!" Lancer snapped, placing a barrier of his own down that created a small aura of void energy that clung to his form before turning to Honey. He extended a hand towards her, channeling Light into her and aiding the revival process along. Dash jolted up in no time, and Lancer's void spread to her form, giving her a protective layer and a moment of safety while she got her bearings.

Ayana took care of the sniper on the platform, only to get bodied by a Marauder that managed to get too close. She skidded back, using her gun to block its blade.

"Ayana!"

"I got it," she shouted, dodging to the side when her attacker lunged. "Just focus on the gate!"

She kicked the back of its knee with jolt of arc, sending the Fallen to the ground while she focused on reloading. It had only just begun to recover when she shot it in the head before whipping around to unload into the next one that tried its luck. The only silver lining of the endless onslaught was that, at the very least, she was finding a rhythm, picking off any stragglers that managed to slip past her teammates while she covered the ghosts. But just as she started to get confident, she heard the screeching that was decidedly not Fallen. "Damnit- we got Hive!"

"Thank fuck."

She was about to ask how that could possibly be a good thing, but she saw both Dash and Lancer veer towards her. Dash leapt up, clearing the overhead platform easily, but Lancer took to the stacked storage units instead, mantling up in a swift motion. Ayana got the hint, opting to instead follow Dash and hoist herself over the railing.

The storage units stacked high enough to provide a little cover, so Dash and Ayana crowded behind it and dropped low. Lancer placed another barrier inside the doorway behind them, blocking anything else from coming through while he forced the doors shut. She watched in fascination as he summoned a solar hammer and began to hit where the doors met, melting the steel and effectively sealing the path.

He knelt down next to Dash, swapping out for his rifle as he took aim at the ensuing bloodshed once the Hive made themselves known. Ayana then realized what they were doing, watching Thralls swarm and tear at their assailants while Fallen snipers picked off Knights and ones like the thing that had snared Ayana earlier.

"They're killing each other."

"Yup," He fired a shot, the crack of his gun borderline deafening when they were so close to him. He had the decency, or maybe just the experience, to wait just long enough for Ayana's ears to stop ringing before he continued. "They'll weed out soon enough. We just help 'em along and pick off anybody who gets too close to the ghosts."

"So, they're not allied, then."

"Nah, they may all be squatting in the same place," Dash piped up, pausing to fire a shot of her own. Unlike Lancers, the scout rifle she sported was a lot smaller, and a lot quieter. "but they fight for territory within the complex. We just wound up getting their attention."

"Be sure to thank your ghost for that one."

Ayana's head whipped back to Lancer. "Hey,"

His rifle rang out. "What? He's the one who fucked it up."

"He didn't know what he was doing, Konik and Honey were supposed to be helping him!"

Another shot. "Uh-huh."

She sighed and turned her attention back to the carnage. She aimed her own gun and attempted to assist to the best of her abilities, but she found little success, the sway and recoil working against her unless something got close. Which rarely happened, because Lancer and Dash were nothing short of efficient.

She could barely focus. But what little concentration she had was broken when Lancer nudged her. "What-"

Her words were cut off when she realized Lancer had unholstered the handcannon strapped to his thigh, and he was holding it by the barrel while he offered it to her. When she hesitantly took it, he propped his rifle against the railing and mimed holding the handcannon himself, to which Ayana attempted to copy. He reached out to manually adjust her form, and once satisfied, returned to his own role in handling the long range.

The first shot nearly sent the gun directly into her forehead, but she learned to maintain her grip after that, gritting her teeth as she fought the knockback. Despite the effort it took to keep the damn thing steady, she actually found more success in landing her shots, and watching a Knight fall brought on a sense of pride.

The crowds did thin out soon enough, to the point that they were safe to drop down and take out the stragglers without risk of getting overwhelmed. Dash was busy trying to get her knife out from where it got wedged between the plating of a Captain's armor, and she happily stood aside when Ayana offered her assistance. It took a few attempts, but she used her boot to keep the body in place while she yanked the knife free, stumbling back a little and brandishing it to Dash when Honey hollered over,

"Barrier's down, we can move now!"

"Took ya long enough," Lancer groused. "Next time, would it kill y'all to take turns or somethin'?"

For what it was worth, Honey did look ashamed along with Ghost, Konik seemingly less repentant as they transmatted away. But the path was open, so Lancer didn't press the matter, just shaking his head and gesturing for Ayana and Dash to follow. But as Lancer went ahead, Dash grabbed Ayana's arm before she could follow.

"What are you doing? Lancer's waiting us."

"No he's not," Dash waved the claim off. "He's gonna go ahead a ways, guaranteed. We got a minute."

"... Okay."

Dash leaned forward, and Ayana leaned back. "So, about what you were saying earlier. You," Dash pointed in the direction Lancer had gone. "train with him."

"Uh," Ayana looked down at the Hunter currently all up in her personal space. "Yeah."

"How the heck did that happen?"

"He told me "We're going to train," and then we started training."

"That's it?"

"I guess. Is that weird?"

"Well- no, but it's just... you're... y'know," She gestured up and down at Ayana before doing a general hand wave. "And he's..."

Dash trailed off as if Ayana understood. She did not.

"... You have know idea who he is, do you?"

Ayana frowned beneath her helmet. Dash didn't sound disappointed, but there was still a hint of perplexity, as if she was nearly as confused as Ayana felt. And when Ayana didn't answer, Dash kept going.

"Lancer-9. Vexbane, destroyer of the Black Heart, Fatebreaker... Hivebane, Crota's End- Oryx's End? Slayer of literal gods?" Dash stressed. "You didn't know about any of it?"

Ayana's eyes grew wider with every word. Hivebane... she'd heard that one. That was the only one. "I-"

"Oi,"

They both startled, looking to the gate. They hadn't noticed him come back, but there he was, looking at them expectantly.

"If you ladies are done gossipin', a little help would be nice."

Ayana and Dash winced, and when Lancer didn't wait up, they hurried after him.

More Fallen corpses were strewn about, no doubt Lancer's doing, but Ayana paid them little mind as she wearily eyed the obviously irritated exo. There was a tension in his shoulders when he walked, and his footfalls were heavier than normal as he led the way up the stairs. Dash noticed it too, and she covered the distance to walk beside him, leaning forward so she could look up at him.

"Lance-"

"Shut up."

His tone was harsh, and she flinched away, hanging back to rejoin Ayana. They exchanged a look, but neither of them felt inclined to try again.

They halted at the base of a second staircase, dropping low at Lancer's silent order and slowly climbing. They stuck to the shadows while their radars flared, and the sounds of ships flying low overhead caught their attention. The ground shook beneath them at the sound of something- or perhaps multiple somethings, landing, the hums and grinds of heavy machinery filling the air.

There was a shimmer in the dark as Lancer summoned what looked to be a rifle's scope, bringing it to his eye and muttering a curse under his breath before passing it along. Ayana took it next, and scanning what little she could see from their hiding place brought on a similar sentiment: a huge, bipedal mech of sorts to the right, strapped with heavy artillery and trailed by Fallen support. And in the distance, past the small building, she spotted some sort of tank that sported legs instead of treads. She handed the scope to Dash, letting her get ahead so she could see as well. It was a long stretch of open space with minimal points of cover, snipers were everywhere, and they had giant, rusted killing machines that looked scrapped together but nonetheless a problem.

Dash returned the scope to Lancer, who stored it along with his gun, and next thing either she and Ayana knew, he was off, throwing subtlety to the wind and an order over his shoulder as arc licked at his heels.

"I'll get the tank, you two handle the brigs."

The Fallen that loitered the space ahead of them didn't even have time to react as the charge around Lancer built, and he paid them no mind as they fell away, his Light coursing through them and lighting the dark. He mantled up onto the roof, and leapt, leaving a shower of sparks in his wake as the electric hum reached a fever pitch that became that of rolling thunder as he soared across the field and collided with the tank. The explosion was deafening, and that was Ayana and Dash's cue to move.

Dash was quick to her feet, summoning a rocket launcher that looked nearly as long as she was tall before looking to Ayana. "You ever use one of these?"

"What- no,"

"Great! Step one," she shoved it into Ayana's hands. "Brace it over your shoulder. Step two, aim and fire. Step three is optional."

"Wait," Ayana called after Dash, who was already running. "What's step three? Dash!"

But Dash had already gone left, dropping out of view, and Ayana sighed. "How much ammo does this even have?"

"Looks like a two-shot model," Ghost offered.

"Don't suppose we have any in reserves?"

"I... hadn't considered us being given a rocket launcher, so no."

"Great. Fantastic."

It was heavy, but not as debilitating as she expected to lug the thing around. She went right, taking the slope down and sliding into a low stance. She took a knee and braced herself before firing, and she narrowly avoided getting knocked on her ass by the kickback. But the shot more or less hit its mark, taking out one of the mech's legs. It could no longer support itself, but its artillery was, in fact, still fully functional, as she was quick to discover. Her single rocket was exchanged for a full-blown barrage, and despite being fast enough drop a barrier, it stood little chance against half a dozen high velocity explosives.

Luckily, the pain only lasted for a second, and the next thing she knew, she was sucking in a gulp of air as she sat up back at the staircase. Ghost hovered in front of her, his shell shifting worriedly.

"You alright? Everything where it should be?"

His question must have been hypothetical since he was taking the time to scan her, himself, but she couldn't help but pat herself down while she played mental catch-up. "I hope so."

"The brig should be vulnerable now," He hid away again, returning to the comms and resummoning the rocket launcher. "One more rocket oughta do it, right?"

Ayana pulled herself up with a grunt and eyed through the window, frowning. "Don't know if I want to waste precious ammo. If it's already weak, maybe I can-"

She ducked down just as a shot whizzed overhead and hit the back wall. Her first attempt drew attention, and she cursed herself for not thinking of that.

"Maybe I can use my Light? Lancer took out the tank with a Thundercrash, right?"

"Do you know how to Thundercrash?"

"Well, no," Ayana admitted. "I'll figure something out."

She didn't allow herself to overthink it, taking off like a shot and storing the rocket launcher. She felt that spark within her, and that feeling of static and the buzzing in her ears was enough of a motivator to ignore the little voice telling her that this was a horrible idea. There was no way she would be able to get herself off the ground for more than a few seconds, but maybe she could work with that, so long as she didn't get taken out again.

She ducked and weaved, narrowly avoiding getting domed, but a shot did nail her in the arm. She stumbled, but didn't stop, not when the brig was preparing another onslaught of rockets. She suddenly had an idea that was worse then the last, and she dipped low, slowing just enough to watch the brig.

"What are you doing?"

She ignored Ghost's concern, mostly because she was too busy trying to fight off her own anxiety. "Trust me."

"You better not be doing what I think you're doing,"

"It'll be fine," she insisted, not entirely believing it as the brig aimed low. "I got this."

"Ayana,"

His warning was drowned out by the brig firing, and Ayana did the only thing she could think of. She jumped.

The expansion of heat and air propelled her higher as the arc charge reached its apex. When she felt gravity begin to pull her down, she leaned into it, and she felt herself accelerate as she  collided with the brig. The next thing she knew, she was being sent back, the char in her back suddenly paling in comparison to the resulting explosion as her Light interacted with the brig's internal system. The minute it had hit its engine, the combustion was enough to send her flying. She hit the ground and skipped a few times, and she simply laid there, face down, as her body screamed at her while she tried and failed to suck in a breath.

She heard Ghost manifest, and she did her damnedest to roll onto her back to look up at him, but not without whining at the sharp pain in her ribs.

Before he could scold her, which she was almost certain he was intending to do, he looked up at the sound of cackling. She could barely bring herself to turn her head, but she didn't have to, Dash leaning into view.

"That was awesome,"

Dash grabbed her arm, and while Ayana didn't protest being pulled to her feet, she couldn't do much about the white hot pain from putting any weight on her legs. Dash was quick to catch her, thankfully. "Did... did I get it?"

"Oh-hoh, yeah," Dash snickered. "And the Dregs. And the Vandals. And the Captain. That brig went," she mimed an explosion with her free hand. "Boom. I think your arc protected you from the worst of it. Preeetty sure you'd be toast, otherwise."

Ayana felt nauseous, and her entire body was burned and torn. She was pretty sure that, on top of the broken bones, parts her armor and suit had bubbled and melted. Breathing hurt with every inhale and exhale, and she tasted blood. "Lucky me."

"Hold still," Ghost sighed, and he began to scan her, glowing brighter while his shell separated. She felt it almost instantly, and it was as uncomfortable as it was relieving, being hyper aware of how her skin separated from the suit and mended itself, the fractures in her bones realigning. But the discomfort was gone as soon as it came, replaced with a warmth as her body healed. Ghost returned to his natural state after that, his voice laced with exhaustion. Whether it was because he was legitimately tired or simply speaking reactively, Ayana didn't know, but she felt the same. "Good job. Can we... not do that again?"

She offered a quiet thumbs up, wearing a smile that was more akin to a grimace despite it being hidden beneath her helmet. Ghost sighed again, bumping against her helmet admonishingly before vanishing. When Dash started walking, Ayana went to follow, and it was a comfortable trek across the field now that the hostiles were taken care of. She could see Lancer up ahead, sitting atop the husk of the tank while he waited for them to catch up. When they got close enough, Lancer hopped down and gave Ayana a once-over, taking in her damaged armor and torn suit.

"I leave you alone for a minute."

"Yeah, well," Ayana shrugged, trying to sound nonchalant. "maybe don't leave me alone."

Her comment earned a snort, turning and gesturing for her and Dash to follow. "Gonna need new gear. That stuff was junk, anyway."

They approached a steel roll-up door, and Lancer dropped to one knee so he could work a hand beneath it. He looked over his shoulder, gesturing for Ayana to come over with his free hand before sliding a hand under as well. "Gimme a hand, will ya? Thing's rusted to hell and back since I was last here."

Ayana went to do so, having an easier time getting a grip thanks to Lancer lifting it a little ways. It took some effort to get the door moving, and the screeching sound of it grinding against the track made her muscles tense, but the managed to get it a little over halfway up before Lancer signaled for them to leave it where it was, ducking beneath it to get inside. It was dimly lit and took a second for Ayana's eyes to adjust as she took a minute for her eyes to adjust, but when they did, she startled back, unable to tear her vision away.

There was a staircase, and framing it were spikes. She almost doubted herself, but there was no denying it the longer she looked at them; skulls adorned them, human skulls.

Lancer and Dash pressed forward, unbothered, but Dash at least turned around when she realized Ayana hadn't followed right away. She offered her hand, tilting her head in hopes of conveying assurance, and she waited patiently until Ayana took it and allowed herself to be led up the stairs. Ayana scanned their environment with a pit in her stomach. Some of the spikes didn't have skulls, and her first thought was that they were helmets. But another glance made her realize they were the heads of exos, a chill running down her spine when she noticed one that distinctly matched Lancer's model beneath the rust.

"What the hell,"

Her voice was a stressed whisper, and Lancer followed turned around to look at her before following her gaze. "Ah. Yeah, that's Fallen for ya. You deal with 'em enough times, you get used to the decor."

She found his nonchalance almost as disturbing as the scene itself.

The area was further lit by the open door at the top of the stairs, and Ayana shuddered at the sight of yet more defiled dead that littered the space. There were piles against the walls, and the blood red banners that hung from the ceiling were the finishing touch to such a macabre display.

The sound of unintelligible syllables filled the air, and the three of them stopped just before the entrance, keeping out of sight while they listened in. Lancer peeked around the door, scanning around before looking back and signing for Fallen, nothing else. He looked to Ayana, and her shoulders slumped when he signaled for her to stay put. He noticed, and before she could make any sort of protest, gestured to the utter disarray of her armor. She wasn't fit for the frontlines in her current state, and Ayana couldn't argue that. But she was nonetheless surprised when Lancer summoned his rifle and pawned it off to her, and she blinked down at the gun in her hands.

It was a gorgeous gun, Ayana realized. She'd never looked at it too closely before, but the dark stained wood grain and gold trim made it look like it belonged in a history museum. There was a bull skull symbol gold-filled on the side, matching the symbol on Lancer's hat. It felt good in her hands, so she nodded. If he wanted her to provide cover fire, she could do that.

Lancer pulled out his shotgun and shared a look with Dash, who had her submachine gun ready. They nodded to each other, and they were off. Ayana gave them a minute to clear out just outside the entrance before she moved, and there was a pile of old equipment that made for an excellent brace that she could lean over while she shot.

There was a platform on either that ramped down to ground level, leading to the remains of a piece of machinery that Ayana didn't know. It looked to be a sphere of some kind, busted with parts strewn about. Fallen surrounded it, many of which charging up the ramp to fight. Ayana got used to the rifle's recoil soon enough, grimacing a little at the bruising that was no doubt flowering on her shoulder, and she was actually finding a fair amount of success in picking off assailants who attempted to ascend. That wasn't to say most didn't get past, but that was fine, as Lancer and Dash took care of the rest, handling the left and the right, respectively.

She heard the footsteps behind her, and she dipped to the side to avoid a sneak attack, whirling around and slamming the butt of the rifle into the Fallen's head. She shot it in the head while it was stunned, and she grinned, realizing that she's successfully pulled that specific move off twice, now.

A shimmer caught her eye in the distance, by the machine; there was a group of Fallen who had stayed, apparently tampering with it, but she saw the telltale sign of a transmat. They were going to get away. Dash and Lancer were too occupied to notice, and there was no way to stop them all. But Ayana hurried to reposition herself and take aim, firing at one of them before it could escape with its allies. Her shot met its mark, not quite a headshot but precise enough to take it down.

The clearing went quiet as Lancer took down the last of them, and they all waited for any sign of more. But when none came, the three of them relaxed. Ayana offered Lancer's rifle back to him, asking as he took it.

"Is that all of them?"

"Definitely not," He stored the gun with a huff. "But it made a dent. No point in stalkin' this place daily for the bastards, better to just come in and cut 'em down before they build, every once in a while."

"Look at you, though." Dash nudged Ayana with her elbow, her voice enthusiastic. "Baby's first strike. And you only died once!"

Ayana scoffed at that, but she felt... good, actually. She was exhausted, dirty, her armor was in disarray, and she hadn't eaten in well over twenty-four hour- the latter of which she somehow hadn't even noticed until now. Funny how that worked; maybe it was a guardian thing. But despite all of that, she felt proud of herself. She could've done worse, she thought.

They began to discuss writing up a report, and Ayana did her best to pay attention until she looked back at the wreckage, the Fallen she'd shot suddenly catching eye. She squinted, but she couldn't see it well in the night's lighting, let alone at such a distance, and she slipped away while they were occupied. She took a ramp down, gingerly stepping over the bodies that littered the ground. Her suspicions were confirmed as she got closer to it, and she paused a short distance away, tilting her head.

"Guys," Ayana shouted. "This one's different."

Its body was modified, wearing a striking black and white armor. One of its legs was missing at the knee, replaced with scrap that looked held together with red cabling. She thought she saw the cables move, almost imperceptibly.

She heard the others join her, along with Lancer's oh so reassuring, "What the fuck."

Dash got low, resting her elbows on her knees as she looked examined the body. "I got nothin'. The red could mean Devil branch? But I've never seen modifications like this."

She reached out to touch, likely with the intent to roll the body over, but Ayana grabbed her wrist, pointing to the cables that were definitely moving when Dash looked at her in confusion. Dash leaned back when she saw it, getting up. "Ooookay, nope. That's new."

"I'll report it," Lancer grumbled. "Stand back, both of you."

They did as told, getting behind him while he pulled out a grenade. He charged it with solar and gave it a toss, and it went off on impact, engulfing the Fallen in what looked a miniature sun.

Dash spoke up first while they watched the sun die, though the body continued to burn. "Shouldn't we have kept it so someone could look at it?"

"We had three options," Lancer held a hand as he counted them. "Option one, I carry this thing back home and let whatever the fuck in my ship. Option two, we leave it and risk the Fallen comin' back for it before one of ours can get here. Option three, we get rid of it before it can be recovered by its buddies."

"Point taken."

Once the fire had died out completely and it was certain that all movement had ceased, he turned to walk away. "Let's head back. Wanna get home before tomorrow's end, preferably."

Dash followed after, and Ayana wasn't far behind, but not before giving the Fallen's remains one last uneasy glance.

"What."

Ayana startled, staring at the back of the pilot's seat. "Hm?"

"You've been standin' there for the past thirty minutes. So, what."

They'd exchanged goodbyes with Dash when they reached the outpost, and since then, the flight's been... tense. Ayana couldn't explain it, and she didn't know if it was her causing it, or him. Maybe it was both. She'd stewed in the quarters for the first few hours of the flight, chatted with Ghost, but that feeling had gnawed at herself until she found herself standing in the doorway of the cockpit, leaning against the doorframe in awkward silence. But clearly Lancer was fed up with it. She hesitated, working her jaw while she tried to find the words. In the end, she sighed and repeated a question she'd asked him once before.

"Are you someone important?"

"The hell you askin' me for? Sounds like Dash already answered that one."

She bristled at the dismissive tone. "Yeah. Because you didn't."

He grumbled something she couldn't make out before answering simply. "Nope."

"Why not?" She pressed, his deliberate indifference only ticking her off. "Why did you lie?"

"I didn't lie,"

"Don't," she cut him off. "I asked if you were someone important, before, and you said no. Were you ever gonna tell me? That you were, what, some bastion of humanity?"

"Who cares."

"I care!" She threw her hands up in frustration. "You didn't think it was worth mentioning? I find out you could be off saving the world instead of wasting your time on some nobody you found in a cave, but not even from you?"

That got him to turn around, switching the ship to autopilot so he could give her his whole attention. "The fuck you mean wastin' my time?"

"You've killed gods, apparently, and you've spent the past week looking after me. How am I supposed to feel about that? You could be doing anything else, and instead I'm the one who takes priority? Am I supposed to feel good about that?"

"I don't care how you feel about it," he snapped. "I'm the one who chose to do it, and this is exactly why I didn't tell you. Who the hell are you to tell me what to spend my time on? Not allowed to offer a hand without everyone losin' their minds over it?"

Ayana stopped short, his words taking the wind out of her sails. "I-"

"Nuh-uh, you had your turn. I can take a lotta shit, tellin' me I could be doin' more. But I ain't takin' it from you. You want me to fuck off? Fine, feel free to let me know. But don't even think that you get to tell me I'm wastin' my time 'cause I chose to help you instead of lettin' you stumble through life without a clue."

They stared at each other. His gaze was unwavering, and Ayana couldn't keep her nerve. She backed out, letting the door close between them. Ayana walked over to the bed and sat, raising her hand, palm up. Ghost appeared instantly, looking downward.

Ayana's voice wasn't angry. But it was tired. "Did you know? About him."

His shell shifted anxiously, but he didn't keep her waiting. "I did. I didn't say anything because... well, he didn't. I didn't think it mattered, I was just happy that he chose to help us."

Her shoulders slumped at that. She couldn't fault him for feeling that way. But it still hurt. "He lied to my face. Why didn't you say anything?"

"I'm sorry," he said, drifting from her hand so he could float at eye level. "I just- I don't know. I didn't think about how it would make you feel. I just thought it was fine, as long as he was there, and Konik. Because I don't know what I'm doing," he admitted. "Like earlier, with the gate. Or nearly getting us both killed to find you, I-"

He stopped himself, and he sighed.

"I shouldn't be making this about me. I'm sorry. And I'm sorry for not telling you. I should have."

She took a breath, going to remove her helmet and put it aside. "I just don't get it. Why would someone like him stoop down to deal with me? Yet I'm not worth telling?"

"Maybe he didn't want to make a big deal out of it?" He offered. "I mean... Lancer's a big deal. People know him. But... maybe he liked not being known?"

Ayana opened her mouth to respond, thought about it, then promptly closed it. She wanted to respond to that, but she couldn't. So, she laid down. Ghost left her alone after that, and she tried to settle in for the long flight, rolling over to face the wall until she finally drifted off.

She felt a hand on her shoulder gently shaking her until her eyes fluttered open, and she turned to look up at the source, blinking blearily up at Lancer.

"Hey. Just landed."

She stared up at him for a minute until his words caught up with her. She nodded and sat up with a yawn, rubbing her neck. She tried looking for her helmet which she distinctly remembered leaving on the bed, but Lancer had apparently grabbed it, holding it out for her. She took it and put it on while he opened the hatch. Despite the flight, their last talk was fresh in her mind, and she went to walk in stride with him as they traversed the hangar.

"Hey."

"Hey."

There was no need to dance around it. "I'm sorry." When Lancer didn't respond, she continued, "I'm glad you're here. Helping me, I mean. But also in general."

He stopped walking, and she stopped with him. He looked at her, but she didn't lose her nerve, this time. He was difficult to read, but when he nudged her shoulder and kept walking, his voice was relaxed, so she relaxed, too.

"Serves me right for lyin', I guess."

"So... we're good?"

"Yeah. Do me a favor, though." He pulled out a datapad, skimming the contents of their mission report. "Don't go puttin' me on some pedestal for doin' my job."

Ayana couldn't help but smile. "Deal."

They made it to the courtyard in comfortable silence, a sentiment shared by most in the early morning. The courtyard was cast in shadow as dawn rose in the east, and traffic was minimal, currently. Ayana let that silence stretch a little longer before she leaned in, whispering conspiringly.

 "So, I'm not part of your job?"

"Don't get sentimental on me," He warned. But she could hear the smile in his voice, too. "Go home, you look like shit."

She didn't argue, offering a salute in farewell as they parted ways. She got quite a few looks along the way, but she didn't pay them any mind, the allure of a shower and actual meal burying any shame she might have felt over her disastrous appearance. She was just grateful for the quiet elevator ride, and even more so when she finally entered her apartment.

She was working to remove her armor the second the door closed, tossing the vambraces haphazardly to the corner of her bedroom before working on the rest. It was no small effort, as some of the clasps had actually melted shut. Ghost took mercy on her and transmatted the rest, informing her that he intended to promptly send the damaged gear out for disposal. It was probably more cost effective to replace the whole thing than repair every part, so she didn't argue. Nor did she care, currently, far more interested in taking a scalding hot shower and soothing the aches that have long since settled in her muscles. She stayed in there until the water got cold, and she took her sweet time freshening up until she found herself back on the couch with a bowl of cereal, watching the broadcasted match with rapt attention.

It wasn't the Crucible, this time. It was a different event that had a sense of prestige, even as a blood sport in its own right. And unlike the Crucible, where Ayana saw guardians of all breeds testing their mettle, many of the ones who participated in this event wore its colors and sigil. Symbology of wolves and trees, old leathers and earthy tones adorning brilliant silvers, bronzes and golds. The game even had a different host; gone was Lord Shaxx's bolder timbre, replaced with an older, weathered voice, though no less hardened.

"Other than aesthetics," Ayana prompted after swallowing. "what's the difference between the Iron Banner and the Crucible?"

"Not a whole lot, I guess." Ghost was watching as intently as she was, nestled atop the back of the couch. "But it's where the best of the best hone their skills. It's Lord Saladin's way of pushing the City's greatest, as well as to honor the old ways."

"So, it's tradition as much as anything?"

"Kind of. It only rolls around once a month for a few days, and only those who have proved themselves get to participate. It's an exclusive event, and if I remember right, today's the last day before it's gone again," he explained. But then he perked up, eagerly moving to hover next to her. "Oh oh oh, look!"

She turned her gaze back to screen in time to watch a Titan in gilded armor drop low, effectively dodging another Titan's attack and taking her out with a well placed shot from his shotgun. He was relentless in his assault, hit after hit, kill after kill. He was almost too fast to follow, until he stopped to switch his shotgun out for a rifle.

Wait. The rifle.

"Lancer?"

"He never misses the Iron Banner, if he can help it."

She never would've recognized him, having never seen him out of his usual rugged ensemble. Even when in casual wear, the jacket and hat was always a staple, but they were nowhere to be seen, here. He was tearing up the competition, but it fell short when behind him, a Warlock manifested from nothing, void expanding from their form and engulfing him, leaving no trace behind. The Warlock was gone again before Ayana could get a look at them.

"Woah."

The match continued on for several more minutes before another began, each one a scramble of teams and combatants. Ayana wasn't sure how many she watched before she got up, she lost track. But her empty bowl's been on the coffee table for the past hour and a half. Ghost followed her to the kitchen, and while she went to wash the bowl, he chirped quietly to get her attention.

"I wanted to go out and do some digging on Fallen coding," He bobbed and flittered in place while he talked. "so I don't mess up again, like before."

Ayana was taken aback by his words, looking at him curiously. "You know I don't blame you for that."

"I know, but I can't rely on others all the time. You're supposed to be relying on me," he insisted. "And that means knowing how to get into tight places without screaming "Hey! Over here!"" His shell popped and scattered for emphasis before settling back to his usual shape. "There's this community hub for ghosts to share notes and information, so I was wondering if I could..."

"Ghost," Her voice held no bite even as she admonished him, realizing what he was getting at. "You don't need my permission to go out. You can do as you please."

"You don't mind?"

"Of course not," She beckoned him over, leaning forward to give him a little headbutt. "I can keep myself busy. And I doubt anything's going to jump me within the next few hours. Go do your thing."

"... Okay. If you're sure."

"I am," Ayana chuckled, waving him off. "I'll see you later."

Ghost beeped happily, his shell spinning in farewell, and then he was gone, the particles of a transmat sparkling in his wake. She watched them fall and dissipate for a few minutes while she waited to see if he would return. When he didn't, she went looking for her datapad, trying to remember where she left it. She found it on her bedside table and opened a search.

It was immediately obvious that Dash was right; the City had a ton of libraries. And Ayana merely sighed.

She stood at the stairs of a rustic looking building, designed with stone and woodwork that made it feel like it was ripped right out of a forgotten time. It stood out, tucked within the street's more modern aesthetic, but it was far from unpleasant to look at. It was warm and inviting.

It was also much bigger than Ayana thought it would be, and that was just looking at the front.

The City Archives had been at the top of the list in terms of libraries, but she scrapped that almost immediately due to the sheer size of it. So, she'd turned her attention to the smaller options and wound up settling on the Silver Junctural Library, independently funded and located closer to the City's wall. She wasn't afraid to admit that distance played a part in her choice, considering she didn't have Ghost to assist her for transmat.

She played with the loose collar of her shirt as she climbed the stairs, trying to not let herself get too nervous over something so simple. This was all new territory for her, but she'd just gotten back from facing Hive and Fallen. She could handle a library.

Walking inside was like stepping into a period piece. Warm lights and dim corners, carpeted flooring and rows upon rows of dark stained shelves lined with various reading materials ranging from old magazines and newspapers to pristine books and ancient tomes. Tables and chairs were tucked about, and all she could hear was the quiet hums of consoles and escalators along with the flipping of pages.

In the center of it all was a desk manned by a mousy looking woman with a messy bun, clicking away at a computer. She looked up as Ayana approached and flashed a smile.

"Um, hi." Ayana whispered, offering a smile of her own. She faltered for a second, and she found herself biting the inside of her cheek while she tried to find the words to ask, "Can you tell me where I can find historical?"

"I see," The receptionist stood from her seat and gestured for Ayana to follow, leading her towards one of the escalators. "Are we looking for fiction or non-fiction?"

"Um, either is fine. I'm mostly looking for names." She admitted, her eyes wandering as they ascended to the second level. She could hardly believe the size of this place. There was a small table with notepads and pens, so she grabbed one of each. "I guess non-fiction would be good."

The librarian hummed thoughtfully, rubbing her chin before apparently settling on a course of action and heading to the left and back. Ayana assumed she was meant to follow and quickly followed suit- she was a fair bit taller than the woman, so it didn't take long to meet the other's strides, but Ayana still hadn't expected the suddenness of the action. The librarian stopped before some rows of shelves with her hands on her hips, and when Ayana went to stand beside her, gestured about. "Everything from here to the far and back walls is pre-Golden Age. If you have any questions, you just come and find me, okay?"

Ayana nodded, offering her thanks as she was left alone, before turning to the shelves. She didn't have the slightest clue where to start, or what she was even looking for, specifically. So, she opted for the simple solution: she started picking at random, starting from the back and slowly working her way up, grabbing a book every couple of shelves until she had a decent stack in her hands. She looked around from there, hoping to find an empty space where she could comb through her findings in peace. Her search proved fruitless, but she did find a lounge area that was mostly vacant, with a desk, lamp and a handful of plush leather chairs. There was only one occupant who seemed invested in his own book, so she quietly approached.

She considered simply sitting down, since it was a public space, but she also didn't want to impose on a stranger, so she instead stood before him and waited for him to notice her. She watched how his eyes flicked up from his book, then how he startled as he fully processed her presence.

He looked up at her with wide eyes that shone between blue and green, brought out further against silvery hair and a notable pallor. Old scars could be seen along the left side of his face, carving lines into his brow and down his cheek, across his lips and the bridge of his nose. His expression was hard to read, but there was a certain tension about the man's demeanor that Ayana couldn't quite place. He was quite the sight, she could admit that much to herself, but she wasn't here for that, obviously. So once his attention was fully on her, she adjusted her grip on her cargo and waved with a smile.

"Hi. Are, um," She made a point of looking around before asking, "are any of these seats taken?"

He didn't answer right away, but she noticed the barely perceptible slump of the man's shoulders and how, for a moment, he seemed to be looking more through her than at her. But that moment left as quickly as it came, and he looked at her with a polite smile, as he gestured to the chair beside him. "Be my guest."

She whispered a quiet "Thank you," before sitting down and carefully placing the stack aside and taking the topmost book and notepad. She took a deep breath, psyching herself up for what she knew would be an incredibly boring experience, and started at the beginning.

It was painful, honestly. She couldn't claim that the subject matter wasn't interesting, but the presentation of it all was so dry, it left her parched just reading it. 

Still, she persevered, and every time she saw a name that stuck out to her, she would lean over to write it down on her notepad, and sometimes, subsequently scratch that name out upon further reading. It was a vicious cycle, to be sure, filled with the sound of her flipping pages and the occasional scratch of her pen.

Ayana realized that was all she heard in the same breath as noticing the eye of her company, whose gaze would subtly look her way before returning to his own reading. There was something about how he held himself that felt forced, like a coiled spring or a fear-stricken animal. She could see the slight furrow of his brow and the tense set of his jaw as he skimmed the text- she honestly doubted that he was comprehending a single word.

"Tough read?"

He startled and, for the first time since she first approached, lifted his head to look at her fully. "Sorry?"

"I haven't seen you flip the page since I sat down," she clarified. He had the decency to look embarrassed, and he was pale enough that it was impossible to hide the hint of color that came to his face at being caught. Ayana offered a sympathetic smile. "I can leave, if you want? I don't mean to be a bother," she offered, already going to stand up, but he spoke before she could get very far.

"No! That's," he caught himself, clearing his throat before continuing at a lower volume, "That's not necessary, really. I promise, you're hardly a bother.

You'll have to forgive me," he seemed to get over his initial fluster quick, and leaned towards her a bit once she was resettled in her own chair, flashing a charming smile as he let his book hang loosely in his hand. "It's not often I'm graced by the presence of a woman dusted with starlight, after all."

Ayana blinked stupidly at him until his words caught up with her, and she couldn't fight the grin that broke out across her face as her hand subconsciously rose to touch her cheek. She wanted to say "Thanks," but all she could muster was a quiet laugh. When she found her words again, she had to give credit where credit was due. "Smooth."

"I try." The man turned his eyes to the book in her hand briefly before reaching over and plucking the a book from the pile, skimming the title. "Studying for a test? Lots of history you have, here."

Ayana was quick to grab her notepad before he could get too nosey- not that it mattered, really. It's not like there was anything shameful. But still, she couldn't help but feel embarrassed by it. "I hope not; I'm just... looking for inspiration." She wanted to leave it at that, but he looked at her expectantly, head tilted while he waited patiently for her to continue. His eyes were bright, and Ayana found herself briefly getting distracted by their vibrance. She averted her gaze as she relented, "I'm trying to name my ghost. But I don't even know where to begin. I want it to mean something, y'know? And I thought- I dunno, that I could maybe name him after someone important. See if anything stands out? I just...  I've been calling him "Ghost" which feels wrong, and I,"

She paused and took a breath. She was rambling, and she felt the heat return to her face at the realization. "I want to make a good choice. He deserves a good name."

"... Uh-huh," Ayana winced at the tone he used. "So, you're a New Light, then?" When she nodded, he snorted, and she finally looked up to see a look of amusement on his face.

"Want to know a secret?" He leaned a little closer, pausing for extra effect. "It took me years to name mine."

Ayana's face must've said it all, because he chuckled before she could even ask, "You're a guardian, too?"

"Sure," He leaned back, reclining a bit in his chair while gesturing to the marring along the left side of his face, "These good looks aren't just for show."

He then stood up, arching his back slightly with a wince- Ayana could hear the faint pop of a stiff spine- before he offered her a hand. "Come on. If you're looking for names," He was gentle in pulling her up, all while gingerly taking the book from her hands to leave it on the table. "I think I know a better place to look."

As she was led through the shelves, Ayana silently reveled at the man's height. He was easily a full head taller than her, something she couldn't tell from when he had been sitting. His strides were long but deliberately slow as he occasionally looked over to make sure she was there. On one instance, he managed to look over right as she'd been admiring the scars- shrapnel scarring, she figured, the way they left dents in his skin and notched the lower part of his ear. By the time she realized that he had caught her staring, he was already looking back at her, a smirk pulling at his lips as he chuckled, low and rumbling.

"Distracted? Certainly hope I'm not the one being a bother, now."

Ayana flushed, and suddenly she found herself enamored with the library's choice of carpeting. "Hardly."

He laughed again, and Ayana loved the sound. He continued to lead her along, and it was no time at all that he found his destination. "Here we are."

"Mythology?" Ayana read the sign above as she followed him further into the section.

"Right. From tall tales to major religion, it's all here." The man explained, his hand ghosting over a row of old tomes before settling on one to pull from its confines. He gestured for her to begin doing the same. "Humanity believed in many things over the centuries and told all sorts of stories. A lot of them were fantastical. Some were utterly deranged."

Ayana picked at random and turned the book over. Apparently, she had picked something that claimed to be extensive documentation on Belgian folklore. She glanced up at him again, and upon seeing him continuing his search, followed his lead in perusing the shelves. "Was there truth to any of them?"

Her question earned a snort. "Some of them, in a sense. Seems like lots of word of mouth to me, though. Considering what we know now, anyway." He grabbed a few more, studying the covers critically before returning one of them to its rightful place. "People saw something they didn't understand, and imaginations would run rampant until they settled on something they could believe wholeheartedly in. Sometimes good, sometimes bad. Humanity's always been a faithful bunch, seems like."

"Don't consider yourself part of that?" She prompted. He spoke of it all with... not disinterest, per se, but he certainly didn't seem like he related to the sentiments he was sharing. Which she found strange, considering how well he seemed to know his way around the material.

"I've been around long enough to know better than to waste my time." He said simply, scouring a high shelf. "People were- are, actually- secure in faith. I'm not. There's no reassurance in hoping some higher power will swoop in and fix things. But," He eventually found what he was looking for, nodding in satisfaction before turning to her. He answered her unspoken question, "I like to read. And I believe, regardless of truth," and offered the book to her. "there's always value in a good story."

Ayana went to take his offering while his words sunk in, and looking back up at him, it was hard to look away. There was a certain softness to his gaze, one that was almost melancholy. But still he smiled, and she smiled back at him as she gingerly took his offering, taking a moment to examine the intricate leather cover.

When the two of them started walking back, she made a point of keeping pace at his right while they quietly talked amongst themselves. "So, you come here often, then?"

"More like when I can," he corrected with a sigh. "I'm usually occupied with work, don't get vacation days terribly often. But when I do..." He shrugged. "I like to come here. It's relaxing."

"The Vanguard keeps you guys busy, huh?"

He only offered a low hum in response, and when they found their place back at the lounge, he surprised her by pulling a book from the middle of the stack she placed down before settling in his seat. She was surprised yet again when, after a minute of them each reading through their respective books, he picked up the pen and scribbled something onto her notepad. His handwriting was almost illegible, but she quickly realized he had written down names. Eirin and Drasil.

"You don't have to help me more than you already have."

"Oh, I know," he replied, not looking up. "But why not? I haven't read up on this sort of thing in a while."

"You were already reading when I got here,"

"This?" He held up the book in question for her to see, it having been long since left on the desk. Its cover was illustrated with art of a forest and small, fantastical beings dancing amongst the trees. "I've read it thousands of times and know it like the back of my hand. I can afford to put it down for a bit."

Ayana wanted to retort knew it would be a waste of breath. She just sighed and picked up the pen. Heka and Akhet were cute.

She had to admit, this was a lot more enjoyable than the history books. Whether it was because of its contents or her company didn't matter, she didn't feel like her brain was melting out of her ears while she skimmed tale after tale. She found a plethora of names she liked when she moved on from Egyptian to Greek, names like Helios, Apollo, and Aether. He wrote down a few more as well, and she didn't know how long they were there until she heard the tell-tale sign of a transmat. She startled, only to relax when she realized it was his ghost, not hers. Their shell was rather plain in color, with earth tones following some thick swooping patterns. There were long protrusions attached to the top and bottom, but what drew Ayana's attention was the ghost's eye. It flickered and distorted occasionally, like it had been damaged.

The ghost said nothing, and neither did he, looking none too pleased at the intrusion. But he relented eventually, putting his book aside and standing up.

"I have to go," he mumbled as he went to grab the jacket he'd left on a different chair, pulling it on while his ghost vanished. He sounded disappointed, and she felt similarly so.

"Okay," She offered a smile anyway. "Thanks again, for helping me with this."

He stopped to look at her again, and she tried to ignore how he utterly towered over her when she was sitting. His expression softened into a smile of his own. "Of course,"

He leaned down, bracing himself on the table as he slid a book towards her and tapped the cover. "The library closes in a few hours. I'd suggest you give this one a look before then. Lots to pull from."

It was the one he had offered her earlier, with the leather cover. "I will,"

He took a step back, "I wish you luck and I'm sure your ghost will have worthy title soon enough." and bowed with a small flourish, an act of dramatics that didn't fail in making her laugh.

"Until we meet."

They bid their farewells, and she mentally kicked herself for never asking for his name. But he was already gone, and the idea of going after a stranger felt ridiculous. So, she did her best to put it out of her mind and let herself get reabsorbed in her task as she picked up the book he'd insisted she read. It was a book of scriptures, with a table of contents loaded with numbered verses that stretched on and on. But it helped, and he was right, there were some lovely names that slowly made the list. By the time she had filled the page, she had a crick in her neck and tired eyes, but she felt accomplished.

It took little time to get her affairs in order, especially when upon asking, the librarian had assured Ayana that she didn't need to worry about putting every book back if she didn't remember where she found them, she only had to drop them off at the designated area. Once that was done, she took her leave, shivering a little as she was hit with cool evening air.

She walked along the shadowed street, nestling her chin into her shirt's collar as she looked over her list. There were quite a few names she'd scratched out, leaving only a handful left that felt suitable for her little friend.

There was one that stood out to her, and she smiled fondly.

She hoped he'd like it.

Chapter Text

When Lancer found her this morning, he left no room for argument in what took priority: new armor.

Ayana couldn't complain about the prospect of gear that could withstand more than a stiff breeze, but she still didn't find herself particularly fond of standing in a claustrophobic space, dressed down to her undergarments, with someone being all up in her personal space while her measurements were being taken for a custom fit. The woman who manned the booth reassured that once this was done, her records would be updated and, unless she underwent a drastic change, would likely never need to do it again. She was the pinnacle of professionalism, but it didn't make Ayana feel any less awkward.

"Alright, we should have all we need for you," The woman put down the scanner she had been using, turning away to type the resulting numbers into the mounted data screen. "Eververse collections are standard issue, designed with the utmost care and balance of durability and flexibility."

Ayana leaned over to look, her arms crossed self-consciously while she skimmed the options. A lot of them were quite nice, but, "I don't think I can afford half of these."

The woman nodded in a way that felt halfway sympathetic before bringing up a bundle that sported a Vanguard palette; it appeared lightweight and streamlined, and even through the picture, she could tell it put the first set she had to shame. "This is a popular set amongst the new arrivals. Sleek, practical, and fashionably adaptable."

She could afford that one, just about. But it wouldn't leave her with a lot left over, and she needed the funds for things like utilities and food. She bit the inside of her cheek, eyeing the set cautiously. "I don't know,"

"Skip a piece," Lancer called out from the other side of the wall. "Don't gotta buy the bundle. Buy 'em separate and ditch somethin'."

"Ah- that's certainly an option. The bundle is the cheaper option,"

"If you're buyin' the full set."

"But we do have independent supplementary equipment, if you would be interested." She picked up a datapad, swiped through a few menus, then handed it off to Ayana to let her peruse the assortment.

Ayana leaned against a crate while she browsed, eventually finding a pair of black armor-padded pants that came with matching sturdy leather boots. Once decided on, she let her host deal with getting the order arranged, and Ayana was presented with a freshly decrypted stack of armor for her on the nearby counter. She pulled on the suit, black in color with lightweight armor built into it, before pulling the pants on over the top and moving onto the actual armor for her torso and arms. Everything had the faint scent of burnt metal, which she assumed would fade with time, but that made it no less unpleasant, especially once she got to the helmet.

She finished securing the mark around her waist before looking up at the full length mirror, and she wasn't expecting the lump to form in her throat at the sight of herself. She looked... real. Pristine white armor with blue and yellow accents, a blue Titan's mark with a simple pattern, it all felt right.

"Always love to witness new beginnings," The saleswoman took stance behind her, and her smile appeared to be genuine. "One of my favorite parts of the job. Any complaints?"

Ayana glanced at herself one more time, and she smiled. "No, I think this is it. I'll take it."

She was escorted out the side door so she could round to the front desk to pay, and it was simply a matter of a signature to permit the transaction, carried out by Ghost. She exchanged some farewell pleasantries with the saleswoman before wandering over to Lancer, who had since taken a seat on the stairs and was plucking leaves from the decorative vines while he waited for her. Ayana walked past to stand before him, holding her arms out while she did a little spin to show off her new ensemble.

"Well, would ya look at that," Lancer stood from his seat, clasping her on the shoulder while he looked her up and down. "Lookin' like an actual Titan. Brings a tear to the eye,"

His tone was dry as always, and she pulled herself from his grip with a scoff while he raised his hands in mock surrender before turning for the Hangar, not even bothering to gesture for her to follow. She already knew to, but she was caught off-guard by the briskness of his pace. She jogged to catch up until she fell in stride with him, hazarding a question, "Where are we going?"

"To train," Lancer said bluntly. "Haven't settled on the arena, just know that Venus is empty thanks to the schedule Shaxx lent me. But we oughta get goin' before-"

"Lance,"

"Shit," Lancer stopped abruptly and turned, taking a subtle sidestep to put himself between Ayana and the approaching man of the hour. "Heyyy, Shaxx. Fancy seein' you here,"

"Save it," Lord Shaxx hissed, stopping before them and pointing towards Ayana. "Why hasn't she been queued? We had a deal, in case you forgot, because I certainly didn't."

"Look, you gave me a week until I had to throw her in,"

"I said within the week, you prick."

"And shit came up. By the time we got back, Iron Banner was in full swing." Lancer defended, unphased by the outburst. "What? You wanted me to throw her in there?"

"Got back?" Lord Shaxx repeated, his volume only increasing as realization dawned on him. "You took her on a Vanguard operation before putting her through the Crucible?"

"Did you just ignore the part where I mentioned the Iron Banner, or what?"

"Well, if your little protégé is apparently fit for field work, I'll ask her."

He placed a hand on Lancer's shoulder, forcefully guiding him aside and ignoring his affronted grunt. He took a step towards Ayana, one step closer than she would have liked. "Tell me, you don't fear Vanguard operations,"

He leaned in close, making her feel small as she leaned back.

"Do you fear the Crucible?"

"Um," She didn't even think to lie. "Yes?"

He laughed, and though his words were positive, they were far from kind as he straightened up. "Good answer. You and Lancer are queued up for the next match."

"Woah woah," Lancer went to block Lord Shaxx's path, "You can't just-"

"Oh, yes I can," Lord Shaxx cut him off, his voice carrying a facetious lilt. "I'm being generous even letting you queue up with her." And just as soon, that sarcasm was replaced with its usual severity as he stepped around, throwing them one last icy appraisal. "So fight hard, Guardians."

They watched the Crucible Handler's retreating back until he disappeared out of view, descending down the stairs back towards the Hall.

Lancer broke the silence with muttered, "Fuck's sake," before looking up and around, loudly addressing the scattering of onlookers. "Don't y'all have anything better to do? Go on, get."

Nobody needed to be told twice- in fact, most were quick to return to their prior errands before Lancer could even bark out the order. He made for the Hangar with Ayana in tow, passersby picking up on his clear irritation and giving them both a wide berth. He was quiet for the duration of the walk, much to Ayana's already mounting dismay with each step. Peregrine was already prepared for boarding when they arrived, likely Konik's doing, and it was only once they were aboard and Lancer had slumped into the captain's chair while she took her place behind him did he speak up, "Fuckin' asshole."

"We... we aren't actually queuing up for the Crucible, are we?"

"Too late, we're already in the queue. And before you ask," He reached up to flip the necessary prep switches. "No, I ain't droppin' out. Shaxx'll beat my ass if I put it off any longer, and you oughta go in there, eventually."

Ayana swallowed the bile rising in her throat, gripping the headrest tightly as she spoke in earnest. "Lance, I can't. There's no way I can hold up in there,"

"I know."

Peregrine was cleared for takeoff, and Lancer took them to the skies, all the while Ayana was doing her damnedest not to panic too terribly much. She was going into the Crucible. She was going to fight other guardians- no, scratch that. She was going to get destroyed by other guardians. And on top of it all, it was going to be broadcasted across the City, for the purpose of entertainment.

Lancer reached orbit and idled, and from where they sat, Ayana could see other ships doing the same. Lancer leaned back in his seat and looked up at her.

"Alright, rundown. We're doin' Control. You know what that is?"

"Territory control." She'd watched a few matches featuring it. "Three capture points. Whoever holds them the longest wins."

"Little more to it than that," He explained. "Shaxx rewards teamwork. Don't run solo unless you can afford it. Focus on capturin' and holdin' the zones, let your team deal with the offense." When she nodded along, not entirely trusting herself to respond confidently, he pressed on. "Look. This is gonna suck. You're gonna eat shit."

"Wow, thanks."

"I'm not gonna hold your hand. You'll die, and you'll die a lot. Y'know how I know?"

"... How?"

"I know 'cause I died a lot," He answered simply. "That's the Crucible, at its core. You die, you learn, you die again, until you quit dyin'. The first run's always ugly."

Ayana could only sigh, crossing her arms tightly over her chest and turning her gaze towards the window. From the angle they were at, she counted nine ships. Another one joined soon enough.

"How long did it take you to learn?" she asked. She wanted to sound casual, but it only came across as timid.

"Let's say "long enough" and call it good."

Konik and Ghost appeared together, and Ghost spoke up first. "We received the coordinates."

"Mars," Konik drifted over to the console to hover beside Lancer while he prepared for departure. "Blind Watch."

"Alright then," Lancer cast Ayana a quick glance, to which she took the hint and gripped the headrest of his seat. "Here we go."

Orange plains stretched far and wide beneath a golden sky, with mountain ranges and rocky terrain barely visible through the haze of windblown dust. A fleet of jump ships soared above it all until a relic of old architecture came into view, and only then did they descend and divide, twelve becoming two teams of six. Peregrine took flight lead and continued further on even as the first group slowed, heading for the far side.

Lancer warned Ayana ahead of time, so the minute he flipped on autopilot and got up from his seat, she was already prepped. The cool dark interior was replaced with the nye overbearing brightness of the landscape, the industrial surroundings doing little to cut it with white and blue schema coated in martian dust. Other guardians followed after her, with Lancer last to land and taking point in front. As he landed, a staff of sorts spawned in his hand, and as he straightened to full height, he planted its end firmly into the soil as a red flag unfolded from it. Ayana's watched enough matches to understand the significance of the act, marking them as Bravo Team, and her attention was soon grabbed by what looked to be a drone of sorts that swooped down from... somewhere, and took place in front of the group. The sound of its optic shuddering could be heard, and just before it flew away, Ayana heard her comm spark to life.

"Control."

They were off, and Ayana would have been left behind without a second thought had she not followed. Two of them stood in the nearest capture zone, and Ayana opted to join them while the rest pressed forward for offense, Lancer among them. It wasn't long until she could hear the rising carnage, but she didn't get to dwell on it as one of her teammates, a Warlock dressed in green, gave her a blatant once-over before he spoke plainly,

"New blood?"

Ayana took one look at her standard issue gear, fresh off the digistructed shelf, and merely lifted her head to look back at him.

"Right. Stupid question."

She rolled her eyes and turned her attention back to the sound of battle, her eyes scanning for any signs of hostile movement, only for the Warlock to tap her on the shoulder. She bit back a sigh, her nerves strung far too tight to be dealing with this, before looking over at him in silent inquiry.

"Word of advice," He tapped his temple once. "watch your head."

Lord Shaxx's voice rang over the comms as Zone C was claimed, and that was their cue to move. Thankfully, the Warlock and the Hunter with him had no qualms taking the lead while she followed behind them. They weaved through the large storage units, growing closer to the impending chaos, and Ayana, being in the back, actually had the opportunity to see the incoming explosive and stop, but not enough time to call out to the others before a grenade landed at their feet.

She felt the pull, how the air suddenly felt like it was in a vacuum, as the pulsing mass of void energy expanded and consumed whatever it touched. The Hunter had no chance, it caught her leg and then climbed, eating away at her until there was nothing left, even as she tried to drag herself out of its hold. There was no blood, but there was a coppery smell, sharp and burning. If the Hunter screamed or even gasped, Ayana didn't hear it. She'd always assumed the broadcast never picked it up, but to be there, it was like sound was consumed, too, leaving only a deep, reverberating hum that Ayana felt in her bones. The Warlock actually managed to escape the grenade's radius, but not without losing a chunk of his robe, stumbling back, only for Ayana to drop her gun in an impulse to catch him. He tilted his head up while she looked down, and Ayana, doing her best not to reel at the sight of watching a fellow guardian get dematerialized, spoke up first.

"You good?"

"Been better." He picked himself up, dusted himself off, and then proceeded to pull Ayana behind cover before they could be properly targeted. And, much to her dread, her rifle was still on the ground, out in the open, while Zone A was on the platform ahead, now claimed, and likely protected, by the enemy team.

They looked at each other, and he asked her, "You got a name?"

"Ayana."

"Okay, Ayana. Here's the plan." He began to gesture dramatically, using his entire upper body to do so. "You run out first, drop a barrier," He then put a hand to his chest. "And I'll follow right behind you, grab the gun, and then we fall back. Zone B's still open, so the rest of our team's gotta be fighting for it. We fall back, meet up at C, then push from there."

"You want me to run out there first?"

"You're a Titan, yeah? You're supposed to tank the offense."

"Okay, sure, but I'm not exactly eager to let myself get shot."

"That's what the barrier's for," he insisted. "Just be fast. But hey, if you got a better plan, I'm all ears."

She really wanted to point out that she's dropped a barrier a total of once in her life so far, but she didn't get the chance before he pushed her out in the open with a false countdown to get her moving.

True to his word, he was right behind her, and very obviously using her as cover. But she didn't have time to express her offense at the action, not when she was immediately getting fired upon. So, she did what she did best and kept moving, even as she could feel as much as hear the bullets soar past the two of them. She only had a few seconds to remember the sensation she felt when she summoned a barrier the first time, and she did manage to place one- completely perpendicular to the angle they needed, and she had to grab her teammate before he slid into it. But she did it. It did nothing for cover, but, hopefully, it was confusing enough to throw off someone's aim.

Despite Ayana's moment of tactical genius, the Warlock was still able to fulfill his part of the plan, and they were off, heading back the way they came. It wasn't without a hitch, however, as Ayana stumbled from the sudden sear of agony in her left shoulder, just where the muscle met her neck. She felt it tear in an instant, white hot pain nearly making her double over, and she almost didn't register the shot of a sniper from somewhere behind her. The pain only doubled when the coinciding arm was grabbed and yanked, forcing her along and ahead of her teammate while he charged a grenade with arc energy and threw it haphazardly in the direction of their assailants. She staggered behind cover, clutching her shoulder and feeling blood soak through her glove.

He joined her soon enough, and with a swift motion from him, a pool of Light was summoned at their feet that sent waves of relief through Ayana's body, the throbbing of her wound being replaced with the strange, yet familiar sensation of her body stitching itself back together. She was quick to move her hand away, not sure if it was reason or paranoia making her worry about what would happen if she was touching the skin that was actively mending beneath her fingertips. The Warlock brought her out of her musings with a hissed, "WHAT was that? I was looking for cover, not a hazard!"

She shot back with equal incredulity, "Look, guy, I can count the days I've been alive on my fingers. You're lucky I knew how to do that at all!"

"Kendrick." He corrected, pushing her rifle back into her hands as he retrieved the handcannon that he'd strapped to his belt. "We oughta get moving before they decide to push, let's go."

He waved her over to follow as he headed back for Zone C. She was right behind him until, for the briefest second, she heard the beginning of that sniper's shot again, and she suddenly felt her feet hitting the ground as her eyes adjusted. She quickly realized that she was in a completely different part of the arena, whipping around with her gun at the ready while she took in her now unfamiliar surroundings as her brain futilely attempted to play catch-up on what had just transpired, that was until her ghost's voice came through the comm with one word: "Sniper."

"Wh- seriously?" Ayana muttered, relaxing ever so slightly before her radar began to flash in her peripheral. "I didn't even see where-"

"Look out!"

She ducked to the side, reacting out of pure muscle memory as the familiar static of arc permeated the air before she could be collided with by an enemy Titan. He recovered faster than she did, and he used the resulting dust cloud to mask his assault, and Ayana staggered back from a solid blow to her sternum and a follow-up to the gut.

She didn't have time to recover, let alone block. So, she dropped, and dragged him down with her.

This proved to be not as good of a plan as she'd hoped, considering the guy was a fair bit heavier than her, and now, on top of her. He didn't waste time in capitalizing on the predicament, keeping her in place with his weight and a well aimed fist to the side of her head that left her stunned and seeing spots. But she had enough room to forcefully knee him in the groin, and from that point it was a scuffle, a tangle of limbs and aimless blows that occasionally met their mark as they both fought for a leg up, or at least enough time to recover a weapon. Still, the fight was hardly fair, and Ayana found her visor pressed into the sand soon enough. She cursed and struggled even as she felt the boot dig into her back, but it was a futile endeavor. Ayana could only squeeze her eyes shut and brace for what was shaping up to be another death, a prospect that has yet to get any less horrifying while she waited for the gunshot.

She proceeded to hear a gunshot, but instead of waking up in a new area, she instead was startled back to her senses by the sudden crushing weight on top of her, accompanied by the sound of heavy footfalls. She barely had time to roll the corpse of her opponent off of her before she felt a hand grab her bicep, forcing her back to her feet and most certainly pulling a muscle while Lancer barked at her,

"The fuck you on the ground for? You wanna die?"

She could feel Ghost doing his thing, so she made a point of gesturing down with the freshly healed arm. "Already did."

"You wanna die again?"

Before she could open her mouth, the comms sparked to life as sirens began to blare through the arena.

"Power Play; enemy has your zones. Get moving."

"Damnit," Lancer took a moment to reload while he ordered her to get back to Zone C, warning her that A and B would be a war zone. Ayana was ready to protest that she wasn't even sure where Zone C was relative to them, but he was already on the move, and she knew better than to waste her breath trying to run him down. She was on the outskirts, and the control points were pinged on her radar. She knew the direction, just not the route.

She didn't have many options, and Zone A was dangerously close to her location, so she put her head down and opted for the most direct one, straight through the middle.

It was naive to hope that she had a chance of not encountering anyone, but it was a hope nonetheless, and one shattered soon enough by the potshot aimed at her from the right. Ayana stumbled to a halt, whipping her gun around to aim at the retreating Hunter who wrapped around a structure and out of sight, the flick of his cloak and the ping of her radar the only cues of his presence at all. Ayana steeled her nerves and gave chase, a mistake she didn't learn the severity of until she rounded the corner after him. The last thing she saw was the bastard leaning against the wall, uncrossing his arms only to waggle his fingers in a facetious wave as a high tone rang out. She felt the sear of solar pierce her armor, along with the concussive bang of the tripmine directly to her left. Before she could fully register the pain of either, she found herself in another part of the arena again.

At least she was indoors, this time. The bad news was that, according to her radar, she was now closer to Zone B. "Would it kill you to at least put me at C?"

"I thought it would be better to give you cover!"

She shook her head and started along the walkway, only to pause at the sound of commotion. A glance at her radar showed no hostiles, so she pressed on until she found the capture zone that was currently manned by three guardians attempting to reclaim the territory, Kendrick among them, who was the first to notice her and wave her over. Once she joined them, he bumped her shoulder with his in a friendly manner.

"So, how's your first match going?"

Ayana kept her gaze on the north while Kendrick watched where she had come from. "It's going."

Her comment earned a laugh from him. "That's the spirit."

The zone's marker flickered from blue to red, and the call was dutifully made by Lord Shaxx mere seconds after the fact. Kendrick and the others immediately pressed forward, and Ayana went to follow, but she stopped short as the second Warlock amongst them fell back in tandem with the familiar sound of a sniper's shot and the splatter of red that sprayed her visor. She watched her teammates body fall, and in a sort of disconnected fascination, watched how the telltale particles of transmat began to consume it before it could bounce upon hitting the concrete. There was hardly enough time for blood to pool.

Ayana looked up and off into the distance, scanning the horizon and catching the glare of a laser sight just as her vision went dark, and she stumbled on her feet and drew a sharp breath as her new surroundings became known.

The good news was, Ghost actually put her at C, this time. She didn't even need to contemplate the bad news, not when her comm sparked to life, and Lord Shaxx's voice rumbled in her ear, the usual drone of his commentary laced with something akin to contempt.

"Looking to get shot, are you?"

She heard him disconnect before she could even process her indignation.

This was insane and humiliating. She wasn't even watching the time, nor was she watching the score. She ought have been, but her attention could never settle on any one thing for more than a second. And that thing, more often than not, was trying not to get stabbed, sniped, beaten, blown up or just outright atomized. A barely successful effort; she couldn't say for certain, nor did she particularly want to ask, but she had a feeling that the shield formed out of void energy that had ricocheted around a corner managed to take her head clean off. And as she came to, she took sardonic solace in the fact that someone out there probably found her misery entertaining.

Ayana eventually found herself back at A, ducked behind a wall, a barrier placed to extend the cover. An action that, at the very least, seemed to be appreciated by her teammates. If she wasn't pulling her weight in offense, she could at least help with the defense. A was firmly theirs, but B was Alpha Team's, and C was currently a scuffle. Last she saw, Kendrick had chosen to try doing a stealth push for B with the help of another Titan on their team, and Lancer was in the fray at C. All the while she, the Warlock who got sniped and the Hunter who got killed with void before were left to defend. Ayana tried to do her part, leaving cover long enough to let off some defensive fire, and much to her frustration, failing to do much damage outside of a handful of bullet wounds that were seemingly brushed off by their adversaries. She recognized the enemy Hunter who'd gotten her with a trap before, and a quick callout to her teammates got him in what Ayana could only call an act of spite as her team's Hunter hit him with the full force brunt of a Blade Barrage. What could have simply been overkill was proven to be actively petty as her teammates simultaneously flipped off the ghost, who merely sighed before it transmatted to safety.

Before anyone could relax, breaking the temporary calm came an announcement,

"Heavy ammo inbound."

Ayana's HUD updated to display locational information, along with a timer, of three depots around the arena. The Warlock didn't even hesitate to head for the nearest one, leaving Ayana and the Hunter behind. They exchanged a look, and the Hunter took nodded once before turning to leave for another depot. But Ayana, in a sudden impulse, reached out.

"Wait," She grabbed her teammates shoulder, stopping briefly beside her. "You defend. I got it."

If the Hunter was annoyed, she didn't bother to show it, and Ayana took that as her cue. She started running in the direction of B while Ghost cautiously spoke up.

"Ayana...?"

"We forgot to give Dash back her launcher," She dropped into a slide behind cover as a grenade landed just behind her, igniting a trail of solar fire along the ground. "Suppose now's a good time to use it?"

"Ohhh," His voice took on a more positive note. "Good idea. Not like we can do any worse, anyway."

"Thanks for that."

She kept low and out of the sight line, creeping closer to the waypoint while one eye was kept firmly on the radar. It would occasionally flash red, but just as quickly it would blink out, further exemplified by the sound of gunfire. But the depot was in sight, and she bolted for it, even as her radar's flashing grew more consistent while the timer counted down its last seconds. She skidded to a halt, grimacing as her knees hit the freshly spawned crate, but she turned to lean against it and use it as leverage while she threw a kick at the enemy Warlock that had the same goal. She nailed him in the leg, and when he began to fall, brought her knee up to his helmet, further disorienting him.

He was then grabbed by Kendrick, who had to have followed him, and pinned him to the ground as he channeled arc into the enemy Warlock's body until it stopped twitching. He looked over at Ayana and offered a thumbs up, which she tentatively returned before he got up, dusted himself off, and took off for C now that B was reclaimed. Ayana took a breath and turned her attention to the crate, kneeling before it and securing her rifle to her back as she popped the seal. The crate was sparse, with only a handful of ammunition for whatever artillery one chose to carry. Ayana grabbed the two rockets and frowned. "Don't suppose we can use the two we never used, huh?"

"Preeetty sure that would be cheating."

"Right," She watched as Ghost stored them, then stood. "Figures."

She didn't even bother to grab her rifle again, she just ran. She had a decent idea of the layout, now, and felt confident enough to get to the point without much strife. Not to say there was none, but a little push of Light and she was able to evade the worst of the stragglers. C was rapidly approaching, so that's what she focused on. Her radar told her all she needed to know, and she didn't slow down. The closest to it was taking a detour back through A, which was mercifully empty.

The structure near A. That would make a good vantage point.

"Ghost,"

"On it."

She ran for it, and when she got close, leapt and mantled up onto the structure, and as she landed, she felt the weight of the rocket launcher settle in her hands. She could C from here. Lancer and Kendrick, plus three enemies. She could see them, but she realized it wasn't a clear enough shot that she was confident she could make. She dropped down, put all her effort into landing smoothly so she could continue in a dead sprint. Not an easy feat when lugging around nearly thirty pounds of firearm, but she mostly managed.

She didn't need to get close, she just needed a clear shot.

And she found it. She hit the brakes and took a knee, bracing the launcher over her shoulder, aimed at the point.

"CLEAR OUT!"

She took the shot, gritting her teeth as the resulting recoil tore up her shoulder. But she kept her eyes on C, and she watched how, all in the span of a few seconds, Lancer was the first to look up, grab Kendrick and physically throw him down as he placed a barrier just before the rocket hit its mark. The resulting explosion wiped out anyone who wasn't behind the barrier, and even the barrier was hardly standing, iridescent cracks and a scattering of blood ravaging its surface. The latter was a testament of the enemies' reaction time, and Ayana heard two things at once. One Lord Shaxx in her ear, and one Lancer across the field.

"YES! Three down!"

"WHERE DID YOU GET A FUCKING ROCKET LAUNCHER!?"

She took the time to get back on her feet, but she didn't get the chance to respond before she saw that damn sniper sights, and it was the last thing she saw.

150 to 112

Ayana stood beside Lancer, despondently staring at the numbers displayed on the screen. Lord Shaxx stood on the other side of Lancer, and the silence was tense enough to make Ayana choke.

Bravo Team lost, but that was hardly what any of them were looking at. No, they were looking at the individual scores. Although Bravo had lost, Lancer's scoring topped Alpha's top scorer, though not by much, but they weren't looking at that, either. Ayana could feel, in real time, how their collective gaze descended down, down, down... down. Down...

There she was. Right at the bottom.

She'd managed to capture a few points, but that didn't save her. The Crucible had a nifty little feature, one that displayed the ratio of kills to deaths. Lancer's kills more than doubled his deaths.

Of course, Lancer had to point hers out. And quite literally, as he turned to look at Lord Shaxx while literally pointing at the screen.

"What's that say, there?"

Lord Shaxx didn't look away from the screen, his arms firmly crossed over his chest as he coldly recited. "Zero point six."

"So it does. Say," Lancer continued on, much to Ayana's horror. "What was mine? First time, I mean." When he didn't get an answer, he insisted. "C'mon. I know you know it. You never forget that shit."

At first, all he got from Lord Shaxx was a loud exhale through his nose, before his helmet slowly turned to look at him, and the larger man spoke like each syllable tasted rotten. "Zero point two."

"Damn. That sure is somethin', huh." Lancer uncrossed his own arms, placing his fists on his hips in what Ayana, upon catching up to the implications being made, recognized as a mockery. "So she did better than me, then? Wonder why that it is."

"I'm so sure you do."

"Maybe it's 'cause I didn't know what the fuck I was doin',"

"Maybe."

"While she did."

Lord Shaxx scoffed, and Ayana only slightly bristled at that, mostly because he wasn't exactly wrong in the sentiment. "She most certainly did not."

"Knew more than I did." Lancer cocked his head in her direction. "Turns out knowin' anything is better than knowin' nothing. Who'da guessed."

"You've made your point," Lord Shaxx snapped, turning his attention towards the other monitor. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have work to do."

"Pissy 'cause my coddlin' works, ain'tcha?"

"Get out."

Lancer raised his hands in mock surrender, and they stopped by the frame on the other side of the room before departing. Ayana didn't know how she'd missed it before, especially when it was so... unique. It certainly took after its master, from the paintjob and stance, it was even sporting a fur collar and set of horns, albeit the frame actually had both horns intact. Even the way it spoke was an imitation of Lord Shaxx, and Ayana wasn't sure to make of it.

Once they'd received their rewards in the form of glimmer, they headed out to the courtyard, not stopping until they reached the elevator. Lancer found his place in the back while Konik appeared beside him, and only spoke up once the doors slid shut.

"You did good," He seemed to sense her doubt. "I mean it. You heard the numbers, you did better than I did in the beginning. And a triple kill? That was clean."

She joined Lancer with a sigh, suddenly all to aware of the fatigue weighing her down. Ghost appeared as well, drifting over to hover beside Konik. She rubbed at her neck with a grumble, "I made good target practice, I guess."

"So?" When she turned to look at him, he pulled off his hat, and that was Konik's cue to get rid of the helmet, so Ghost did the same. "You're at rock bottom, right now. Y'know what that means?"

"... That I have to climb?"

"Yup. 'Cause you can't do anything else."

They lapsed into a much more comfortable silence after that. The elevator reached its stop soon enough, and Ayana straightened up, turning to look at him. "You coming?"

"Nah," He waved her off, only leaning forward to press another button. "I live on a different floor. You go on, get some rest. You earned it."

She beamed at him, and they exchanged a salute as the elevator shut behind her. She then turned to Ghost, who chirped, "I think we did great."

"Oh, really?" She started watching, giving her companion a side eye. "That wasn't what you said during the match,"

"I was trying to be positive!" He insisted. "We were struggling, but we're new. All things considered, I stand by my most recent assessment- hey, what's that?"

She looked ahead and found the source of his inquiry; in front of her door, there was a small, cardboard box. Ayana perked up at the sight of it, increasing her pace until she stood before. She tentatively reached down to pick it up, shook it gently, and grinned. She saw Ghost hover closer, as well as the telltale sign of him preparing to scan its contents, and she turned away from him before he could get the chance. "Ah ah ah, no peeking."

He scrunched his shell, whirring in confusion, but Ayana only smiled and stood up while he got the door for her. She didn't bother with removing any armor yet, instead heading straight for the kitchen to grab a knife. All the while Ghost flittered around curiously, watching as she meticulously sliced the sealing tape. "What is it?"

"A gift," She put the knife a side and opened the box up before digging out the packing paper and enjoying the little gasp from her companion when she pulled out the actual contents. "I figured you deserved a place to rest, too."

In her hands was a small velvet pillow, soft and plush. It was a rich green color with gold trim and tasseled corners. She gingerly placed it on the countertop, and Ghost drifted closer to it until he saw that, along with the trim and tassels, there was elegant lettering stitched into the top side of it, along one of the edges, in that same gold thread.

"Eden?"

"I did some research," Ayana offered her hand. He took the offer, hovering comfortably above her palm. "I found this one story, it was about a garden.

It was described as the birthplace of Humanity," She explained. "Those born there didn't know pain, or sickness, or even death. The garden was a safe haven. I thought of you, and what you did for me. What you do for me, now."

She guided him back toward the pillow, and he drifted closer to it again, quiet. He turned to look at her, his voice soft and earnest. "Am... am I Eden?"

Ayana loosely crossed her arms and leaned forward, resting her weight on her elbows as she asked in an equally soft voice, "Only if you want to be. Do you like it?"

He looked back at the pillow, and he didn't even hesitate. He dipped down and allowed his weight to sink into the soft material, wriggling in place to test its give before chirping contentedly, and Eden answered, "I do."

Chapter Text

There was an explosion overhead, debris from the impact raining upon Ayana in a cloud of dust. She nearly tripped on a chunk of concrete, but she managed to find her footing and duck around the corner, dropping a barrier to further cover the doorway and buy herself some time. She was in desperate need of ammo, and she's been choked out of it for the past three drops. But her radar pinged a depot at Zone B, and if she could wrap around and play Mouse for a little longer, there was a chance she could actually retrieve it.

So, she stayed put until she caught sight of her Cat, who came in from the top door and shot down upon her. She felt the heat lick at her back as she evaded the rocket, taking the back exit and going right. She bet on him sticking to the high ground, and she was right to do so, stopping beneath the bridge before he could fire another right into her head. He would have to reload after that if he had any rockets left, so that was her cue to bolt, weaving through the old crates while she had the reprieve. She heard of heavy footfalls above as he chased after her from the second story, and her refusing to look meant she didn't know to dodge as something heavy and solid collided with her shoulder, making her shout and stumble to a halt.

She gripped her shoulder with a wince, taking those precious few seconds to look over and gawk at the rocket launcher that just got thrown at her like a projectile, now clattering to the ground. She took off running as she heard him hop down, calling out, "Lance, that's cheating,"

"Just 'cause you didn't think of it, doesn't mean it ain't fair."

She made it through the door that led to B in a desperate attempt to get some sort of ammo, only for Lancer to catch up to her and grab her arm. He threw her away from it like she weighed nothing, but he didn't bother to pick it up himself, taking on a defensive stance.

Ayana hated fighting Lancer up close, and that was almost certainly why he regularly forced her to do so. But she was getting better at dodging, and she was starting to hit harder, too. Getting in more than one hit at a time before he could retaliate was a good rule of thumb, but he was quick. Dodge, dodge, dodge, strike, strike, that was the pattern she did her damnedest to maintain, even if she didn't land a hit. Conserve energy. She managed that flow, saw an opening and took it, elbowing him in the head and leaving herself open in the process.

She let out a noise between a grunt and a wheeze as his fist collided with her gut, and it was like she forgot where she was for a second. The pain was enough to bring her to her knees, doubled over and coughing while she tried to shake the spots from her vision. She didn't even hear Lancer circle around and kneel beside her with his elbows on his knees, but he did hear the teasing in his voice when he asked her,

"How we feelin, Baby Blue?"

"I..." She coughed again, swallowing down the bile that rose in her throat and trying to form words while she caught her breath. "... I'm... I'm good, just... just need a minute."

"We'll take one, then." He stood up, offering a hand to pull her up with him. "Have Ghost check you out."

Eden took the cue, appearing to hover over her and give her a preliminary scan. At the same time, he made a point of correcting the title. "Eden."

"Right, right. Got so used to you goin' by just Ghost. How'd y'all come up with that, again?"

Ayana took a breath while Eden worked his magic, and the nausea and discomfort subsided in waves. "An old story I found," Once the pain was but a memory, she clarified and followed after Lancer as he turned to head out towards the open area. "It featured a place called the Garden of Eden and talked about how Humanity was born there. A lot of it felt fitting, so I picked it."

In the middle of the arena, near the railing that lined the edge was a patch of grass, and there stood a tree with gorgeous red leaves and a twisted white trunk. It was quite the centerpiece, and it made for a nice rest point. Lancer took a seat on one of the large roots, and Ayana opted for the ground where it was properly shaded while Eden hovered beside her. She leaned her head back, letting her eyes drift shut while she listened to the breeze rustle the leaves. It was a companionable silence that Lancer decided to break.

"So, that makes you the Guardian of Eden, then."

Her eyes shot back open, and she turned her head to look over at him as he looked back. They simply looked at each other in a clash of irritation and arrogance, and Eden eventually spoke up in a small voice,

"... I still really like it."

Neither answered outside of quiet scoffs, and Lancer offered his hand with a beckoning gesture. "Hand over that launcher of yours."

Ayana looked to Eden, who had since stored it and easily resummoned it for her so she could pawn it off. "It's not actually mine."

"Yeah, no shit." Lancer looked the weapon over, standing up so he could test the weight of it. "'s got a scorch cannon grip fastened to it with tape. That's Dash's style of bandaid fixin'. That girl'd rather dig through the garbage for parts than just buy somethin' that lasts." He tossed it back to Ayana, and she scrambled to catch it before it hit the ground at the same time as Eden hurrying to transmat it. "Still, you oughta give it back, one of these days."

Ayana sighed from her position on her knees, getting up and dusting herself off. "Yeah, I know. But we haven't been assigned to the Cosmodrome in a while, so I haven't gotten the chance."

"Y'know you could just ask me for a ride, I'd take ya there."

"I didn't want to bug you over it. You seem like you keep a tight schedule."

He hummed at that, but he didn't offer much rebuttal. He started walking towards the railing, only to pause with a snap of his fingers. "Right, almost forgot to mention," He spun on his heel, now facing her while he backed up until his back met the railing. He leaned against it, crossing his arms. "Gotta head out, tomorrow. Got summoned to the Reef about a job."

"The Reef," she repeated, finding her own place next to him while she took a minute to recall what she'd read about the place. She rested her elbows on the railing, gazing at the City below. The City was impressive, but with the Traveler just overhead, casting its shadow over everything, it all managed to feel so small at the same time. "That's where the Awoken live, right?" When he offered a noise of confirmation, she looked over at him. "When do we head out?"

"I head out tomorrow morning," Lancer corrected. "You're stayin' behind."

Ayana stood taller as she turned to face him and spoke in tandem with Eden, "What?"

"Sorry kid, this one's a private gig. 'Sides, the Awoken hate outsiders."

 "But- I'm Awoken," She insisted. "I'm literally one of them, and you're telling me they wouldn't let me in?"

Lancer answered with a dry laugh. "Yeeaah, no. You may be blue, and hell, you may've been on of theirs before, but now? Some guardian found on Earth? Nah. You ain't shit to them."

She attempted to protest, stuttering out a few false starts before Eden spoke up in her stead. "Are you serious? You get to go and talk to the Awoken while we're stuck here for... How long, even? What are we supposed to do in the meantime?"

"No idea how long. Don't even know what the job is, let alone the time." He shrugged. "As for you, I dunno. Find work, I guess. You two can handle that."

"Lance," Ayana stressed, slow and steady. "I do not have a ship."

"Damn. That sucks." He nodded sagely. "Maybe work on that, then."

The urge to remind him that she already spent a significant cut of her funds on a mid-tier sparrow was a strong one. But she knew that he was aware of that fact, and he hammered it home as he pushed off the railing, leaving her and Eden behind with a call over his shoulder,

"Now, why don't ya put that frustration into knockin' my head off? Bet you'll feel better, if you can do it. We got all day."

The implication was not lost on either of them, and Ayana tilted her head back with a long, dramatic groan.

"I think it needs salt."

Ayana didn't look up from the pan. "It doesn't need salt."

"But how do you know? You haven't even tasted it,"

"Because the ingredients list salt," she picked up the jar and looked at it, squinting at the nutritional labeling. "A lot of salt, actually." She put it aside with a shake of her head. "Also, you don't have a mouth; you can't taste it at all."

"Still, everyone on cooking shows says to taste your food," Eden argued, dipping around to squint at the sauce. "Also, maybe it wouldn't be so salty if you'd gotten spaghetti sauce instead of pizza sauce."

"They're both tomato based, and the pizza sauce was cheaper." She defended, stirring the sauce idly until it reached a simmer. "Besides, I salted the water already. No more salt."

Eden looked ready to throw another suggestion until he stopped suddenly, apparently startled as he glided back. He answered before Ayana could even ask. "I just... got a ping."

She stopped completely, tapping the spoon against the pan before putting it aside. She went through her options of who could be contacting her at this hour; it couldn't be Lancer, because there was no way he'd have returned so soon, and Eden would leave no room for anonymity if it were Vanguard related. Come to think of it, he likely wouldn't be vague at all, no matter who it was.

... And that still left her with essentially no options, didn't it. "Who?"

"I don't recognize the ID," She watched his shell expand, and she still didn't know how doing that actually helped; maybe she just didn't know enough about ghosts. "But there are coordinates attached. For the Hangar, I think."

Ayana stood there with her mouth slightly agape as she attempted to understand. It was innocuous in theory, but she'd already did a mental checklist to confirm that, no, she didn't have any friends, and it was currently nine pm. She was trying to make dinner. "Does it say anything else? Anything at all?"

"Just a note: "Get used to this,"" Eden quoted, his tone conveying a similar lack of enthusiasm that Ayana felt. "Helpful."

She turned her attention back to the stove, ruefully looking between the sauce and pasta. She was tempted to just ignore the message altogether, focus on her dinner, relax for a bit, and go to bed. She could just pretend and let it go. She didn't have to get involved in some scheme- because really, what else could it be, other than some wise guy looking to rope in an unsuspecting moron into something bigger than either of them had any business getting involved with?

Even still, she found herself questioning. What if it was someone who could actually use the help? What was with the added message? And, more than anything, why ask her? There were surely better options, and how did this person even get her ID?

Having essentially twisted her own arm, Ayana merely sighed, turning off all the burners and going to fetch some storage containers. Eden dipped out of her way, returning to his natural shape while he eyed her curiously.

"We're going, then?"

"Yeah," She carefully drained the water, already mourning the fact that her meal was delegated to leftovers. "we are."

The Hangar wasn't completely dead, though Ayana doubted it ever truly was. Between the graveyard shift and other guardians with odd hours, there was always somebody that had to be somewhere. But it was certainly quieter, with less traffic and a lack of sunlight shining in to supply the otherwise low lighting. It was rather peaceful, really, even with the background hum of heavy equipment and the occasional power tool.

She didn't entirely understand what or who she was looking for, but the coordinates Eden was given were specific enough to lead them down to the lounge, where the industrial ambiance was drastically reduced in favor of old music from a refurbished jukebox. One that was currently being manned by a pair of Hunters who looked like they were trying to crack a complicated safe rather than simply pick a song, until one of them looked up and caught sight of her, raising arm and calling out with a particular accent, "Eyy, there you are!"

Ayana stopped short, already second guessing her decision, but the pair was on her in an instant, circling her like a couple of excited dogs when the... first one? Spoke again. "So, you're Lance's new kid, eh?"

"Bigger than I expected."

"Titan for sure, bet Lance was jazzed."

She realized she couldn't actually tell who was who based off voice alone, and when they stopped in front of her... she still didn't know. Two Hunters of lithe build, sporting an identical lightweight, black, blue, white and orange ensemble. Their cloaks were the same too, blue and black split tailed cloaks that clasped around the left shoulder. They may as well have been clones.

The left clone threw an arm over his counterpart, "This one here's Mav-3,"

While the right clone gestured back, "And he's Mad-5,"

"And these," Mad pointed up, and on cue, a pair of ghosts appeared. One had a round, iridescent hot pink shell with yellow components and a ring of scarlet light surrounding it, and the other one was more angular, white with blues and bronzy tones mottled together, and more interestingly, a green eye. "are Mango and Boa."

Mango actually offered a kind hello, if not a bit apologetic in tone, but Boa didn't even bother. His silence caught Ayana off guard, and she cleared her throat before giving her own introduction, "Ayana," gesturing to her own companion in turn, "This is Eden."

"Nice to meet you," Eden offered, drifting forward to eye the duo. "You... said you guys know Lancer?"

"Oh, do we know him," Mav snickered as Mad continued, "Guy's the reason we're here at all, really." They headed for the door, and Ayana was too perplexed- and curious- to do anything besides follow. "Heard he left you home while he went off to play Merc,"

"And we thought 'Hey, same boat!' So, we figured,"

"Why not take the new girl on a little adventure?"

"Wait, hold on- pause," She cut them off, forcing everyone to halt while she raised her arms as if to tame a particularly skittish animal. They way the two of them spoke and moved was downright uncanny, weaving around her and each other in an animated fashion, their words flowing in such a way that she could hardly tell when one of them would start a sentence and when the other would finish it. She already lost track of which was which. "What do you mean, 'adventure?'"

"Adventure! Y'know, explorin', spelunkin',"

"The works!" They each circled around on either side, throwing an arm around her neck and bringing her down a bit while the one at her right gestured grandly. "Uncharted waters- metaphorically."

"Water ain't all that deep, 'least from what we scouted."

"But from the looks of it, nobody's been down there for a looong time."

"We were gonna tell Lance about it," The left Hunter lamented as Ayana was guided through the Hangar, until they were stopped in front of a sleek, angular rig painted to match the duo's getup. "But he told us to bugger off, said he was busy."

"But you're not, yeah?"

"I- well, no-"

"Great!" As the ramp dropped down, one of them dashed up into the ship while the remainder ushered her along. "Mad'll drive, you and I get to be along for the ride. Won't be long, just a hop and a skip to the Cosmodrome and we'll be there in no time flat."

Ayana could only sputter as she was pushed through the living quarters and towards the cockpit, "We're leaving right now?"

"The sooner we're off, the sooner we'll get there,"

"And if we're off now, we'll be there before daybreak." Mad supplied as they entered, and Ayana could only watch with slightly milder trepidation as he went through the motions with practiced ease. His words brought some of that worry back, however.

"It's a seventeen hour flight with seven hour jet lag."

She couldn't see their faces, but the way they both gave her a pointed look told her they were probably smiling. But before she could dare ask, a ping on the ship's comms caught the attention of all parties, and Mad was of course the one to tune in with a practiced recital, "Mad-5 of Bilby-0204, permitted for takeoff."

"Oh yeah? Permitted by who?"

The voice was recognized immediately, and the Hunters groaned as the serious act was dropped, "Cayde, c'mon. Don't be like that,"

"We're just off for a little sightseeing," Mad explained, a bold faced lie that Ayana, somehow, doubted would actually land. She exchanged a look with Eden, who then exchanged a look with Mango, who then shared a look with Boa. The game of nonverbal telephone didn't really give her anything to go off of outside of some sort of exasperation from the latter most ghost, and she was starting to get the idea that he was likely the one who was tasked with contacting her in the first place. She opted to simply cross her arms and lean against the door frame while she listened in.

"Sightseeing. At this hour."

"Well yeah, 's a big world out there," Mav insisted, gesturing about as if the actions would be seen. "Why wait for it to be convenient to go see it?"

"'Sides, the hour's irrelevant," Mad cast a glance at Ayana. "Gotta remember the jet lag."

"Why do you care, anyway? Not like we're on the clock."

"As the Hunter Vanguard, it's my job to keep track of where my Hunters are, you boys know that."

There was a pause, and then to Ayana's surprise, the cockpit erupted with laughter, and she was pretty sure she could hear Cayde snickering along with them. Mad mimed wiping a tear while they both recovered from what was apparently a hilarious joke, and Mav picked up where they left off.

"Good one, mate. But really, what gives?"

"Oh, nothing. Just wondering if Lancer knows you're lookin' to kidnap his little princess." He then addressed her directly. "Yeah, I know you're there. Saw you in the courtyard. You don't seem like much of a rebel, so I knew something was up. Two somethings, apparently."

"I- Look, they contacted me. Also, don't call me that. It's weird." Ayana was quick to defend herself, and she realized she was already falling into the same trap of gesturing for a blind audience. She let her arms fall to her side, and she realized a detail. "And what do you mean, you saw me? What were you doing in the courtyard instead of the Hall?"

"Hey hey, don't change the subject." Was Cayde's own quick rebuttal before the twins cut in,

"Cayde, come on,"

"Please don't tell Lance,"

"He doesn't need to know! He'd just get pissed over nothin'!"

"When all we're doin' is giving her some impromptu field experience."

"Honestly, he oughta be grateful. But y'know he won't be."

"Probably not." Cayde easily agreed. "Since, y'know, he kinda has the authority on that front."

"... Do we not have any authority?" Eden echoed a sentiment that Ayana shared, and Cayde cleared his throat.

"I mean, sure. But like, not officially, if you feel me."

"And if I exercise my unofficial authority?" She countered, stepping forward to take Mav's place behind the pilot's seat, a space that Mav happily gave up so he could hang behind. Cayde didn't answer right away, but when he did, there was a new sort of levity to his tone.

"... Okay, maybe there's a little rebel in ya. How's this: want me to play dumb? Make me an offer."

"30k glimmer and a cut of the loot we find." Mad interjected. Ayana looked between the two Hunters, and when Mav nodded, she played along.

"You heard the man."

"Tempting. Glimmer upfront, and you got a deal."

Another glance, another nod from Mav, this time for Mango. While Mango took care of the transaction, Ayana confirmed, "Deal."

"Pleasure doin' business. Sundance, you- you got it? Cool.

Alright, kiddos, I'll get outta your hair. Have fun, don't die, find me something snazzy. Peace."

The minute Mad reached up to cut the feed, both of them hollered, Mad pumping a fist while Mav shook Ayana's shoulder.

"Well played! Handled him like a pro."

"Cayde's an easy bloke to please if ya know how to talk him up,"

"And ya nailed it. Bribery and stickin' it to the Man? That's the money."

Ayana's first instinct was to disagree. The bribery, sure- although it wasn't her idea, she did endorse it. But she didn't exactly see how wanting to go with them was rebellious. She had every right to choose whether or not she'd go with them. She just so happened to decide that she would. She didn't need permission for that. But it wasn't worth arguing the semantics, so she turned back towards the quarters with the intent of sleeping off at least a portion of the trip. "You guys mind if I crash for a bit?"

"Yeh, nah." Mav reached out to stop her, grabbing her forearm and pulling her back. "Wouldn't recommend it."

"Better for ya to hold tight and enjoy the ride."

Ayana was about to ask what they meant by that, until she noticed that instead of the standard eastbound route, they were ascending, far higher than earthbound flight jurisdiction. She has known these boys for less than an hour, but she's already gathered enough about them that she could feel the telltale signs of dread gnawing at her stomach as she watched the night sky bleed away into unfiltered space. "You said we were going to the Cosmodrome."

"Oh," Mad's hand settled on a lever Ayana immediately recognized. "We are."

"We are not slipstreaming to the Cosmodrome."

"Relaaax, we've done this dozens of times!" Mav insisted with an air of confidence that only marginally outweighed Ayana's outright fear. "Bilby's a beauty, he'll keep us safe."

Ayana was quick to hold onto something the minute she felt the acceleration, just as she saw the ghosts take their leave to where ever it was that they liked to hide. "And Bilby has quite the number tacked onto his name, I noticed."

"Okay, lil Miss Narky, the number's generated."

"We'll have you know that this is only the third Bilby."

"Not exactly reassuring."

"And we're off!"

She was prepared for it, at least, but she still lurched as she gripped a bar overhead for dear life. Hyperspace travel in a straight line was one thing, this was an entirely new sensation that she quickly decided that she despised: it felt like they were falling, like she was too light on her feet as the ship dived down, following the Earth's curve. But it was clear that the pair weren't lying about their expertise, there was a science to it and a matter of timing. Mad's hand hovered over the lever the entire duration, as brief as it was, until he pulled it back far too quickly and Ayana shot out her free hand in order to bar Mav as he fell forward from the sudden deceleration. Reality settled into something coherent, the blur of colors bleeding away into midday sky, with ocean stretching beneath and mainland not far on the horizon.

"Forty eight kliks off," Mad announced, turning in his seat as Mav stepped forward to meet a fistbump. "Not quite the record, but close."

"Can we not do that again?" Eden appeared next to Ayana, sounding surprisingly weary, perhaps from sympathy while Ayana recovered from the adrenaline. "There's no way that's a sanctioned maneuver."

"It isn't," was the voice of Boa, gravelly and obviously less than supportive of his guardian's flying habits... whichever one was his, anyway. He was looking at Mad, so it must be that one. "They do it anyway, though. Because the risk of dying and having to pay for repairs is fun, obviously."

"Hey, when it works, you can't deny that it's faster." Mad argued while Mav continued with, "I mean, really. We got here in what? A minute and a half?"

"If you two aren't crashing, you're getting fined for irresponsible piloting. We aren't made of glimmer!"

"We only get fined if we get caught!"

Their bickering prompted Mango to intervene with a tone reminiscent of a mother wrangling toddlers, "Boys, settle." before she spun to face Boa, the ring of light swaying with a motion as she stated pointedly, "That means you, too."

She must have been the voice of reason in some capacity, because all three of them actually listened, albeit with some grumbling. The twins at least had the decency to mutter apologies, though. Mango must not have expected one from Boa, because she instead turned her attention to Ayana and Eden with a polite bow.

"Sorry about them, they tend to get fiery at times."

"It's fine," was all Ayana could think to reply with. This was all very weird.

"Outpost inbound," Mad called out. "Be ready for transmat, we're doin' a drive-by."

"Why?" Ayana's question wasn't exactly rhetorical, but with the way it was ignored, it may as well have been. She and Eden prepared anyway, and the minute Mad swapped on the autopilot, all three ghosts did their thing, depositing the trio at ground level. While they seemed to be the only life present, Ayana found some comfort in the familiar landscape of the Cosmodrome.

One of her escorts piped up, "You got a sparrow, yeah?"

"We can give you a ride, if not."

Ayana nodded. "I have one. Standard issue."

"Good enough," A pair of identical sparrows were spawned next to them, sleek with white and orange paint. The duo were boarded and off before Ayana could do much other than leap back to avoid the exhaust trails.

"Last one there's a rotten Dreg!"

She heard their whoops and hollers grow distant as they rocketed across the terrain, even as she started running after them. "Eden!"

"I know, I know!"

Her own sparrow was far less flashy, not to mention a bit clunkier, but as they said, it was good enough. The two of them had practiced enough for Ayana was able to hop as Eden summoned it, and she was off, weaving through makeshift routes in the approximate direction they had gone.

"I have their signals," He informed, sending the information to her radar, and she did her best to follow the markers without crashing. "They're fast, but I think we can- oh no."

Ayana gasped, taking a sharp turn left to dodge a wayward grenade. It missed, but flew close enough that she heard the sparks of arc. The blips of red on radar were redundant when she could see the conglomerates of Fallen scattered about. And she assumed the vice versa applied, because she was currently getting shot from multiple directions as she shouted, all the while dodging rocks and the shells of old aircraft, "What do I do!?"

"Just go! They kept going, head for the station up ahead!"

She ducked her head low as she weaved about, but she was hardly skilled enough to dodge everything. She could feel the heat from a damaged fuel line, and she bit her tongue until it bled when a well aimed shot took out the left steering, opting to focus ahead rather than check the state of whatever was left of her foot. She eventually opted to ditch the sparrow altogether, before someone got lucky enough to hit that fuel line twice, and the dismount nothing short of ugly. It hurt like hell, and she heard the sparrow skip and crash into the nearby ditch. Eden was on top of healing her, at least, so she had little reason to slow down, getting to her feet and running for the rocks and scrambling up. There were a handful of makeshift barricades set up, and they gave her some much needed reprieve to lay low and prepare for anyone who followed.

There were a few more potshots sent her way, but interestingly, it didn't seem like anyone followed. She gave it a minute before peeking over her cover, and a quick surveyal proved that, seemingly, she was given up on. She could see Fallen in the distance, patrolling, scavenging, but giving her direction little mind, save for the occasional glance. Even when she hazarded to step out fully, she didn't get much more than a threatening screech.

Ayana gripped her rifle tightly, but decided to not push whatever boundary was being set.

"The signals are due north. They must have gone through the complex."

"But where are their sparrows?" She asked, looking around. They weren't anywhere outside, and based on what little she saw of the pair's driving, she highly doubted they'd totaled their vehicles like she did.

Regardless, she pressed forward, and she actually did find her answer: one of them was crashed, but based on the mangled Hive Acolytes crushed beneath the smoking hull, the scene looked deliberate, as did the second one that was far less damaged, but far from optimal condition, having been abandoned in the adjacent hall. She skirted around it, pressing forward slowly as she tripped over what she discovered to be a corpse of a Thrall, one of many that littered the space. She felt the familiar cold of Darkness as she went deeper in, and it had her on edge, but her radar was mercifully peaceful. It was enough reassurance for Eden to appear, offering himself as a light source through the old building as Ayana knelt down.

"Did those two do this?"

"... Not completely, I don't think." Ayana poked one with the barrel of her gun, rolling it over and wincing as it barely held together. "Some of them are old. Really old. The nest must repopulate."

"But they did clear the path," Eden concluded. "That's something, at least. Still, be careful."

Being of the same design as the surrounding architecture, the complex was a series of twists and turns, but not too difficult to navigate. There was a familiar scent of burnt ozone mixed with the Hive's rot, the telltale of arc, and the burns that adorned the fresher dead made for an easy trail to follow. That ever present weight of the Darkness permeated, and it got heavier before it got lighter, but she and Eden were indeed alone, and that made it easier to discern her own thoughts from its affliction.

A few stairwells and a few halls later, the first sign of unfiltered sunlight was a blessing. The minute she rounded the corner, she quickened from a cautious stride to a brisk jog, halting only once the soles of her boots hit soil and taking a deep breath.

"There ya are, Dreg!"

"Thought ya got lost for a sec."

She reacted fast, aiming high until she saw the Hunters up ahead, sitting comfortably atop a small structure. They both stood up fluidly and leapt, but instead of landing on the ground, there was a flash of blue, and another as there were suddenly two Hunters on either side of her, the air suddenly charged with static. She staggered back with an undignified sound, earning laughter from her company. She couldn't keep the crack out of her voice as she recovered from a heart attack, "Don't- Don't do that!" 

"Aww, what's the matter?"

"Spooked by a little blinkin'?"

Eden was the one to snap back, "When said blinking occurs unexpectedly for the purpose of a cheap scare? Yes!"

His tone seemed to have an affect, given how they flinched, one of them stepping forward with his hands up while the other took cover behind his twin.  

"Hey hey, no need to get all scrunched on us, fella."

"We're just hazin' a little, 's all. No harm meant."

They sounded genuine, at least. "It's," Ayana sighed. "It's fine."

She saw how they both perked up, and the one on the left waved her over to follow as they turned. "Check it, we had a good vantage point."

"Wait," Ayana reached out to get their attention, and when they turned, beckoned them towards her. "Come here." She watched them approach, and she clasped her hands together before bringing them up to the approximate of her mouth, idly tapping the visor a few times as she looked between them. She settled on the left one, pointing at him with both index fingers. "Which one are you?"

"Oh! Right," He placed a hand on his chest. "Mav."

"Okay, Mav..." She trailed off, not sure how to ask the question in a way that wasn't impolite. She had no choice but to give up, so she merely gestured emphatically between the duo. "... help me out, here."

"Sorry, no can do."

"No real trick, far as we know." Mad explained. "You can either tell,"

"Or... well, you can't."

"So, don't beat yourself up over it."

"Now let's go, we're losin' daylight!"

They pressed on, and Ayana, while not entirely content with their collective answer, forced herself to accept that it was likely the best she would get. They returned to their little perch and each offered her a hand. She took both, accepting the gesture of good faith for what it was and allowing them to give her some extra leverage to climb up. Once huddled down between them, she took the opportunity to survey the area. It wasn't all that different from anywhere else in the Cosmodrome she's been, at least in broad strokes. A dilapidated station, old automotives and storage units littering the land. A standard snapshot of a bygone era, almost, if not for the building to the left, in further disrepair than anything else.

Amongst the rubble was the remains of a massive vessel, one unlike anything she'd seen thus far, but the design scheme was familiar enough to identify as Hive. She wasn't sure if it was merely due to age, or the nature of the Hive themselves, but it was almost difficult to discern where the remains of the ship ended and the debris of the station began.

She turned her attention to the more pressing matter of the living Hive scattered around. Acolytes, Thralls, Wizards, all lost in their own worlds, as far as she could tell. The Acolytes patrolled while the Wizards drifted aimlessly. Meanwhile, the Thralls scavenged; she saw multiple small clusters of them ripping into whatever it was they found. The most grotesque was the bloated corpse of a Hive breed she didn't know, larger than anything she'd seen thus far. Its head, what was left of it, looked to have been domed like its smaller kin, contained by a membrane that was now burst asunder. Whether the damage was caused by whatever killed it, or the Thralls, she couldn't say. But there were Thralls, tearing at the exposed tissue inside its skull, ripping at its belly, their maws slicked with gore. Like a pack of starving dogs on a deer, they tore at the carcass, as well as each other, for their fill.

"Look there," Mav whispered, and Ayana leaned over to better follow where he pointed. "See that cave, there?"

"That's our target," Mad shuffled off to the side, extending an arm to make space for a bow to be summoned to his hand. It was a scrappy looking thing, makeshift in its craft, but clearly competent in its design. Copper wiring was wrapped pristinely around the handle, the upper and lower limbs, even the mounted sights. The limbs were connected with a pair of conductors of some sort, and it was strung with a high tension red cable. It was impressive already, but it doubled when- what should be unsurprisingly at this point- Mav summoned a seemingly identical one.

"Did you guys make those?"

"Hm? Oh, yeah. Made Mad's first."

"You don't wanna know how long it took us to make Mav's."

"Had to make it match."

"Anyway," Mav pulled out an arrow, drawing it back. "Some of the buggers are from the shipwreck over there, but a lot of them are comin' from that cave."

Ayana could feel the growing charge as she saw Mav's bow begin to light up with arc, and she shuffled closer to Mad. "What's in the cave?"

"We'll show ya,"

"After," Mav let the arrow fly, and they collectively watched it soar towards the rabid feast. Instead of hitting any of them, it hit the dead creature, piercing into its breast. But before she could even process it as a miss, the area was alit with blue, chains of arc linked by the arrow trapping anything that breathed in its embrace. She heard the howls for only a moment before their source was burned away.

There was no silence, however, as the kill was far from conspicuous. The shriek of an Acolyte who saw the arrow land was enough to alert the rest, and it was only then that Mav finished, "we get a little breathin' room!"

She was right there with them, jumping down and charging in with her gun at the ready. Thralls were easy, she discovered; a good blow to the head could snap their necks. Acolytes were sturdier and had range, but they weren't all that fast- them or their projectiles. Bob and weave, drop cover in the form of a barrier. If the opportunity arises, charge at the bastards, hit them and hit them hard.

The Wizards, she hated. They were difficult to close in on, they almost never stopped moving, and the snares of Darkness were incessant. She narrowly missed running right into one as it began to form, but it flickered out in time with a Wizard's cry. She looked in time to see it falter, its body pierced by not one, but three arrows, each one amplifying the current that coursed through its body. She saw it convulse, and eventually fall as a fourth arrow found its mark through the Wizard's mouth. The second one was already dead, and that left the stragglers.

She only caught glimpses of the duo, but one thing was immediately obvious: they didn't fight like Hunters. Not like Hunters she's witnessed, anyway. Sure, they were agile, with deft rolls and a bounce in their step, but they were grounded, less of a dance and more like an all out brawl. Sharp dodges and quick jabs charged with arc energy that decimated whatever it touched. It was a fighting style Ayana was intimately familiar with.

The difference was how they blinked from one part of the battlefield to the next, only in one place long enough to make a knockout. Even when it seemed like they didn't go anywhere, Ayana realized that they were tag-teaming, swapping places and using the flash to blind and disorient. What had to be a strategy that required unrivaled levels of coordination was being done as easily as breathing.

It didn't take terribly long to pick off the last of them, and while Ayana stood by for Eden's checkup, she watched one of the Hunters go over to the dead Wizard. He grabbed one of the arrows and tugged, and when it didn't budge, he tugged again, giving it a firm yank until it came loose, brandishing it like a sword while his twin did the same, posing as if to fence. In that same moment, both arrows were transmatted away from their hands, along with any others that littered the battlefield, one by one. She could hear the pair snicker before one of them jogged over, clasping her on the shoulder.

"Nice one! Noticed ya got a mean left hook," He mimed the motion, lightly punching her arm and offering a quick hasty apology for the resulting shock. He shook his hand a few times while the charge wore off, the visor of his helmet dimming from a charged electric blue back to its usual black. "Lance teach ya that, or is it more your thing?"

She answered with a shrug while she rubbed her arm. "Eh, I guess both. I already knew how to fight, I think. He just made me better at it."

"Fair, fair," He nodded sagely, then looked over her shoulder with a low whistle. "Man, that is nasty."

She followed his gaze and grimaced. It was even worse up close, seeing the giant's half eaten entrails. Its blood wasn't completely dried, and the color was closer to bile. She would have believed it merely was bile, if not for a similar colored substance oozing from the chasm that was its head. And the smell. She hadn't noticed it before, but now that she did, she was grateful she hadn't gotten to eat.

"What is this thing?"

"Ogre. Lemme tell ya, this? It ain't much of a downgrade. Real bush pigs."

"I'm just going to assume you're saying they're ugly."

"And mean. So, when ya think about it, this is technically an upgrade."

There was suddenly a loud bang, followed by a crash, and they both jumped, but the Hunter took off first towards the source.

"Mav!"

Ayana was close behind, and she saw what had Mad stop short: Mav, crumpled in the dirt after having hit the side of a truck full force. They didn't have to fully reach him to see the mangling of his chest, and how his neck bent too far to the left. Ayana was quick to kneel down and look him over, a spike of panic surging when she confirmed that he was undoubtedly dead, lifting her head to look around. "What happened?"

"He was just lookin' for loot," Mad grabbed his twin's leg, dragging him out from the truck to look him over. "Acolyte dropped an engram, so he went to open it, and just," He brought his hands together and mimed an explosion, making an approximate sound to accompany it.

Ayana turned to Mango as she appeared. "Can you confirm? No snipers? Grenades?"

"No, Mad's correct." She claimed, setting to work on repairing her guardian. "At least, as far as I could tell."

Looking him over again, the damage did support that. Along with his chest, his hands were even worse off, what digits left barely holding on. Still, she was confused as to how Mad knew this; he was looking at the Ogre with her, so he shouldn't have witnessed it happen. But her musings were put on hold when, out of the corner of her eye, she saw him pick up a different engram, and when he went to open it, she shouted, "Don't."

"Why not?" He tilted her head at her as she approached. "Best case it's loot, worst case it's death. We'll know either way, yeah?"

"Just wait," Ayana sighed, yanking it from Mad's grasp. She looked at the engram, rolling it in her hands. It emanated a warm gold glow; for all intents and purposes, it looked like an engram, and a valuable one at that. She then had an idea of something else to check for, and, as silly as it may have been, she brought it up to her ear.

She never made a habit of listening to engrams, but she was fairly certain they never sizzled. "Eden."

"On it," He went to scan, humming skeptically. "Mmm, mhm... uh huh. Yep. That's a bomb. Looks like it's set to blow when decrypted."

"Wait," Mav staggered as his feet hit the ground, before taking his place next to Mad.  "so are these all bombs?"

"Are we just gettin' punked?"

"Maybe?" was all Eden could offer, meanwhile Ayana was more focused on the fact that Mav had opened that sentence. After he had only been rezzed mere moments after Eden's statement.

They either didn't pick up on the look she was giving them, or they were used to it, as Mad leaned in to take the engram back, and they took they both leaned into examine it.

Suddenly, they both looked at each other, "Wait," and Mav looked over at Mango, "Don't we still have a goldie?"

"We do. We've had it for two weeks, actually," Mango sighed, depositing a second engram into Mav's hand. "You boys need to not stockpile."

"Yeah, but it's a good thing we did."

"Look," Mad prompted Ayana, and as she came closer, she saw what they were talking about; Mad's engram was a warm gold, with orange undertones. Mav's was a paler yellow. "The duds don't match."

"The fact that you could decrypt it on your own should have been a tell," Boa grumbled. "Only cryptarchs can decrypt E-Tier engrams."

"Oh yeah, wise guy?" Mav snarked, "If it was so obvious, why didn't you say somethin'?"

"Excuse me for not holding your hand."

"Get off the grass, mate, you didn't notice either."

Ayana cleared her throat to get everyone's attention, and once she had it, she deliberately let the silence hang as she took in the area. Mav was correct in his referral of multiple, she realized; there were a lot of rigged engrams scattered about. She sincerely doubted it, but, "Are the Hive known for this kind of thing?"

"Uhhh, no."

"Definitely not." Mav let Mango take the engram, while Mad tossed his aside. "They ain't really the kind to want loot, either. Weird."

"Well, whatever it is," Ayana pointed in behind her, "they were coming from the cave you mentioned, right? May as well get going."

The cave wasn't all that big, being tucked into the side of the hill, but it was big enough to comfortably house the three of them and more. At the back was a large crystalline growth, easily twice her height, and emanating a soft white glow that illuminated the charming decor of skulls on spikes that surrounded it. She pressed a hand to its surface, feeling a sort of energy thrum within it. Eden was the one to ask what it was, comparing it to quartz.

"It isn't quartz," Boa corrected. "We scanned it last time were here. It's almost quartz, but it isn't quartz. Likely paracausal in origin."

Ayana dropped her hand away from it, shaking off the buzz that persisted in her fingertips, and knelt down. Between the three of them was a hole in the ground, just big enough for the likes of a Thrall to just barely squeeze through. The three of them, on the other hand, would have some trouble. "How the hell did you two get down there before?"

"Blinkin'."

"Very carefully."

"Don't recommend it. I blinked right into a crystal on one attempt."

"Straight up impaled himself."

"And when we realized we oughta bring someone with us,"

"We had to do it again to get back up."

"Transmat's spotty down there."

Ayana reached down to test the ground, finding the edge of the hole and pulling at it. It wasn't all dirt, there was solid rock in it. That said, if a Thrall could claw its way out, it should be possible to dig their way in... or, maybe not even dig. She looked at the boys and tilted her head towards the mouth of the cave. "Go grab a couple of those engrams. Bet we could blow this thing open."

Setting it up was easy enough, and they made sure to stand a good distance back. There were enough engrams to light up the inside, and Ayana had the honors of lighting it up the other way: pitching a solar infused frag. She guided them all back a little further for good measure, but the resulting explosion was less one large explosion, and more a series of smaller ones. It was only once they were absolutely certain it was over that they dared to check their work, Ayana taking the lead.

She almost tripped upon entering, the once tiny hole replaced with an outright pit. There were more crystals growing from the walls, still pristine despite what had just transpired. "... Huh." She realized the same applied to the one at the back, which should have taken the brunt of the damage. "Sturdy stuff."

"Let's get to it, then!"

It didn't matter which one said it, because they both jumped at the same time, leaving her standing at the edge by herself as she looked down with an odd sense of resignation. Boa's voice cut through it.

"Used to it, yet?"

She took a deep breath, answered, "Getting there." and jumped down after them.

Chapter Text

Ayana landed with a wince, but she managed to absorb the shock of the fall well enough to avoid any real damage. She took a minute to shake the residual pain out of her legs, looking around in growing awe. This deep in, there were more of those crystals, smaller in scale but so jam-packed that they solidly covered every surface, the smallest amount of light refracting off of them and bathing the area in a dim light that subtly shimmered a spectrum of color. She found herself reaching out to trace the wall as she walked, that same hum of energy from before feeling all the more palpable.

"This doesn't feel right," Eden's voice echoed in her helmet, his tone weary. "It's almost like... like we're under water. I don't know how else to describe it."

She was interrupted by a screech before she could acknowledge his concern, and she took off in the sound's direction with her gun at the ready. She found Mav and Mad, crouched behind the wall as a grenade landed nearby, Solar flames narrowly missing the pair. They both lifted their heads to look up at her, one of them hissing, "We have a problem."

"What kind of problem?" She found her place next to them, reaching over to look around the corner. The space was better illuminated, and she realized this was more than a mere cave; it was a mineshaft, support beams erected to carve out the path with old supplies long since abandoned on a busted bridge. Across the way, she could make out the gathered assailants. "More Hive?"

"Must've heard the boom,"

"Decided to throw a welcoming party."

From what she could see, there weren't many, just a handful of Acolytes and Thralls. But the problem was the Knight at a vantage point. It volleyed its own attacks while the rest drew fire, and Ayana was quick to shove her companions backwards as a shot hit dangerously close. She felt a dusting of debris clink against her armor from above, and she shook the ringing in her ears off before pushing forward. She heard "Wait!" from behind her, but she wasn't going far. A crate made for perfect cover, giving her time to fire a few rounds.

Another opening, another push. She took to the other side of the platform, intent on dropping a barrier to make up for the lack of cover. But a barrier didn't drop. She staggered to a halt, narrowly avoiding the fall as she tried to focus on that feeling she's grown familiar with, calling on it.

Nothing happened.

A warning was cried out far too late, drowned out by a scream so harrowing that it made her freeze in place as the sound shook her to her very core. She thought she might have dropped her gun in her haste to block out the noise, but she couldn't be sure. She couldn't process anything that happened thereafter, only that she was on her knees with a hand on her shoulder. She looked up at one of the Hunters, knelt down in front of her with Eden at his side, waiting for her to catch up with the world around her, and subsequently stopping her from taking any sort of action. "Woah, easy. We're good."

She questioned him as she turned her attention toward the Hive, only to find that none were left. She saw the bodies littered about, and the mine was mercifully quiet. "What... What happened, just now?"

"Shrieker," She turned to Eden, who was currently hovering behind her and looking at her with an expression that Ayana could only assume was tired. When Ayana merely looked at him, he clarified, as if it helped, "It was around the corner."

That did not help. "A what?"

"Big ol' eye," The Hunter helpfully explained. "Don't you worry 'bout that, though. We got it." He straightened up to full height and went to offer a hand, but she was already getting up without him, so he instead went straight to asking, "You alright?"

"Yeah," Ayana muttered as she searched around for her gun. She found it, fortunately, far too close to the edge for comfort, and she was quick to retrieve it so Eden could store it for the time being. "I don't know what happened. I was trying to place a Barrier, and just... nothing."

"So, uh, about that," The Hunter started, rubbing his shoulder while Mango made herself known to look him over. So, this was Mav. "We kinda knew it was a bit Dark down here, already. But we weren't too worried. Light's not completely busted, just takes a little more oomph, 's all."

Ayana blinked at him a few times, tilting her head. "That seems like pertinent information."

"Yeahhh, that's on us. Sorry."

She and Eden shared a look, and Ayana shook her head with a sigh, turning her attention to the handful of corpses across the way. The Knight was predictably charred, but the rest lacked that sort of damage. The two of them must've been good shots. "Where'd Mad go?"

"Went to scout ahead. No need to get in another firefight when we ain't over the first one, yeah?" Once Mango was done, Mav rolled his arm experimentally before looking around. "We'll catch up once we're right as rain."

She watched him as he began to explore, digging through storage cases for what she had to guess was nothing in particular. The way he'd pick up any little trinket and look it over before either tossing it or storing it confirmed her assumption, and the only pattern she found was the occasional tool that didn't look too worn, or a particularly shiny rock. Not even a crystal. Just a rock. "You and your brother are a couple of magpies, aren't you?"

"Bah, that's just what it's like to be a Guardian," Mav waved her off. "The Lightbearer's Creed is "Finders Keepers," actually."

She snorted. "Sure."

"I'm tellin' ya, it is. Hunter's Honor." He gasped, lifting up something for her to see. "Look what we got here."

Ayana nodded indulgently. "That is a bottle."

"Not that," He groused, shaking it for emphasis as whatever it held clinked around inside. "This." He popped the cork off of it, pouring a small device into his hand before making his way over to her, sitting next to her when she moved to give him room. "Message in a bottle."

"Seriously?" Eden drifted up to Ayana's shoulder. "Isn't that a bit... cliche?"

"One man's cliche is another man's classic," argued Mav, before turning to Mango. "Wanna give it a listen?"

"No harm in it, I suppose."

She floated up, the ring of light that adorned her shell beginning to spin as she connected, its vibrant red flashing near white as a recorded voice rang out.

"Day 1 of expedition, this is Wilhelm-7 of Fireteam Stahlguard. I'm recording this for documentation, but also to let it be known that Adigir is a straight A moron. Guy lost his precious hand cannon to a Vandal, for fuck's sake."

Mav and Ayana shared a look, but stayed quiet for now. He was likely judging more harshly than she was; she didn't exact feel like she had the right, yet. But she did judge. Just a bit.

"So, we were just gonna go get it back. Simple. But," The sound of shifting could be heard. "things got interesting. What should've been a quick smash and grab- again, Adigir's an idiot- turned into a damn event. We tracked that Vandal all the way from the Mothyards to the Lunar Complex, and beyond that, we watched the guy scramble into a little cave, right here beneath Skywatch. Now, Pershing mentioned something about a loot cave,"

"Loot cave?" Mav leaned in, nudging Ayana's arm. "Think he means treasure?"

All he got in return was a resounding "Sshhh."

"I'd heard the rumor a few times, never thought much of it. A cave full of loot, just below everyone's noses? I didn't buy it. But we got there, and there was this hole in the ground. Just big enough to get into. And some Fallen just so happened to steal a gun before scrambling down there? Sure is a funny coincidence.

Worst case scenario is a Fallen base of operations to clear out, anyhow. But I won't lie: I'm excited. We don't know what to expect. Could be a bit of a maze down here, so I'm leaving these echo disks along the way. Pershing thinks it's stupid, mocked me for leaving "breadcrumbs." Dunno what breadcrumbs have to do with anything, but with signal being spotty, figured leaving a trail was a smart choice."

Ayana felt Mav lurch beside her, and she was quick to ignore the recording in favor of him, putting a hand on his shoulder as she watched him look as if he were about to curl in on himself, before he seemingly recovered just as fast. "Mav...?"

"'m good." He muttered, shaking his head. She heard him utter a quiet "Ow," but he seemed perfectly fine, otherwise. When she wasn't satisfied with his answer, he offered her a shrug.

"Looks like the guys are ready, so we're goin' in. Hopefully this won't be for nothing, but I got a good feeling. Signing off."

Mango settled back into her usual disposition, and Mav took that as his cue to stand, clapping his hands together. "So, we got ourselves a treasure hunt! Told ya this'd be fun."

"Now hold on," Ayana stood up after him. "We don't know how old that log is. Whatever Stahlguard was looking for, they could have already found it- if it's even real. Guy said it was a rumor."

"Only way to find out is to go deeper and check!" Mav insisted.

Ayana crossed her arms. "Or we go back to HQ and ask if Stahlguard reported any findings. The Vanguard would surely have something like this on record."

"Where's the fun in that?" He saddled up beside her, one arm slung over her shoulders as he gestured around. "Besides, look at all the Hive down here. Where's there's one, there's twenty more crawlin' around. We really gonna choof off and do bugger all 'bout that?"

"I.. I guess?" She sighed. "Look, I just don't think we should be getting in over our heads, here."

"Ayana," Mav moved to stand in front of her, his hands finding her shoulders and his voice suddenly soft, yet firm. "I get what you're sayin'. But Mad and I, we got a few notches in our belts. Big notches. Trust me," He patted her shoulder. "you're in good hands."

She didn't say anything for a time. She knew next to nothing about these two; they seemed boyish, energetic and flighty. But they were clearly competent and surprisingly controlled, their confidence wasn't arrogance. She also thought back to the Hangar, the back and forth with Cayde. They knew Lancer, and it sounded like they knew him well. It was why they reached out to her, after all, wasn't it? Sure, Lancer never mentioned them, but Lancer never mentioned a lot of things. It wasn't exactly enough for her to consider it a red flag.

Besides, Mav wasn't wrong about the Hive. And the guy in the audio log, Wilhelm, he mentioned there being a potential gathering of Fallen. The fact that they haven't encountered any at the entrance doesn't mean much, and the Hive activity shows either a significant passing of time since anyone's done a sweep, or that Stahlguard failed to clear the area out in the first place.

Ayana was failing to convince herself into turning back, so she turned to Eden.

"Well," Eden bobbed ruefully under her scrutiny. "I don't like it. But where you go... I go."

Damnit.

She let out a long, heavy sigh, "Fine," and looked at Mav. "Let's check it out."

He let out a whoop, pumping a fist. "Knew ya'd come around! Come on, coast's clear, but Mad found something up ahead."

He took off with Mango in tow, and any effort to wave him down was either too late or ignored, leaving her and Eden alone with the presumption that they'd follow soon enough. They shared another look, and Ayana pointed to Eden.

"If this goes sideways, this was not our fault. You with me on that?"

"Obviously."

With that settled, soon enough, they followed.

Venus had a charm or two. The greenery was lush, and the way it overtook the shells of Humanity's long forgotten success was a stunning sight the first time. Walking through the remains of old cities, knowing that once, this place thrived, and that once, it was truly alive, as Lancer had treaded across broken roads and traversed crumbling rooftops, nearly tripping on vines, was oddly mortalizing. And there was an irony to it, he thought, how the corpses of cities were where the flora thrived the most, even if it was only because Humanity was smart enough to make base a habitable distance from the sulphur-rich wastelands. He'd even call it poetic, if he were the sort.

Venus was pretty, he could begrudgingly admit that. He couldn't deny the wonder he felt when he first landed, here.

These days, though, he hated coming to this damn planet. Whatever good it offered died long before his time, and there was a small, cowardly part of him that desperately wished he could forget everything he knew about it. But whenever that thought rose, he would just swallow it like bile and try not to gag. The smell didn't help his thoughts, or his mood in general, and his helmet's ventilation could only do so much to filter the ever oppressive sulphuric air. He didn't give the Fallen much credit, anyway, but he really had to question their senses in repeatedly choosing a planet that smelled like a hot dumpster as refuge.

He scanned the premises through his scope, taking a mental note of every entrance, every vantage point, every potential problem. The building wasn't well fortified- it couldn't be, feasibly, looking to have been an old parking garage. That meant every level was open, save for the ground level, and even that was barely protected by primitive forting made from salvaged parts, with patrol to make up for the shoddy work to protect a settlement likely in the sublevels. There was an entrance, blocked by a barrier with a detonator lock, but Lancer figured it'd be easier to just take out the guards and climb in through the second story. Not like they weren't sent in to clean house, anyway.

The hostile count looked low, but there would be reinforcements out in a heartbeat. Not much of a problem for him, not once he got going, but he knew better than to not expand his horizons, turning his attention to the neighboring rooftops and confirming his suspicions.

"Got four snipers west side."

"I'll take care of them," was the flippant answer he received, followed by a more pointed statement. "Willful ignorance won't work on me, you know."

He lowered his scope with a grumble. "You wanna bitch? Join the choir."

"Lancer."

"Don't." He held up a hand that he knew would inevitably be ignored. "You're not gonna say anything I haven't already heard, so don't."

Lucius, in a shocking twist, ignored him. "While I can't say I entirely disagree with the common sentiments,"

"Here we go."

"I highly doubt it's for all of the same reasons." He finished, grabbing Lancer's shoulder to force him to turn around. "What, pray tell, do you have in terms of credentials to take on a protégé?"

"What, a few dead gods ain't enough?" He smacked away the gloved hand, glaring into the cosmic ether that swirled about in the visor of Lucius's helmet. "I've earned my medals, I don't gotta prove shit."

"Do you really think-" Lucius cut himself off and, before Lancer could react, grabbed him, and the world suddenly warped around the two of them, folded in on itself for the briefest moment until it settled with a violet flare as a shot rang out. Only a few paces aside, Lancer saw the scorched surface of the roof's edge where they had once stood, accompanied by a Fallen's call that was soon resounding through the lot.

With any chance for stealth thrown to the wind, the two of them shared a look.

"Well, what's the holdup?" Lancer gestured toward the nearest sniper. "Go take care of 'em."

Lucius pointed to him with a warning tone. "We're not done."

He was gone in an instant, and Lancer was off in a far simpler fashion, taking a running start off the roof and letting himself fall to the ground below.

He had enough time to build a charge before he grounded, and the subsequent landing had enough force to take out a wide berth and stagger the rest long enough to take them out with his hand cannon. He kept his shots tight, one through five, reload, one through five, repeat, and anything that didn't die clean was quickly dispatched with a follow-up blow. He could hear Lucius somewhere, but for no longer than a second before he was heard somewhere else, making clean work of the above levels while Lancer handled ground control.

He was in the middle of reloading when something hit him dead center, searing into his back and making him drop to a knee. It was white hot, and just as he went to regain his footing, he heard the hum of a Solar mine begin to reach a fever pitch, so he lurched into a roll instead, aiming to shake the damn thing off before it blew. He succeeded, but only just, and the resulting explosion still sent him skidding in the dirt a bit, even if he did manage to get his legs under him in the end. He pulled himself up with a wince, cursing out whoever as he patted out any residual flame. He looked up at the sound of a dying screech, just in time to watch a Captain's body hit the ground. Lucius appeared immediately after, a Scorch Cannon held at his side.

"A bit sloppy, wasn't it?"

"Could say the same to you," Lancer rolled his shoulders, stepping over the bodies while he meandered over to stand beside Lucius. "You let a big bastard slip past."

"I've been working with you long enough to know that keeping track of "big bastards" is more trouble than it's worth," was Lucius's dry rebuttal, earning a snort while he hoisted the cannon up on his shoulder, taking aim at the barrier's lock. "With that being said, I'm not the one who got shot."

"Yeah, yeah."

Lancer watched Lucius's shot hit its mark, and as Lucius brought the cannon back down, he kept his grip, and the two watched as the mine's light grew brighter, brighter, brighter yet, until the signaling click was heard. Lucius released the trigger, and what would have already been a hefty blast easily quintupled, the resulting heat coursing through the system until the barrier flickered out.

"Could've just climbed in."

"Certainly," Lucius affirmed, charging a concentration of Arc in his free hand, only to release it into the lock as they passed, effectively overloading it and damaging the components. "But this works just as well. Covering all bases."

"Hm."

"Now then," Lucius tossed the Fallen weapon aside, and Lancer opted to just bite the bullet and get it over with, leaning against a nearby wall while Lucius held him hostage. "As I was saying. What in Sol's system are you thinking, taking on a charge in such a way?" Lucius began to pace, though his gaze never strayed from Lancer, his robes flicking behind him and the resounding echo of metallic boots against concrete ringing out with each step. "And barring the Vanguard, no less."

"I know what I'm doing," Lancer droned, a phrase he's gotten sick of repeating. "Kid's learnin' quick, and at her own pace. She doesn't need the Vanguard breathin' down her neck."

"Do you take me for an idiot?" Lucius stopped abruptly, his voice little more than a hiss as he turned to face Lancer fully. "I know what you're doing. If what you claim was the case, you would have done the same with the first two."

"Those two knew a hell of a lot more when I found them than she did."

"They did not."

"Sure they did. And they know more now than they ever needed to." Lancer shrugged, rolling his neck in an effort to push back the encroaching headache he could feel starting to build. "'Sides, I'm gettin' her in the field now. She's doin' fine."

"And that's your goal, isn't it," Lucius challenged. "For her to do fine."

"The fuck you gettin' at?" Lancer pushed off the wall, leaning in to meet Lucius at eye level. "I'm giving that kid a chance."

"I know what you're doing," Lucius repeated after a beat, his tone taking on a more moderate note, but not shying away from Lancer's bravado. "Your intentions are commendable. But your actions lack forethought. You have to see that, in your efforts to be a shield, you've subsequently painted a target on the poor girl. What, oh what, makes this one Guardian so special, that the Hivebane himself would go to such lengths to aid her? And what wisdom must he be bestowing? Hm?"

Very few people can get away with talking to him like that without earning a swift blow to the mouth- and that wasn't to say it wasn't tempting now, to crack that stupid dome. But there was something about Lucius that always managed to stop Lancer in his tracks. It pissed him off like nothing else, moreso because he could never stay pissed. Lucius was an asset on the field, and Lancer knew he could trust him to have his back. He was intuitive and adaptable in a way most Guardians never even dreamed of achieving, let alone bothering to try. Every word out of his mouth was as pointed as any knife he threw, and his tongue was as sharp as his eye. He held himself like a man who's seen it all, and Lancer was inclined to believe he probably came close.

And it was times like this that Lucius made Lancer feel far too young, like he didn't have a clue. And he hated how he could never look Lucius in the eye when he did. "So, you are just repeatin' the same shit."

"No," came Lucius's resolute answer, all the while Lancer kept his gaze focused on the world outside. "You said she's a quick learner. The Vanguard, perhaps even as far as the Consensus, will want to know what makes her special. I'm sure that they're already tracking her record. I doubt they would have if not for your involvement." When Lancer didn't speak, Lucius pressed on. "My concern lies in this: say she pulls something off that answers the burning question. What then?"

"Then she'll have to step up," Lancer shrugged. "Just like I did."

"And if she can't?"

That got Lancer to turn.

"I'm not doubting her capabilities, mind you," Lucius clarified. He was the one gazing outward, now, with his hands loosely clasped behind his back. "I would have to assess for myself in order to come to such a conclusion. But she isn't learning at her own pace. She's learning at a pace you're setting. And, one day, she might choose to speed things along. Like it or not, you need to be ready for that. And, more importantly, so does she."

Lucius's words hung in the air between them, and Lancer vacantly realized he should probably respond, somehow. He thought about all the things he could say, and how all of them felt wrong. So, he didn't bother.

"Check the upper levels." He turned his back on Lucius, scanning the interior until he found the ramp leading down. "I'll head to the bottom and work my way back up. Meet somewhere in the middle."

He didn't wait for a reaction, but he heard a response. "Understood."

Lancer trekked until he knew he was alone, his radar dead and not a sound to be heard, save for the hum of his own internal functions that, right now, seemed obnoxiously loud. He barely registered that he was just standing around in the dark until Konik appeared next to him, and he tilted his head down to block the light with the brim of his hat.

"I could ask if you're okay, but why waste my breath?"

Lancer ignored him at first, hoping he'd just go away, or give him an activity report. Anything. But he didn't, and Lancer wasn't surprised to find the Ghost simply looking at him when he finally looked up to meet his gaze. When Konik didn't speak again, only making an inquisitive trill, Lancer offered his hand. He found himself relaxing as Konik took his rightful place over his palm.

"Let's just get this done."

It didn't matter if Konik was bothered by Lancer's flippancy, because he knew better than to expect anything else, disappearing and leaving Lancer's shotgun in his place. Lancer checked the ammo, the sights, went through every motion before he took off running, and he found himself falling into the rhythm he knew long before he reached the bottom.

When he'd been brought onto the hunt for the House of Wolves, it hadn't been much of a challenge. They'd been an improvised mess, still getting their footing when he came along and knocked them down, dragging their overly ambitious Kell back to his masters and letting them do whatever they pleased. To this day, he wondered why he wasn't authorized to just kill the bastard and be done with it, but he didn't care to understand the Awoken Queen's methods, especially now. In the end, it was a job with an earning.

This, he could barely consider a hunt. This batch of Fallen, not even a House, lacked structure. They didn't even have a Barron. Primarily the lowest of the low, scrambling like ants. He found three Servitors on the utmost sublevel, pathetic looking things that weren't even fully put together, and they were as easy to wipe out as the ants that built them, the resulting explosions a chain that bathed the room in blue fire.

He was about to start climbing the levels when something caught his leg, and he looked down to find a Dreg, or what was left of one, gripping the plating of his greave like a life line. Its left side was charred, and blue blood was pooling beneath it, oozing through the cracks. Lancer could see its jaw, illuminated by flames, working uselessly as it warbled a strained sound through a damaged throat. He kicked the Fallen away and brought his boot down on its head, with enough force to ensure he wouldn't need to do it more than once.

He didn't find the rest to be particularly memorable. He found Lucius somewhere along the way, and if Lucius had tried to talk to him, he was sure Konik took the helm. They did another check of the premises for any stragglers; Lancer found a few cowering in hiding places, and took them out quickly, before he and Lucius were en route to the Outpost. Words and rewards were exchanged with Venj, the Awoken's de facto leader in the wake of recent events, and Lancer found himself in Earth's orbit, at some point. He let Konik handle getting them back to the City, while he sat at the edge of the bed in the ship's cabin, with his bloodied foot crossed over the opposite knee. He wiped the gore away with a wet wash cloth, moving on autopilot while he tried to settle on a single train of thought.

He probably could have gotten some sleep in the time it took to get home, but he'd resolutely decided against it, knowing he likely wouldn't have felt all that rested, anyway.

The world was a bit more clear by the time they docked, and the way to the Vanguard was uneventful. Konik and Lucius recited the overview while Lancer submitted the report of their latest dealings, and once dismissed, he told Konik to send Ayana a message letting her know they were back in town. According to the clock, it had been about two days since they'd left. He figured he at least owed the kid an update before he went home to unwind, knowing she probably wouldn't be able to reach him any time soon, otherwise, but that plan fell short when Konik claimed to be unable to reach Eden. "What do you mean you can't?"

"I mean I can't," Konik insisted, sounding about as perplexed as Lancer felt. "There's no signal to reach. I'm checking the channels, and I'm not finding him anywhere."

Before Lancer could actively question how the hell that was even possible, he heard Lucius quietly clear his throat. Upon giving him a questioning look, he saw Lucius subtly gesture behind them, and in following the direction, saw Cayde clearly watching them. Seeing he'd been caught, Cayde turned his head downwards in an effort to look preoccupied.

An effort that he tried to maintain even as Lancer saddled up next to him, leaning against the table. "Oh- hey, Lance. Good to see ya, big guy."

"Cayde."

"... Do you like, need something, or- hey hey, easy on the map," He was quick to protest as he saw Lancer tighten his grip, applying the faintest bit of pressure to dent the old paper beneath his hand. "Pretty sure it's more expensive than your fancy jacket."

"What do you know?"

"Nothing, honest," He put a hand over where his heart would be, but Lancer didn't budge. And a quick glance toward the rest of the Vanguard revealed a fascinating phenomenon, in that Cayde's Fireteam had seemed to have spontaneously gone deaf. Funny. "Okay, nothing major. Look, I'm sure she's fine,"

"What," Lancer leaned in, keeping his voice level as he repeated, nice and slow, "do you know?"

"That she's in good hands." Cayde insisted, and after a brief pause, as if he'd just been waiting to deliver the punchline, he added, "And- And, not just one set, but two! Imagine that. Extra fine."

That headache was coming back with a gusto. "How much did they pay you?"

"Wow," Cayde scoffed. "You think so low of me? Bribery? I'm hurt."

"I could double it."

"Y'know, you should've just opened with that. Could've saved you some time. Just sayin'."

"We're going to die, we are going to die, we are going to die,"

"Relax, we're not gonna die!" Mad hollered over the ring of an explosion rattling the valley, one of numerous, all the while Ayana clung to the Hunter for dear life as he maneuvered his Sparrow through treacherous hazard zones with reckless abandon. She hadn't the slightest idea where Mav was in all of this. Maybe he was dead. That seemed like a reasonable assumption. "Just you hold tight, gonna do somethin' a bit iffy,"

"You're telling me you haven't yet!?"

As he steered the Sparrow to ramp off a rock, then precariously skip off the head of a Spider Tank that nearly sent them crashing nose first into the dirt, she realized that the answer was no. But looking over her shoulder revealed that the stunt had baited one of the overhead ships automated tracking to drop a mine directly onto the tank, right as it fired, and the result took out an area the size of half a block. She heard Mad cheer, and she might have done the same if she wasn't currently ducking the incoming fire from the assailants still ahead. They found a semblance of cover through a massive hull, and it was only then that Ayana learned that Mav was indeed alive, waving at them from his own Sparrow while Mad waved back, and it was only Ayana shouting that saved all of them from crashing into the same rock.

They found themselves out in the open again, and the way the two bobbed and weaved around each other left Ayana dangerously close to being sick. She never had a moment to catch her breath, her ears were ringing from bomb after bomb, and she almost lost her grip on numerous occasions, coming dangerously close to being left in the dust, if she wouldn't simply die on impact with the ground due to the speed.

She thought she would be relieved when they found cover again, but every close call sent her blood pressure soaring higher yet, and most terrifying of all, it seemed like Mad had a goal now. "Mad, that is a pit,"

"Don't you worry 'bout that!"

She did worry. She worried extensively. And the way he laughed did not make her worry any less.

Mav took left side while Mad kept a straight shot toward the edge, and Ayana decided she didn't want to watch. She heard Fallen jumping out of the way, and she saw some sort of machination ahead of them, but she kept her head down and held her breath. That was until the telltale sound of the Sparrow's boost was amplified, and she felt a push so strong that it carried her and everything around her forward with such force that she almost felt winded. The Twins were hollering, having the time of their lives, and Ayana hazarded a look down, against her better judgement, as they soared across the cavernous gap and into the mouth of the opposing cliffside.

She abided Mad's warning to duck as they narrowly breached the opening, though it didn't sound like Mav had the same success, and the dismount left both Ayana and Mad crippled on the ground. She didn't even know if Mad survived, but she wasn't quite over her own agony, yet, so she simply had to leave that question unanswered for a minute. She tried to prop herself up on trembling limbs, biting back a scream when she abruptly realized she was putting weight on a fractured wrist, and every breath and hacking cough felt like a knife in her ribs.

"Ayana!" She heard Eden's voice from somewhere above her. She didn't even bother looking up, but she did try to acknowledge his presence. What was meant to be his name was something more akin to an indecipherable wheeze. "Oh, wow- Okay just, hang on,"

She didn't have the strength to scream, apparently. But she wanted to, as Eden fought against the suppression that seemed to exist purely to spite her in this specific moment. Being healed wasn't exactly a comfortable experience, but with the Light unhindered, the pain was minimal. This, however, was like inflicting her injuries in reverse, and she was almost too caught up in it to hear Eden's distressed apologies as he tried to be quick.

There was one last explosion, one much closer, close enough to rattle the ground beneath her, the walls that surrounded them, the smallest debris shaken loose and raining down. She felt the thrum of energy beneath her hands, through her limbs, in her chest, and she struggled to her feet with fragile success as Eden healed her ailments with a sudden vigor that, unlike moments prior, brought its expected relief. She took a deep breath for the first time since they landed, patting herself down to confirm that everything was back in order and existing didn't feel like its own form of torture, and she looked up at the sound of Mad hollering, as he'd apparently gotten up in the scuffle. Mav wasn't far behind, jumping down from one of the upper openings and landing with a deft roll. The two embraced, wasting no time in celebrating their victory.

"Did you see that!"

"We got the bloody moves!"

"And people say Sparrow Racin's a waste of time,"

"Buncha boguns."

"... Hey, Ayana? You good?"

She turned her attention back to them, then gestured up. "Look."

Ayana watched them process what she was pointing out in real time; the walls, the ceiling, the entire mouth of the cave, was lined with crystalline growth. The light of the setting sun only had a limited passage, but hitting one crystal meant hitting them all, refracting through the space, just as it did before, revealing colors not seen otherwise that left the three of them mesmerized.

"Whoa," She heard one of them come to stand next to her, and she saw him reach up, as if he could tangibly touch whatever it was. "Pretty,"

"It's not just that," She reached up as well, despite herself. "Don't you guys feel it?"

The air felt charged, but not with Arc. It was something else, something that resonated deep in her bones. But it was different than what she felt when they'd first come down, even different than what she felt mere minutes ago. She felt lighter, like the very air was easier to breathe.

"I feel it," Eden appeared next to her, rising into the air with a curious sound, Mango and Boa not far behind him. "It's... Light. Almost. I don't understand it."

"It's as much Light as what we felt before was Dark," Boa muttered, scanning a particularly large crystal with a huff. "There isn't any difference between these and the quartz found outside, or at the entrance, on a compound level. But the frequency these are giving off is in complete contrast."

"Thought he said it wasn't quartz," one of the Twins muttered while the other snickered, but Ayana didn't give them much mind.

"What does that mean, then?"

"Hard to say," Mango said as she drifted down. "There has to be some sort of external factor. Environmental, perhaps, or even the Hive's influence."

"The Hive aren't here, though," Ayana pointed out. "I haven't seen any since the Ogre..." The realization gave her pause, and she began to retrace their steps. "Everywhere we've found the quartz, we've found Hive. So, we chocked the Darkness concentration to be due to the Hive. The entrance, the mineshaft, and the Ogre,"

"Yeah..." The two watched her begin to idly pace, and though they didn't join her, it was clear that they were following along. "And whatever it is that's keepin' it alive is way stronger than the average ritual. Couldn't even put a dent in it."

"Still can't believe we had to run from a bloody Ogre. Y'know those things are like, babies? Not even kiddin'."

"What?" She paused to look at them, then shook her head. Focus. "Never mind that. There was a chunk of quartz in the yard with it. So, maybe we have it backwards. Maybe they're attracted to the quartz, and are," She gestured about with a shrug. "I don't know. Using it, somehow."

"Right then, that's all dardy. Small issue, though."

"If it ain't the Hive causin' the Dark spots, why is it that this spot here, that's got no Hive, has got us feelin' fitter than a Mallie Bull?"

"Mango mentioned that it could be environmental factor of some kind," Eden offered, his shell scrunched in thought as he drifted low to examine some of the smaller shards that had broken off. "But what's the factor?"

Ayana walked over to the nearest wall, pressing her palm to the crystalline surface. She could feel that energy buzzing within it, seeping into her hand and up her arm. She pulled away, gazing at her hand thoughtfully while an idea formed. She formed a fist, calling upon her Light as she squared her stance, wound up and followed through, her fist colliding with the rock in a shower of sparks. Realistically, she expected to bounce right off of it, but there was no ricochet; every ounce of force was absorbed, and she saw it as much as she felt it, the ripple of conduction beneath the surface that seemed to siphon all she gave and spread outwards until dying out, smothered by its surroundings.

When the swell petered back down to its subtle drone, she looked over her shoulder to find Mav, Mad, and the Ghosts all staring at her. She found herself smiling  under their scrutiny.

"Concussive force."

The Hunters looked at each other for a beat, before exclaiming at the same time, "Amplifiers!"

They ran over to join her, standing at either side as one grabbed her shoulder. "Whatever you hit 'em with,"

And the other rapped his knuckles against the wall. "They return tenfold!"

"But if you hit 'em hard enough,"

"They retaliate with opposing force." Eden finished, looking in awe as he turned to Ayana. "How did you...?"

"The engrams." She answered. "They were just bombs, not Light or Dark. But we were fine until we set them off, right up against the mine. And just now, the energy changed after the explosive just outside went off."

"Leave it to a Titan to solve a problem by punchin' it," One Hunter joked- without even a hint of mockery, surprisingly, as the other took to exploring the cave. "Like we said, Lance had to be jazzed, findin' ya."

"He didn't know, at the time." Ayana was quick to correct, but she fondly recalled how he'd reacted when she'd first shown the signs. "Don't think I've seen him happier."

"Sounds about right, mate's a softie under all that grouchin'. Heard you've had the 5 star treatment, lucky bugger." He nudged her in the ribs playfully before gesturing for her to follow, heading towards the back of the cave where the crystals boomed in scale, starting to climb up with Ayana in tow. "Been wantin' to meet the new baby ever since we heard, but Lance wasn't havin' it. So, we took a chance the minute we got it." He offered his hand to help her up a ways, which she gladly took, and he pulled her up with a grunt. "Totally worth it, ey? You havin' fun?"

"Let's see," Ayana began to recall. "I crashed my Sparrow, got killed by a Shrieker, got baited into not one," She paused pointedly. "Not two," She let it hang in the air, until her company rubbed the back of his neck. "But three spike traps,"

"Okay, to be fair, we got our comeuppance with the barrel. 'Sides, you can't tell me the whole thing wasn't a little funny."

"Then an invincible Ogre that used one of you like a chew toy,"

"Heh, yeah. That was Mav." Ayana didn't miss how Mad, apparently, shuddered at the memory, even as he laughed it off. "'Least he probably tasted awful. Maybe even hurt- gotta be like chewin' on glass."

"And now, we just barely survived racing through a literal mine field." She concluded. When Mad merely looked at her expectantly, she sighed. "It's been... thrilling."

"Good enough!" He clapped his hands resolutely before taking a running start off the edge, jumping to a crystal growing from the wall. Ayana went for one that was closer, but she miscalculated the angle and lacked a certain grace. But Mad never commented on it, and as she maneuvered through the space and followed Mad's lead, she found herself getting the hang of finding the optimal routes and traversing with relative ease.

"So... what about you guys?" She finally found the courage to ask. "What's your deal? Did Lancer help you, too?"

Mad's laugh was jovial, and Ayana realized she was hearing Mav's, too, somewhere. "Yeah, Lance has a habit of pickin' up strays."

"Should tell you how he found us, sometime."

"Caught us livin' in a right mess."

"But," Mad continued on, squatting down to rest his elbows on his knees. "that's a story for another day. 'Cause you ain't really askin' about that, are ya?"

"Well," Ayana didn't entirely deny it, and she took the cue to sit down on her own perch, bringing one leg up while the other hung over the edge. "I was wondering about that, too."

"Nahh, 's alright. Everyone's got questions. Surprised how long you held off." He shuffled over to the side, and right as he did, there was Mav in a flash, settling next to him as they both got comfortable.

"So, him and I,"

"Me and him,"

"We're somethin' of a package deal." Mav explained. "In like... all the ways."

They proceeded to rattle off an explanation that was clearly rehearsed, and one that they clearly hated having to repeat, despite their best efforts to hide that fact. It made her feel guilty, but as she listened, and watched how they moved, the way they spoke together, she saw it for the necessary evil that it was.

They were an uncanny pair, but from what she understood, it couldn't be helped, because they weren't exactly a pair. They compared it to the bond she had with her Ghost, but just... more. Every feeling, every thought, every thing was seemingly shared, and they made a point to prove it with little games. Like one closing his eyes while she held up a number for the one who could see, only for the blind one to guess correctly every time. Or one dropping into a free fall, only to swap places with his brother in a synchronized blink without a single word exchanged. Whatever they could think of to demonstrate how they worked in tandem, like each was an extension of the other. They didn't seem keen to explain the how, or the why, and she wasn't keen to force it out of them. She suddenly remembered when they told her it didn't matter that she couldn't tell them apart.

"Are you two... actually identical? Does it really not matter at all?"

"Nope."

The fact that she didn't even know which one of them answered her was almost funny. So was how their "answer" didn't answer anything at all. But they weren't good at hiding discomfort, she could see it, even in the darkening space. They sat too stiff, and she could see them fiddle with their cloaks, one with the clasp on his shoulder, the other with the tail end.

She decided to take the hint and not push them, and they appeared happy to follow her lead. They pressed inward, following cave's natural ups and downs until they found an exit. The first thing Ayana noticed upon hitting the open air was the warmth, an oddity for a night in Old Russia, but the factors were clear upon further observation; while they were no longer underground, they were still clearly down quite a ways, surrounded on all sides by terrain, and above, blocking out the majority of the sky, was a massive hull that looked to at least be mildly operational. Whether the hull itself was Fallen or old age tech, Ayana didn't know, but there was certainly Fallen tinkering involved, one of their barriers blocking what looked to be an opening in its center.

"Oh, we're gettin' in there."

Ayana looked at the pair. "How?"

"Check it," One of them pointed to the left, towards one of many landings around the area. Ayana saw the lights, first, then made out the Fallen. "Tons of activity. Bet we can find a way to bring that barrier down if we go diggin'."

"We can use these bad boys to cross the gaps," The second Twin gave the nearby equipment a pat, and Ayana recognized it as the same sort of launch pad they'd used before to escape the minefield. "Charge it with a Solar grenade, and it'll get us across in no time."

It wasn't difficult to make a plan from there; they would each take a different platform to cover more ground, and if anyone found something significant, they'd announce it over comms. It seemed solid enough, until both Mav and Mad prepared to use the lift themselves. At the same time. She watched the two of them do a false start, stop and look at each other, then do it again, and this repeated four times before Ayana cut in. "Okay, what are you two doing? One of you," She gestured to the launch pad. "Go."

They both apologized, then proceeded to do it again.

"This happens, sometimes." The Ghosts made themselves known, and Boa sounded bored in the face of their plight. "They're both thinking they'll go first."

"Then they think, "Nevermind, you go first," then they simply repeat," Mango sighed. "It's a vicious cycle, once it starts. They get confused, poor things."

"... Oookay," Eden bobbed quizzically, his gaze flicking to the Twins as he asked, "Can't they just think, "Mav does this, Mad does that?""

"You'd think it'd be that easy, right?" Boa offered with a false chipper tone that just as quickly fell flat. "Wrong. The difference is nonexistent. They even get themselves mixed up. Two idiots, one brain between them. Allegedly."

She frowned at his abrasiveness, and chose to directly address Mango. "Is it hard to snap them out of it?"

"Oh, not really." Mango reassured, shooting a pointed look at her companion as she explained how they just needed a little grounding. "Lancer often keeps a coin on him, for instance. He'd have them each call a side, then would direct them however based on who won the coin toss. Easy as that."

"I don't have a coin, but..." Ayana gave it some thought, then called the two over. Once they stood before her, obviously embarrassed, she pointed to Mad, revealed by Boa coming to float beside him. "I'm thinking of a number between one and ten. Guess the number."

Understanding immediately dawned on them, and Mad answered, "Seven."

She then looked at Mav, who immediately answered with four. She'd been thinking of six, so Mad went first, and the plan was in motion. Of everything she'd faced on this adventure, a mob of Fallen really wasn't that bad, and on top of it all, something was... wrong, with these ones. The Devils, as derelict as they were, they moved with purpose. These Fallen felt aimless, almost. They also had more of those rigged engrams, which made for a nice additional firepower when used correctly. Which she didn't always achieve, and she in fact sent herself careening into the water below more than once.

Ayana eventually found herself standing amongst the dead in merciful silence, panting slightly as she carefully treaded about, not wanting to make one wrong move amidst the strewn about explosives. She found more quartz, a pile of it with decorum that felt almost zealous in nature, and she remembered similar adornments to the one outside, when they'd first entered. It was obviously a Fallen trademark, she saw as much amongst the Devils, but that left the question of why. What was it about this stuff that was so alluring, that not only Hive, but the Fallen as well, seemed enraptured enough by to revere it?

Her train of thought was halted by her comms sparking to life, and she looked up in time to see the Twins' solution to their problem. It involved the launchpads, a few Servitor shells, and a couple rigged engrams. Their combined efforts took out two generators, so she took that as her cue to take out the third; she couldn't find a Servitor, realizing the shell had probably rolled into the water, so she opted to pile up the engrams, instead, and a frag grenade for good measure. She knew it was a risk, timing it all right, but she managed. The cargo hit its mark, and the grenade went off, taking the engrams and generator with it. There was cheering over the comms, and with the barrier down, it was as simple as the team meeting in the middle and using the central launch pad to get inside.

It was a fairly linear trek, and Ayana wasn't alone in having a feeling that they weren't out of the clear, yet. They pressed on until they saw a breach, and then stopped at the sound of activity ahead. Ayana took point, peering out into the cavernous space, its only source of light being the night sky and, low and behold, another crystalline shrine, and signaled for Fallen, beckoning the others over to see for themselves.

They all watched the Fallen around the space in morbid fascination as a few seemed to fight amongst themselves over what looked to range from engrams to actual weaponry, while others were gathered in the center, mindlessly clawing and digging at a disparaged storage unit, nonetheless sealed tight against their animalistic scrutiny. Amongst them was a Captain, larger than any Ayana has seen thus far, its frustration audible as it slammed into the unit with gusto. It, along with its kin, moved in a way that appeared sluggish, almost incoherent in its rabid obsession. She had to wonder how long they'd been down here.

Ayana signaled for them to wait when she saw the Twins summon their bows, clearly ready to make an entrance if not for her interference. She directed them towards the walls of the space, more specifically the mounted units not unlike the one on the ground below. In the low lighting, the shimmer of golden light through the unit's window was impossible to miss.

It would be easy to go in gun blazing, but the truth was they were running out of resources. So, they formed a plan.

Getting down undetected wasn't too difficult, Mad blinking Ayana to the ground with him while Mav took the opposing side. They all split up from there, and they got to work, Mav and Mad keeping range with precise arrows and slipping into the shadows, and Ayana taking any stragglers beneath the platforms. She didn't have the hang of fancier tricks involving the Light, but she quickly discovered that she didn't need them; Dregs were comparatively easy to overpower and subdue, even without a gun. Any sound they made raised little alarm amidst the wider animosity, and it would be quickly cut short with a blow to the throat, or even better, snapping its neck, a feat that proved to be far less strenuous if she timed her plays right. There were a few close calls, but with the likelihood of being spotted dwindling with every takedown from her teammates, she found every attempt easier than the last, and a certain satisfaction with each kill. 

Ayana took point beneath the center platform once the ground was clear, keeping an ear on what hostiles remained while she surveyed the walls from her cover.

The Captain, from what they could see in the dark, had a shield that wouldn't be easily penetrated. It was explained to her that such shielding wasn't unusual for Fallen tech, and despite its durability, it wasn't invulnerable. It was just a pain in the ass, and took a lot to break.

That was where the Twins came in. Opening the units in any way would be far too loud, and none of them were keen on finding out if the engrams would survive such a high fall. Luckily, they weren't full to the brim, and neither Mav or Mad were deterred by something as trivial as walls, as has been proven. She could barely see them in the low lighting, but she could see the flash as they blinked into different units, then to the edge above her and deposit the spoils there, before going again.

Ayana did her part, so now she let them do theirs. Curiosity and trepidation did dictate that she occasionally peak, however, leaping to grab the ledge and hoist herself up so she could see. She was just in time to watch one of them land near the crystal, adding another engram to the growing pile around it, and his brother wasn't far behind. The area was bathed in a golden glow, and Ayana realized that the light alone should have been a fatal flaw. But the Fallen didn't even register it. It was like they only had one goal, and it was whatever was locked out of their reach. There had to be more than thirty engrams amassed when she waved the pair down, and they met on one of the side platforms, keeping their voices low as they made their final preparations.

"You ready?"

"We'll whittle the big bastard down,"

"But it ain't gonna be much with the Dark zone."

Ayana nodded resolutely, and Eden took that as cue to deposit her rocket launcher in her hands. "I'm ready. You two just get him close, and- hopefully," She tilted her head with a shrug. "get out of the way."

It earned her some snickering and a playful shove, and she sent them off, staying behind and taking aim. As they went, she watched them leap in the air, and one of them, no more than two beats faster than the other, conjured his Light in a blinding flourish and concentrating it into a rod of pure, cracking Arc. At the height of his jump, he threw it, sending it crackling through the air and nearly burying itself in the Fallen Captain's shoulder. Its shield protected it from the worst of the damage, but there the spear remained, even as the Captain reared its head, and its bellow echoed off the walls and rallied all that was left of its allies- a number that dwindled almost instantly as Arc danced off of its body and struck its kin. It couldn't even lift its gun before it was struck in the back by a second spear. But It recovered quickly, its vision settling on the two Hunters standing before it.

It all happened at the same time. The Captain lunged, the Twins blinked away, and Ayana fired.

Even from her position, she had to drop her launcher and brace herself as the world went from nearly pitch black to blindingly bright in an instant, and an explosion so large in a space with acoustics like this was nothing short of deafening. She found herself blinking her eyes rapidly in a futile effort to get rid of the spots in her vision, and Eden was quick to aid her, though he was likely more focused on repairing her ruptured eardrums.

Once she could hear again, she heard her teammates celebrating, and she went to join them. It turned out they had taken the high ground for safety, atop the mounted units, and now they stood over... what used to be the Captain. Its shield hadn't stood a chance against a blast like that, and all that remained was a few scraps of armor that only just survived amongst the scattering of steaming viscera that painted the platform. The vapors that rose had a certain shimmer to them, and the air, amongst the scent of burnt flesh and singed metal, had a chemically sweetness to it that permeated the space.

"Never, have we ever,"

"Killed a biggun so bloody clean!" Mav hollered, slapping Ayana on the back. "We'da been here doin' some kinda song and dance 'til sunrise."

"Bloody oath."

Ayana shook her head affectionately at their rambling, opting to shut them up by gathering them close in a loose hug that they readily returned. When she released them, their collective attention all turned to the one storage unit that had seemed to have the Fallen in such a frenzy. Ayana started for it, almost slipping on blood in the process and hoping she played it off. "What's say we crack it open and see what the fuss was about?"

"Oh, hell yes,"

"But how 'bout you let us do it? Might be more traps."

"'Sides, seems that last shot left ya a little unsteady," The closest one elbowed her side as he passed, ignoring how she scoffed. "You just take a breather and let the professionals-"

In no more than the same breath as their teasing, Ayana watched one of them slip, and in his flailing, grab his brother's cloak and pull him down after. Ayana could have laughed. She decided the silence was better.

When it came to opening the unit, Ayana had expected to have to brute force it, her companions had a different idea; there was exposed wiring in the back, likely from when it had once been mounted like the rest. She watched in silent fascination as the Twins looked it over for a few minutes with the help of Mango shining light, then carefully slipped their hands inside with seemingly deliberate placement, simultaneously sending a pulse of Arc energy through the components. The sound of the unit's hatch seals releasing was heard, along with an obnoxious grinding sound that had the lot of them grimacing. Coming back around, they discovered the culprit was the hatch itself, as something damaged seemed to keep it from opening properly. So, she turned out to be right in her earlier assessment, but it took significantly less effort to open than if it had been sealed tight. It opened enough on its own that she could get a grip beneath it, so she did just that and lifted it up, having to stretch a bit to get it high enough to where it would lock in place.

Just as she did, she heard the startled shouts behind her. But before she could turn around and prepare for what she assumed to be an assailant, her eyes caught the sight in front of her, and she stumbled back.

There were crates stacked precariously, akin to a throne, and undeniably seated at the top, spotlighted by the Ghosts, was a corpse. Ayana was the first to move amongst them, as much as she wanted to do anything but, carefully climbing the crates to get a closer look. It was an Exo, whose body showed damage well beyond disarray. His armor- and his body- was patchwork, from scraps of cloth and rope to hold his equipment together, to an improvised prosthetic for a missing leg. But all of that was meaningless in the face of the most alarming aspect; crystalline growths, far from small, sprouting from various parts of his body. His shoulder, through the collar of his suit, a particularly large cluster torn through his chest. The entire left side of his head was overclaimed, and his jaw looked to have broken to accommodate the shards that blindly pushed through his mouth.

"What, uh,"

Ayana glanced down at the inquiry, seeing Mav and Mad crowded beneath her as they finished the thought. "Whatta we got?"

She looked back at the dead Guardian in front of her, suddenly aware of how she close she was to it. She pulled back, as if fearing it would lunge, or react in any way. "I... I think we found Wilhelm."

"Wh- the guy from Stahlguard?"

"How the hell did we get from Point A to Point bloody Z?"

Ayana didn't pay them much mind, her attention solely grabbed by the scene before her. The way the body was strewn out, she saw little signs of a struggle. Behind him, along the back, she saw weaponry amongst dead engrams, though it didn't look like time had been kind to the stock, most of it old and rusted. Still, there was an impressive collection, and a symbol on one of the crates caught her eye. Closer inspection of the labeling revealed most of it to be munition cargo.

So, the picture painted so far, was that Wilhelm locked himself in the storage unit with a stockpile of loot, potentially to protect himself from the Fallen. And judging by the state of him, he had to have been down here for a significant amount of time, and without his Ghost. He could have lost it to the Fallen, or possibly even the Hive, which was why he had to resort to such primitive means of first aid. But the crystals, no matter how hard she tried, Ayana couldn't make sense of. She could only hope that they had made themselves known long after he was dead.

Her musings were interrupted by Eden gently bumping the side of her helmet, and he led her eyes downward; in Wilhelm's right hand, clutched in a vice grip, was a gun. A hand cannon, in far better condition than the rest. It's collected some dust and more than a couple scratches, but otherwise, it looked to be a high quality model, with a beautiful red finish that popped against a carbon black handle. His finger was hooked around the trigger.

She had no way of knowing for sure, but the sight of it left a pit in her stomach as she recalled the only recording they'd happened to find. She reached out, her fingers brushing the barrel. "Adigir's."

Eden's whisper better reflected her own dread. "What happened here?"

After casting one last cautious glance towards the Exo's face to assure herself that he was in fact dead, she steeled her nerves and reached for the gun proper. She grabbed his wrist, carefully pulling the hand towards her so she had a better angle. The joints were locked by time and rust, but she managed to pry each digit open gently enough to not break anything, which was no small feat, until she was able to pull the gun from his grip, letting his wrist drop as if it burned to touch.

She wasted no time in climbing back down, and she felt the look she was receiving far more than she could see it. "What?"

"You're really gonna take that?"

Ayana frowned, looking the hand cannon over, realizing the safety wasn't on amidst her inspection and quickly rectifying that issue before looking back up. "I mean, sure. It's the only thing here that isn't junk, so why not?"

"You lookin' to get cursed?" Mav asked, and Mad affirmed, "'Cause that there's how you get cursed."

"Nobody's getting cursed," She took a moment to secure the gun to her hip, then offered a shrug with an addendum. "But if it's going to be anyone, it won't be us. Cayde wanted a cut, remember?"

Boa made a sound adjacent to clearing one's throat, and once all eyes were on him, announced that Bilby was now en route to their location. Now that they weren't underground, reaching it wasn't an issue, so he'd taken the liberty of setting its course while they were preoccupied. "Now would be a good time to pick who writes up the report." He made no effort to hide how he was talking moreso to Ayana than the others, and she didn't even get the chance to voice her opinion on the obvious slight, because the affected party beat her to it.

"Mate, genuine question,"

"How dumb do we think we are?"

She quickly agreed to the position before any more could be said, smelling blood in the water and, now that she could undeniably feel the extent of their little adventure catching up with her, being far too tired to deal with the antagonistic little Ghost. "I've never done it before, so I might need a little help."

She knew perfectly well that Eden would be capable of teaching her all of the little bureaucratic details, but it was a basic misdirection that worked flawlessly, and the pair eagerly agreed to show her what all went into it while Boa disappeared with a scoff. It also gave her an excuse to drill it into their heads that whoever flies, in no uncertain terms, would traverse at regulated speeds. There was a lot of grumbling and nearly as much active protest, but she didn't give them leeway. "No slipstreaming. I want time to have the report ready before we get to the City."

They tried to defend their right to fly dangerously for a little longer, but when it was clear that Ayana wasn't going to budge, they both slumped, playing it up with a drawn out "Fine,"

"Good. Now that that's settled," She kept her voice pleasant in the face of their dramatics, and pointed up as the sound of the Twins' jumpship drew close. "After you two."

She waited for them both to be transmatted away before sharing a look with Eden. "How long have we been out here?"

There was a beat of not quite silence as he processed the question, and he answered dutifully, "From since we departed to now... roughly thirty seven hours."

"Well," Her sigh was weary as she rested her hands on her hips, craning her neck to look up at Bilby stationed overhead. "I'm glad we came."

"Really?" Eden questioned, probably two steps away from checking her for a brain injury, if she had to guess. "After nearly two days of trekking through caves, fighting for our lives, failing and being forced to run for our lives, only to top it off with no treasure and finding a dead body, instead?"

"Oh, no. All of that was awful." She conceded. But just before transmat had its hold, she smiled. "But the rest was fun."