A/N: I know I played around a bit with the Hive being at the Collapse. But, hey, Oryx was present when the Fallen's world was destroyed. I wouldn't put it past the Hive to be the ones that were the Darkness's muscle for its attack on the Traveller.

DISCLAIMER: The following is a non-profit fanfiction. Destiny is owned by Bungie, Activision and High Moon Studios. I only own Kayla and other OCs. Please support the official release.

Saga 01: Guardian Rising

Arc 01: Devils and Kings

Chapter 004: Rasputin

Earth, Last City

Ghost silently flew the ship over the City. It was dusk and the City was aglow with lights. He looked at Kayla. She hadn't said a word since they left the Skywatch. She was deathly pale, her eyes unfocused and, with her gloves off, her hands were bleeding from gripping her gun too hard. The little robot was unsure of what to do. He'd spent so long searching for a Guardian but he'd never taken the time to learn the social structures and cues of the City's society and human's in particular had such peculiar ways of coping. Nevertheless, Ghost knew the best thing to do was approach Kayla in her room, away from everyone else. Judging by the tense atmosphere Kayla was giving off that would be for the best.

The ship docked in the hangar. Kayla left quickly, ignoring anyone that spoke to her and scaring the others away with an angry scowl. Her head was a churning mess of emotions. She didn't know whether she should be angry, upset, sad or afraid. But there was one. It stuck out like a sore thumb. She was lonely. Kayla headed into the Tower, avoiding making eye contact.

"U-Um...should we, er..." Ghost stammered when she stormed past the Hall of Guardians. "Ok, never mind..."

Kayla ran to her room, shutting Ghost out. He teleported in just in time to see Kayla throwing up in the toilet. He fumbled a little. "Are you alright?" he asked, immediately regretting it.

"Do I look alright?!" Kayla snapped, glaring at him with vomit trickling down her chin.

"N-No, that was silly of me..."

"Ohhh, my god...!" Kayla groaned, wiping her mouth and pacing erratically

"I-It's going to be ok."

"No, it's not gonna be ok!" Kayla roared. "I died! 300 years ago, I died! Not only that, but I lost my family and friends to those...those things! I don't know anyone here! I have no one!" Kayla flopped backwards on to her bed, sighing. "Do you know what it's like?"

"I can guess," Ghost said quietly. "When Ghosts are...born, if you will, they have one purpose: find a Guardian. We literally cannot do anything else until we do." He floated down to her, hovering over the bed slightly. "I searched 300 years for you, all alone. When I found you wasn't the first time I'd searched the Cosmodrome, you know. It's why I'm so enthusiastic about missions. And why I'm not good at social stuff. I've had no practice."

Kayla looked at him. "300 years? You were alone all that time?"

"More or less. Most of what I know comes from what I've heard in passing. This is a big a change for me as well."

Kayla turned away again. "I'm sorry I yelled."

"I'm sorry I'm not good with this stuff," Ghost said with a small chuckle. "If I'd known, well...if we all knew it was the Hive that invaded during the Collapse..."

"It's not your fault," Kayla said quietly. She jolted upwards in shock when there was a knock at the door. "Can you get that?"

Ghost nodded and flew over to the door. It opened revealing a man in a large white helmet that concealed his entire face. His attire seemed to be a mix of Titan, Warlock and Hunter armour, with a black hood and black gloves, a white robe and grey shoulder guards.

"May I come on?" the man asked in a soft, gentle voice.

"Sp-Speaker?" Ghost spluttered. "Of course!" Ghost moved aside, allowing the Speaker in. Kayla sat up, inspecting the man. He was certainly enigmatic. The Speaker's gaze quickly fell on her.

"You look a little worse for wear, Guardian," the Speaker said.

Kayla looked down. "Bad day."

"We found Hive in the Cosmodrome," Ghost explained.

"I see..." the Speaker said. "This is troubling. The Hive are a frightening first encounter for any Guardian, and yet...I sense there is more. You're the Guardian who was alive during the Collapse, correct?"

Kayla bit her lip and nodded, thinking about her little brother as the Hive tore him open. "The Hive...they were there that day," she croaked out. "They killed us. All of us."

The Speaker nodded in understanding. "Then I see why you look out of sorts." The old man sat down next to her. "I make it my business to meet all our new Guardians once they've settled. Some find it harder than others. But I always say the same thing. You will be frightened. You will be unsure. But never let it overwhelm you. As soon as you doubt your abilities you become a victim to the Darkness. And although the person you were going to be is gone, do not ever forget your past for it is all Guardians have."

Kayla nodded in silence. The Speaker stood and headed for the door. "Please, follow me."

The Speaker led Kayla up to the balcony. It was empty, save for a few Guardians quietly reading in the dim light. The Speaker took her past them up to the northern most tower. It was tall and thin, filled with all manner of books and devices. In front of them was the sleeping form of the Traveller. It saddened Kayla to see it in this state.

The Speaker stared at it before sighing. "The Traveller was a mighty being. We still don't know where it came from or why it chose us. But it made us powerful, more intelligent and accepting. We were ready to step out into the Universe. But that was long ago. Until it wakes..." the Speaker paused and Kayla felt the weight of his duty surround him. "I am the one who speaks for the Traveller."

Kayla looked up at the sleeping god. The Speaker stared with her. "It's a wondrous sight, is it not? You must have so many questions, Guardian. In its dying breath the Traveller created to the Ghosts to find people that can wield the Traveller's Light as a weapon- Guardians- to protect us. To do what it no longer can."

"The Hive attacked Earth," Kayla said. "But...the Traveller saved us, it must have otherwise we wouldn't be here. So...what happened to it?"

The Speaker sighed. "I could tell you of the war fought over the Traveller, the one that crippled it centuries ago. I could tell you of our final stand. I could tell about the power of the Darkness, its ancient enemy.

"...Are you?"

The Speaker gave a faint chuckle. "If I did, would it change anything?"

"I guess not..."

"There were many tales told in the City to frighten our children. But lately the stories have stopped. And the children are frightened anyway."

The three of them stood in silence, the Speaker praying and Kayla contemplating the task that lay ahead of her. After a few minutes the Speaker spoke again, grim and worried. "The Darkness is returning, the Hive you found are proof of that. It lurks beyond the Reef and we will not survive it this time."

"But...what can I do?" Kayla asked.

"You must push back the Darkness," the Speaker replied. "Guardians are fighting on Earth and beyond. Join them in the fight. I know this is not the life you chose, nor is it the life you wanted. But it is your life now. Your ghost will guide you. I just hope he made the right choice."

The Speaker turned and left without a word, leaving Kayla and Ghost with the Traveller.

"I did," Ghost said, more to encourage himself more than anything else. "I'm sure of it." He turned to Kayla. "We're in this together now."

Kayla woke up the next morning and began her morning routine: teeth, shower, hair, breakfast, get dressed. As she sorted out her robe in the mirror Kayla found it hard to accept her armoured reflection. A lump formed in her throat as she buried those thoughts. Kayla sighed and grabbed her guns.

"Sleep well?" Ghost asked, floating up to her.

"Eh...so-so," Kayla replied.

To be truthful Kayla hadn't slept much at all. She kept thinking about the people she'd lost and every time she'd drifted off to sleep it wasn't long before she began dreaming about the Hive. Even now she could hear their shrieks piercing her ears.

A knock on the door broke her out of her trance. She hurried to the door and opened it. On the other side was Delta, smiling at her.

"Hey," he said pleasantly.

"Hey," Kayla said back.

"You look dreadful."

"Eh...I've had worse."

Delta fidgeted a little. "You looked down when you came back. Well, you looked worse than down. Tough mission?"

"Hive."

Delta grimaced. "Ah. I see...how you taking it?"

"Evil space zombies, how do you think?" Kayla said dryly.

"Touché," Delta laughed. "I just thought I'd pop by and thank you for the help the other day. I appreciate it."

"No problem," Kayla smiled.

"Aaand, if you need anything, let me know. I'd be happy to help."

Kayla's face lit up. "Thanks. I appreciate it."

Delta grinned and left. Feeling more confident Kayla grabbed her helmet and headed for the Vanguard. It was strange hearing it from a complete stranger but Kayla was grateful for Delta's offer. Thinking about what the Speaker had said Kayla decided to bury her thoughts about the Hive for another time. She had a second chance at life and she wasn't going to waste it.

The Vanguard met her with varying degrees of frustration, leaving Kayla worried.

"You didn't report in last night," Ikora said.

"Hey, lay off," Cayde said. "You heard what the Speaker said, of course she'll have had other things on her mind." The Exo turned to her. "Ikora gets a little caught up in regulation, don't worry about it."

"Nevertheless," Zavala interrupted. "We appreciate a first encounter with the Hive is difficult, but we will not let you off a second time, is that clear?"

Kayla breathed a sigh of relief. "Yes, Commander."

"Good. Now, back to business. Ikora?"

Ikora nodded and handed Kayla a file. "The House of Devils have retreated back to the Devil's Lair, thanks to you slaying their Archon."

"Nice work, by the way," Cayde smiled.

"But we've had reports that the House of Kings are moving near the Skywatch, tearing into machines by the Terrestrial Complex."

"Hmmm," Ghost said. "I'm starting to think they're not looting the place."

"Indeed," Zavala said. "The Devils were the ones doing it, but it seems the Kings have stepped into finish the job. If they're willing to break cover for this then it's important. We need someone to get in there and find out what they're doing, and whether it's a threat to the City."

"Consider it done," Kayla said, heading for her ship.

Earth, Old Russia, Cosmodrome

Kayla landed in the Steppes, finding it empty. Ghost appeared beside her. "There's a signal coming from the Forgotten Shore," he said. "That's a fair bit away from here. Hmmm..."

"You got an idea?"

"If we can get you a Sparrow, a hoverbike, we can get there faster. We just need to link you up." Ghost thought for a moment. "There's a vehicle grid we can sync with not far from here, near an old transmat station. Hopefully the Fallen haven't got to it yet."

Kayla nodded and set off in the direction Ghost showed her. Her mind kept drifting to the Hive. She was still in disbelief from her encounter in the Lunar Complex. How could a race like that exist? From what she remembered of the Collapse the Hive just...killed. There was no rhyme or reason to it, they just swarmed and ate. But...

"Hey Ghost?" Kayla asked.

"Hm?"

"How did you know that the Hive came from the Moon?"

Ghost sighed. "That's a long story. Bu the sounds of it the Hive were pushed back by the Traveller. But about 150 years ago they returned. The City was on a high and when discovered the Hive on Earth and that they had swarmed the Moon the City chose to fight them off. But we failed. It was called the Great Disaster. The Moon belonged to the Hive ever since."

A shudder went down Kayla's spine. "So we could be invaded at any time?"

"In short, yes," Ghost said. "We've been living in fear of that ever since. But let's not dwell on that."

The pair reached the station after a trek. Ghost scanned the semi-functioning machine before turning and constructing a large hoverbike from hard light.

"And voila!" he said. "Think you can ride it?"

"I had a motorbike, I'll be fine," Kayla said, grinning like a child.

She climbed on the Sparrow, pulled the throttle and zoomed off, giggling with glee. She followed Ghosts directions heading for a small canyon just below the Skywatch, following the trickling river down out to a ruined coast. The Forgotten Shore was exactly that: overgrown and dry with small rock pools dotted around and large crashed cargo ships littered around the coast line. The coast was also home to a large group of Fallen. Kayla figured that, with their gold colour schems, these were the House of Kings. Kayla sped around the ships, destroying the Shanks with her Pulsar before ducking under cover as the Vandals fired on her with deadly accuracy.

"Yeesh!" Kayla yelped as a wire rifle round scraped her helmet. "What the hell, the Fallen were pushovers a week ago!"

Kayla ducked behind some rusted crates, reloading her Pulsar. Ghost appeared beside her. "The Fallen you fought were the House of Devils. They'd already lost their Kell, they were weak. The Kings are a whole different ball game."

"Great," Kayla muttered, firing pot shots at the Kings.

The Fallen fell back, still firing their weapons at Kayla. She ducked to another piece of cover, and old fishing crate, and began firing relentlessly on the Dregs and Vandals. As she weakened the Fallen she began to push further towards the ship they were hiding on. As she got closer an angry Captain roared and fired on her with its launcher. Kayla dived to a gap in the hull.

"Bad news, we're gonna need to get up there," Ghost said.

"How come?" Kayla asked.

"There's a signal amplifier up there," Ghost explained. "The Fallen are using them to hack into something here. If the Kings are using them it must be something valuable."

Kayla grumbled to herself and headed up the ship using stairs from the hull. As soon as she got on deck Kayla was smacked down by the hidden Captain. She grabbed her throbbing head, narrowly dodging a blast from the shrapnel launcher. Swapping to her shotgun Kayla destroyed the Captain's shield. It roared and charged but Kayla kicked it in the stomach, winding it enough to get in two headshots. The Captain collapsed with a dying roar. Kayla prodded it with her foot before standing.

"Right then," she said, looking around, spying an alien looking pylon. It was brown with a wide curved base and a tall spire sticking out of the top. "Well, this just screams alien transmitter, what do you think?"

Ghost chuckled, floatin to the machine and scanned it. "Jeez, this whole construct is so badly put together. I'm surprised it even functions! You know, for machine worshippers, they don't have much technological prowess."

"Maybe it's based on function?" Kayla suggested. "The less important it is, the cruder it's designed?"

"Well..." Ghost said as he hacked the pylon. "The City knows the Servitors are worshipped because they make the ether that sustains them. So you could be on to something. Alright, done."

"Find anything?"

"The Kings are definitely hacking into something," Ghost replied.

"Real helpful," Kayla said sarcastically.

"It's local, so it's nearby," Ghost elaborated, flying to her. "The signal's a little distorted, but I know it's not Fallen. And get this: the few stable data streams I got from whatever it is the Kings are hacking matches the firewalls I got in the map room before we fought Riksis!"

"Wait, so...are you that we found the same thing as the Fallen have now?"

Ghost nodded, voice oozing with excitement. "Exactly! And, what's more, the House of Kings doesn't do things by half measures, so what we both found has to be very important."

Kayla thought for a moment. "You said you only got some of the dataa?"

"There's another signal amplifier nearby. If I can that I'll be able to pinpoint the source."

"And we can find it before the Fallen," Kayla said, grinning.

"Shouldn't be too difficult," Ghost said confidently.

Ghost headed off with Kayla following behind, leading her up a small cliffside outpost. There were no Fallen around and Kayla assumed that the House of Kings didn't think anyone could make it through.

"Hmm..." Ghost said when they arrived.

"Something wrong?" Kayla asked.

"There's no Fallen," Ghost replied.

"Is that bad?"

"The House of Kings don't do things without reason," Ghost said, his voice low. "They're using us."

Kayla stopped. "Maybe. But if this does benefit the City then surely it's worth the risk?"

Ghost thought about it. "If this backfires I'm blaming you."

Kayla gave a cheeky grin and entered the old military outpost. Hidden away in the corner was another pylon exactly the same as the first. Ghost went to it, hacking it.

"I'd love to know who their transmitting this to," he muttered.

"Their Kell, presumably," Kayla said.

"That's the thing, we don't know anything about the Kings. Draksis is the Winter Kell, Solkis was the Devil Kell. The Kell of Kings only acts through his Barons. No one sees him, the Archon or the Prime for that matter. That's why they're so dangerous." The pylon bleeped, making Ghost giddy. The source of the transmission! It's in the Skywatch!" Kayla frowned, making Ghost stammer. "N-Not with the Hive, though."

"So whereabouts is it?"

"The basement of the Terrestrial Complex. We can reach it from here."

The pair left the outpost and headed back down the coast. Ghost directed Kayla to a large plateau, seeing the steep walls of the Skywatch up ahead and following the mountain road on her Sparrow. They eventually made into the Terrestrial Complex through another car park, finding it in disrepair. Kayla hopped off the Sparrow and headed into the complex, following a crude, rubble-strewn path lined by collapsing rooms and permanently locked doors.

"Just down here," Ghost said, nodding to a sign marked 'generators'.

Kayla nodded, following the stairs down. She came out to a large open room with large fusion generators. They had been abandoned and stripped of parts, now empty husks standing silently in the room. Around them were maintenance walkways and, in the far corner, a large Fallen construct surrounded by Dregs.

"I'm just going out on a whim here," Kayla said. "But I think that's the source of the signal."

"Yeah," Ghost agreed. "Take out the Fallen."

Kayla sneakily made her way between the generators, staying low. The Dregs were busy chattering amongst themselves, scrapping periodically. Keeping to the shadows of a generator Kayla held out her arm, angling a shot. Then she clenched her fist and threw out a Vortex Grenade at the Dregs in one blast.

"Well that was easy," Ghost remarked, flying over to the Fallen device. "They're definitely tapping into the something here."

Suddenly, a loud roar reverberated around the building.

"Something's here!" Kayla shouted.

"Yeah, that'd be my fault," Ghost said apologetically. "I'm stealing everything they've got. You might want to focus, I think it's going to get hectic."

Kayla pulled out her Pulsar. Thankfully the room only had two entrances, both on the right side of the room. Kayla positioned herself on the left walkway, mentally trying to form a plan. A second, louder roar echoed through the room, followed by running footsteps.

Kayla bit her and opened fire on the first Dregs that rushed through the doors. They fell to the ground one after the other, Vandals and Captains stepping over them like they were nothing.

Kayla was sickened. "They're your soldiers!" she yelled in disgust. "How can you just casually ignore them?!"

A Captain roared in response and fired its shrapnel launcher at her. Kayla ducked behind a small railing. Grumbling, she threw out a Vortex Grenade into the crowd and killing off most of the lesser Fallen. Several Vandals rushed her, Kayla pulling out her shotgun and swiftly dispatching them. The Captains stayed back, firing on her with their launchers. Kayla jumped and glided down onto the main floor as more Dregs came, backed up by Shanks and large purple, spherical machines.

"Watch out, they've brought Servitors!" Ghost shouted.

Kayla ducked under the barrage of shock bullets and mortars Using her Pulsar to get rid of the Dregs she soon came face to face with one of the purple machines.

"Guess you're a Servitor," Kayla muttered, hitting it with a Palm Strike.

The Servitor whirred in anger and fired at her. Kayla dodged to the side and fired on it repeatedly with her Scattercast. The machines exploded in a bright light, leaving bits of metal and several glowing seeds on the floor.

The two Captains looked at each other and roared angrily, pulling out their swords and charging Kayla. Kayla dodged as one swiped her, just managing to cut through her chest piece. It took a minute for Kayla to realize it hadn't cut through her skin thankfully and the stunned Kayla fired on the Captain with her shotgun before smacking it with the butt of her gun. The Captain fell and Kayla shot it in the head.

The second Captain snuck up behind her, slashing her back. Kayla screamed in pain, stumbling slightly before gliding away. Fighting through the pain Kayla through another Vortex Grenade at the Captain, weakening it enough to be finished with the Pulsar. Kayla turned and glared at the remaining Servitor. The machine stared back, considering its options and promptly fled. Kayla sighed and stumbled to her knees.

Ghost flew behind her. "Easy, I got you," he said, healing her. "Heh, you've got your first scars!"

"Wonderful," Kayla said sarcastically, walking up to the Fallen automatron. "Did they get anything?"

"No, they kept hitting an active firewall," Ghost said, flying next to her. "Old Russian, wait...of course! How could I have not realized?"

"Uh, slow down, new girl, remember?"

"Sorry," Ghost said, unable to contain his excitement. "There are legends in the City of an old Warmind that survived the Collapse."

"Warmind?" Kayla asked. "You mean the military AIs?"

"Yes! The legend goes that he found the Darkness and went dark, stockpiling weapons to protect the human race in secret. Rasputin, that's his name."

Kayla blinked. "Yeah..." she nodded. "Yeah, I remember that. The UN went into panic when he disappeared. The public was told he'd malfunctioned and shutdown."

"Quite the opposite," Ghost said, scanning the automatron. A beep sounded, followed by a deep male voice speaking Russian and accompanied by classical music. "Rasputin survived!"

"What's he saying?"

"I don't know. But he seems to be trying to access something upstairs. I'm not sure what that is. No wonder the Kings were after him though."

"Wait, why did they need us?" Kayla asked.

"I guess they expected me to hack for them," Ghost said, a faint smugness in his voice. "Instead I stole it all back."

Kayla laughed, gently pushing him. "You sneaky git."

Ghost chuckled. "In any case we should destroy this. Don't want to risk them getting back in."

Kayla nodded and began firing at the machine. It eventually exploded in flames. Satisfied, the pair headed back to the City.

Earth, City

"Rasputin?!" Zavala repeated in shock.

"The old Warmind?" Cayde asked, thinking. "Huh. I wondered what was in that bunker."

"You knew?!" Zavala asked, astonished.

"No, not really. I was just...passing through."

Zavala glared at the Hunter. Ikora looked at them and cleared her throat. "In any case," she said. "This is a brilliant find. Rasputin's knowledge could help us turn the tide."

"Yeah, that's the problem..." Ghost said. "He doesn't seem to be cooperating. I mean, my Old Russian is a bit rusty, but every time I try to contact him he uses...strong words."

"Nevertheless, well done, Guardian," Zavala said proudly. "The City will prevail. The pair of you may retire for the night."

Kayla nodded and left, heading for one of the Tower's canteens. "Zavala was very...reserved."

"That's just how he is," Ghost said. "But he's the best thing to happen to the City in a long time. He may not say it, but between you and me, I think he's impressed."

Kayla grinned. "Well, I say we should treat ourselves. I hear there's triple caramel fudge cake tonight!"

"You know I can't actually eat, right?"

"That's all right, I'll have your share."

"Hey!"