Tristan rushed into the Chasers' apartment, intent on finding Rogue.

Their visit to Miyako Thorne's quarters the previous day hadn't yielded any results as the Warlock wasn't there. Playing a hunch, Tristan had risen early the next day to see if Thorne had made herself known. While he still hadn't managed to find her in her quarters, some strategic investigating had revealed an uproar in the Praxic Order. And he was pretty sure Thorne was behind it. Now he needed to find Rogue so they could figure out their next move.

He heard water running in one of the shared bathrooms and opened the door.

"Rogue! Listen, we need to- stop screaming, it's me, Tristan. We need to go-"

"Can't you see I'm in the shower, wise guy?! Whatever the fuck you want to talk about, it can wait. Now get out!"

Tristan blinked. "Oh… My apologies. I didn't realize… The case must have distracted me."

"Apology accepted. Now leave!"

Tristan turned and left the bathroom, closing the door behind him.

As he waited for Rogue to finish showering, he decided to go over everything they had learned. He found that listing information helped him order his thoughts. And in this situation, his thoughts were in drastic need of ordering.

Here's what they knew:

Elijah Joviac's Light was unstable.

Harley had been taken into Praxic custody for possessing a Weapon of Sorrow.

Elijah was working with a mysterious organization that wanted Harley dead.

Miyako Thorne met with Elijah to get a file.

The file's contents, as Tristan had learned that morning, had just been leaked to the Consensus.

He frowned. Clearly, everything had to connect somehow. But they were still missing too much information. Why did the organization want Harley dead? How had Elijah been able to access the file when Thorne couldn't? Did both Warlocks work for the same organization or were there two groups working together?

The pieces were frustratingly difficult to fit together. Tristan wished more of the Chasers were around to lend a hand. He didn't want to distract Bazzle, Fyr, and Jade from their duties as instructors.

"Careful there, Brainiac. You keep thinkin' so hard, something might explode."

Tristan looked up to see that Rogue had sat down across from him. He nodded a greeting. "I was just considering what we've learned so far."

He briefly went over the points for Rogue's benefit.

The Exo nodded thoughtfully. "Hmm… You forgot somethin' there, though. Ace also has unstable Light, remember? That Praxic pixie said so."

"You're right," said Tristan, "Jade also confirmed it." He sighed. "That adds a certain amount of difficulty."

"Whatcha mean?"

"Harley was arrested because the Praxic Order found him with a Weapon of Sorrow. If his Light is unstable like Elijah's, it could mean that the Weapon of Sorrow has nothing to do with the rest of the case."

"You're sayin' you think Ace could've actually gotten it himself?"

"It's a possibility."

"If you'd known him longer, you'd know that doesn't make a lick of sense. Ace wouldn't do that. He ain't that kind of guy."

"Perhaps… I was just considering the possibility. In any case, I think you're right. The situation seems entirely too neat. Too manufactured."

"What're ya saying?"

"None of us have seen that gun in the apartment before. Harley was in the Infinite Forest for six months before flying directly to the Reef. He only just returned a little while ago. He certainly didn't have enough time to get a hold of a Weapon of Sorrow. And even if he had, how did the Praxic Order find out about it so quickly?"

Rogue leaned forward. "You're sayin' he was framed?"

"Maybe… Think about it. Harley gets arrested by the Order, which puts him in Praxic custody, out of the way of whoever is plotting against him. That gives them time to plan a way to tie up all of the loose ends."

Rogue nodded. "If I had to set up a Guardian, a Weapon of Sorrow's exactly how I'd do it. That kinda thing gets everyone riled up after what happened with that Yor guy. And the Praxics don't mess around."

"Exactly. Whoever is behind this has an exorbitant amount of influence over an untold number of people. And if our recent experiences have proven anything, it's that some of those people are in positions to cause a great deal of harm, should it be asked of them."

"So what do we do about it?"

Tristan pursed his lips in thought. "We need to find out as much as we can about the conspiracy so we can determine the extent of the threat. You should pay the Drifter a visit. He might know something useful. And remember to keep an eye out for Elijah. Finding him would be the quickest way of getting answers."

Rogue nodded. "I can do that. What about you?"

"I will talk to Ikora. We don't have enough evidence to prove our theory yet, but I'd like to find out more about how the Consensus trial will proceed. I will contact you once I have a better understanding of the situation."

With that, he rose to his feet and headed for the door.

Ikora was stationed relatively close to the Chasers' quarters, so it didn't take Tristan long to reach her. However, he did have to wait for her to finish speaking with a pair of Warlocks before he could approach. He walked up.

"Ikora," he greeted with a nod.

Ikora smiled. "Hello, Tristan. What brings you?"

Tristan paused to consider his words before speaking. "I'm here concerning a sensitive matter. Is there somewhere more private where we can speak?"

Ikora's brow quirked, but she didn't question him. Instead, she motioned for him to accompany her. As Tristan walked with her toward an access point for the lower levels, he noticed Rogue enter the Drifter's alleyway. Hopefully, he and the Titan would be able to make sense of what they were up against.

Ikora led him to her office, a cozy space on the same level as Zavala's, filled with books and a few curious artifacts. She perched on the edge of her desk.

"What do you want to talk to me about?" she asked.

Tristan decided to get straight to the point. There was no sense in wasting time when they didn't know how much they had left to waste.

"Consensus trial proceedings," he said, "How does it all work?"

Ikora raised an eyebrow. "Can I assume this is about Harley? Unless you've developed a sudden fascination for the legal system, that is." Tristan shook his head. Ikora sighed. "I'm afraid I'm not at liberty to discuss Consensus business with anyone who isn't a member of the Praxic Order or the Hidden with level three clearance or higher."

Tristan couldn't stop his shoulders from slumping. He wasn't exactly surprised by the answer, though he had hoped for more.

"Unless," Ikora added, "We were speaking hypothetically?"

Tristan's eyes flicked up to meet hers. The Warlock Vanguard seemed to be prompting him.

"Of course," he said, "Yes. Hypothetically."

Ikora nodded. "As you know," she began, "there are certain...complications that arise with Guardian cases. Imprisoning a Guardian would be difficult and the death penalty is rendered useless by the very nature of Guardians. Therefore, exile becomes the only real option."

Tristan nodded. He wasn't surprised to learn it. An effective death penalty would mean killing the Guardian's Ghost, and killing Ghosts was not something the Vanguard condoned. It was a measure to be avoided if at all possible. In fact, the only time when Ghosts had been actively killed was during the Dark Age. And even then, it was often frowned upon. The Dark Age had been before Tristan's time, but he'd heard the stories.

"What if a Guardian was found guilty of possessing a Weapon of Sorrow?" he asked, "Hypothetically, of course."

Ikora frowned. "Before I say anything more, you need to understand that anything pertaining to possible Consensus decisions is mere speculation."

"I understand."

"Very well…" She sighed. "The Consensus would be severe in any matter regarding a Weapon of Sorrow. Would I be right in assuming that you've heard the story around Dredgen Yor?"

Tristan nodded. Like most Guardians, he had heard the legend. But unlike many, he had also been around at the time of Yor's rise and subsequent fall. Following Yor's death, there had been a lot of backlash against the lure of the Darkness. The rules around Guardians became more heavily enforced. Tristan thought there was a good chance that the Praxic Order's foothold had grown stronger because of what had happened to Yor.

"The Consensus is aware of Yor's Shadows," said Ikora, "We know that the temptation of the Darkness has not gone away. Any Guardian discovered to be knowingly possessing a Weapon of Sorrow faces exile."

Tristan's lips thinned. He had figured this would be the case.

"What about the Praxic Order's rehabilitation methods?" he asked.

"There have been cases where the Consensus rules in that direction," Ikora acknowledged, "However, it's usually determined based on the circumstances and background of the Guardian involved." She met Tristan's gaze. "Harley's background does him few favors."

Tristan's shoulders tightened. He knew they were no longer speaking in hypothetical terms.

"The file," he said, "You've read it?"

Ikora inclined her head. "I have. But it wasn't new to me. Aunor had previously assembled the file for me to read."

"She works for you," Tristan realized, "I mean, aside from your Vanguard authority over her."

The corner of Ikora's mouth quirked up. "I have many agents... But what I said is true. Harley has a troubled history."

"I know he traveled to the Reef against orders," said Tristan, "But that hardly provides support to exile him, considering all of the good he's done for the City."

"It's not just the Reef, Tristan," Ikora explained, "Much of his file is classified for one reason or another. I'm not sure how much Harley has told you, but some of the incidents extend beyond simple insubordination. Harley left out a lot of information from his reports." She briefly glanced at a shelf next to her desk. "For example, he was in the Infinite Forest for six months."

"Yes," said Tristan, "But everyone was aware of that already."

"Perhaps. Though I doubt you know what he was doing while he was there. But I do. Thanks to a report from one of my Hidden, I learned that Harley had contact with Osiris."

Tristan's eyebrows shot up. He had faint memories of the time Osiris spent as the Vanguard Commander. He also remembered the infamous Warlock's exile prior to Twilight Gap. By all accounts, Osiris was still a controversial figure in the City.

"Aunor told me that Harley confirmed it himself. However, I asked her to omit this information from her report."

"Why?" asked Tristan.

"Because I know exactly how the Consensus would react," Ikora stated, "Harley has had trouble in the past where Osiris was concerned. The confirmation of any kind of connection to Osiris would only turn the Consensus against him."

"Why are you sharing this with me?"

"You're Harley's friend. I trust you to act in his best interests."

"What about the Consensus' best interests?"

"The best interests of the Consensus," said Ikora evenly, "aren't always necessarily the best interests of the City."

Tristan felt the sudden urge to tell the Warlock Vanguard about his and Rogue's investigation. He wanted to confide in someone with the authority and strength of character to turn the whole thing inside out.

However, he knew that would be unrealistic. All they had were suspicions and information gotten from spying and trespassing. They needed solid proof.

"Do you know when the trial will take place?" he asked.

Ikora sighed. "Seeing as Harley has refused to mount a defense, I can only assume it'll happen sometime in the next few days."

Tristan's eyebrows scrunched. What could have prompted Harley to refuse defense in the trial?

He decided to see if Ikora knew. "Why didn't he ask for a defense?"

"It's more than that," said Ikora, "It wasn't that he didn't ask. Aunor offered it to him and he turned her down... I can only guess at his reasons for doing so."

Tristan nodded. Perhaps Harley didn't think he needed a defense. Maybe he was confident that the Consensus would rule in his favor. Tristan wasn't particularly satisfied with the answer, but he put his feelings aside.

"Is there any way that we would be allowed to be present for the trial?" he asked.

Ikora pursed her lips. "I'm certain that some of you will be asked to testify on behalf of the Praxic Order. Beyond that, I'm not sure. This isn't a scenario that occurs very often. I'll see what I can find out about Consensus protocols."

"Thank you," said Tristan, "I will leave you to your work."

Ikora gave him one last smile as he left her office.

Tristan processed what Ikora had shared with him as he went to meet up with Rogue. It sounded like the Consensus' case against Harley would end up being very solid. The best chance of it working out in Harley's favor would be if Tristan and Rogue managed to get the Weapon of Sorrow charges dropped. And they could only do that by proving that it had been planted, something they couldn't even be sure of themselves.

Trillian nudged him gently through their bond, snapping him out of his thoughts. A message from Rogue blinked on his interface, telling him to go to the Drifter's alley. Tristan increased his pace. The Exo must have found something.

When he got to the alleyway's entrance, he saw that the bars had been pulled all the way down, closing it off completely. A frown tugging at his lips, Tristan blinked through it. He rounded the corner to find Rogue holding another Guardian in a headlock. Elijah Joviac. The Drifter was standing next to them with his arms crossed, acting cagey.

"Look who I found sneakin' around nearby," growled the Titan.

Elijah tugged fruitlessly against his grip. "Let me go! I didn't do anything to you!"

Tristan turned his gaze on the Drifter. "What's your part in this?"

The Drifter held up his hands defensively. "Look, brother, I want nothin' to do with this. Your pal here just dragged this kid in here and told me to close off the entrance. I got no clue what you want with him and I don't care, just hurry up and get on with it. I got a business to run."

Tristan sighed but directed his attention to Elijah. The Warlock was still trying to pry the Titan's arms away but wasn't making any progress. Tristan wondered why he didn't blink himself out or have his Ghost transmat him away. Maybe blink was still too advanced for him. He was still a fairly new Guardian, after all. That didn't explain the Ghost, though.

"Hello Elijah," he said coldly.

Elijah glared at him. "Tell your friend to let me go!" he demanded, "Combat in the Tower is against Vanguard regulations!"

Rogue chuckled. "I wouldn't call this a fight," he said, "A fight would actually take some effort."

"Besides," Tristan added, "Isn't leaking sensitive Praxic files a breach of regulation as well?"

Elijah froze, his eyes darting away. "I don't know what you're talking about," he mumbled.

Rogue's grip tightened. "You know, for a spying little punk, you can't lie for shit."

Elijah clawed at the Exo's gauntlets, gasping for air.

"Rogue, stop it," said Tristan.

The Titan loosened his grip again and Elijah's chest heaved as he was finally able to breathe again.

"Who are you working for?" Tristan demanded, "Why did you leak that file?"

Elijah shook his head. "I told you. I have no idea what you're talking about! I don't work for anyone!"

"Liar," snarled Rogue, "You keep that up and I'll fry you like a bug." His fingers crackled with electricity.

"I'm telling the truth!" Elijah insisted, "I work for no one!"

"So you expect us to believe that you're going after Harley Hayden of your own accord?" asked Tristan, "Because I find that difficult to believe."

"I don't know what you're talking about! I swear!"

Rogue looked at Tristan. "Want me to shock him?"

Tristan consulted with Trillian briefly before shaking his head. "Let him go."

The Exo looked shocked. "What?!"

Tristan met his eyes. "You heard me."

Rogue grumbled in disbelief but allowed his grip to slacken. Elijah pulled away and dashed out of the alley. Tristan heard a faint scraping sound as he slid under the gate.

"What the hell, wise guy?!" exclaimed Rogue, "Why'd you make me let him go?"

"He wasn't going to tell us anything," said Tristan in an undertone, "Whoever his employer is, they must be extremely intimidating and influential to scare him more than two Guardians."

"Either of you wanna tell me what the hell that was about?" the Drifter demanded.

"Nothing that concerns you," said Tristan.

The rogue Lightbearer scoffed. "Brother, everything concerns me. 'Specially when it's in my alley. That kid plays Gambit, which makes him my business. You two gonna scare off all my players?"

Tristan decided that if he had to fill the Drifter in, he would tell him as little as possible.

"We think he had something to do with getting another Guardian into trouble."

"You mean Ace? You think Elijah got him locked up by the Praxics?"

Tristan blinked in surprise. He didn't know the Drifter knew who Harley was, much less the kind of situation he was in. He'd have to be even more cautious about what he said.

"We had our suspicions," he answered, "You saw what happened, though. Elijah doesn't know anything."

"Nah, he knows somethin'," said the Drifter, "Trust me, I can smell a rat a mile away. You saw how squirrely he was actin'. Someone or something's got him all shook up." He must have read the surprise in Tristan's face because he chuckled. "I'm a great judge of character, brother. I'll keep an eye out for him, letcha know if he shows up for Gambit."

"Thanks," said Tristan haltingly.

The Drifter waved him off. "No problem, brother. If he's a rat, it's only a matter of time before he starts talkin' to someone about Gambit and we can't have that. Besides, I like Ace. He's got somethin' to him. An edge... Something you can't find in a lotta these newer Guardians."

"Hmm," said Tristan noncommittally, "In any case, we appreciate it." He looked at Rogue. "We should go."

The Exo nodded, then waved at the Drifter. "Later."

The Drifter gave him a two-fingered salute. "Catch you on the flipside, brother."

As Tristan and Rogue left the alleyway, heading in the direction of the Courtyard, the Exo spoke up.

"Why the hell did you let Joviac walk outta there?"

"Like I said, he wasn't going to tell us anything we didn't already know. We lacked the right incentive to get him to talk."

Rogue laughed. "I'd call my arm around his neck a damn good incentive, Brainiac."

Tristan shook his head. The Titan was wrong. Something else had Elijah spooked. He was sure of it. And whoever or whatever it was must have a lot of power over the Warlock.

"In any case, it doesn't matter. We may have let him get away, but it won't last. Trillian is currently tracking him."

Rogue gasped. "You evil genius!" he praised, ruffling the Warlock's hair, "You knew he'd go running to meet up with his boss!"

Tristan ducked away, smoothing his hair back into place. "I figured it was our best chance. Even if he doesn't lead us to his boss, he will likely meet up with someone else involved in the plan, giving us a chance to get proof that could exonerate Harley."

Rogue rubbed his hands together, still chuckling. "We'll have him in no time."

Tristan allowed himself a small smile, but it was soon drowned by a worried frown. He had taken a gamble in letting Elijah go. He hoped the Warlock would lead them to other members of the mysterious group targeting Harley, but there was no telling for certain. And even if Elijah did meet with them, Tristan couldn't be sure he and Rogue would get any information that would help Harley's case.

But more than that, in confronting Elijah, they had shown their hand. Now the other Warlock knew that they knew about the Praxic files and that his group was after Harley. Suddenly, Tristan didn't feel as confident in his plan. A pit of worry was swiftly growing in his stomach.

Had he really just jeopardized everything they had put in so much effort to figure out? Had he just sat down at a high-stakes poker game, given away all of his cards, and then bluffed on the unlikely chance that it would pay off?

And then an even worse thought occurred to him. By revealing their knowledge of the group's plan, had he just made the threat against Harley all the more imminent? What if they moved against the Hunter sooner now?

Tristan was now sure he was going to be sick. His vision wobbled. Upon taking his next step, his legs buckled. He would have certainly fallen if Rogue hadn't managed to catch him under the arms.

"Whoa. You good, Brainiac?"

Tristan shook his head. He felt all twisted up inside. His heart thudded in his ears. He was distantly aware of the Exo saying something else. A solid surface met his back and the Titan guided him down until he was sitting on the ground.

"Tristan."

Tristan forced his eyes to focus on Rogue's face. He had seldom heard the other Guardian sound so serious. The Exo was kneeling in front of him, one of his hands still gripping Tristan's shoulder.

"You ok?"

Tristan took a breath, nodding slightly.

"Wanna tell me what just happened?" asked the Titan.

Tristan drew another breath. "What if I made a mistake?" he asked.

"Whatcha mean? Letting Joviac go?"

Tristan nodded. "What if his boss decides to go after Harley sooner? My actions might have put him in serious danger…" He felt dizzy.

"Whoa there," said Rogue, steadying him, "Look, Tris… Ace was already in danger. He was always gonna be in danger, no matter what we did. I ain't Osiris. I can't predict the future. Will those people move against Ace sooner 'cause of what we did?" He shrugged. "Maybe. Or maybe not. Even if they do, the best thing we can do is track 'em down and take 'em out. You follow me?" Tristan nodded. "Alright. You good to move?"

The Warlock nodded again and allowed the Titan to pull him to his feet.

"Right," said Rogue, "Let's go catch those sons of bitches."

Tristan exhaled, once more falling into step beside the Exo. He checked his interface. Elijah was displayed as a blinking red dot on a rudimentary digital map of the Tower. It put him somewhere in the Hangar.

Could he be preparing to leave the Tower? Tristan increased his pace. If his worries were right and the danger to Harley was now more imminent, he and Rogue had to get to Elijah as fast as possible.

They arrived in the Hangar to find no sign of the Warlock anywhere. Tristan checked his interface again and started walking toward the dot marking Elijah's location. Then he stopped in his tracks. The dot was moving. Elijah was approaching them. He looked around but the closest person was an engineer several yards away. He looked back at the map. The dot was right next to them.

"What…"

As he watched, it moved past them, heading in the direction they had just come from.

"What's up?" asked Rogue. Tristan showed him the interface. The Exo's eyes narrowed. "How the hell did that happen? He wasn't anywhere near us. We'd've seen him!"

"Exactly!" said Tristan, "He couldn't have gotten past us without us noticing. But you saw the map. It was like he was right-" The answer suddenly dawned on Tristan.

"Right what?"

"Right on top of us…"

Tristan looked up. A metal catwalk - one of many in the Hangar - crossed directly overhead, leading towards the Hangar's entrance. It was the exact path that Elijah's tracker had indicated.

"Shit!" cursed Rogue, following his gaze, "The bastard's up there!"

Tristan frowned at the map, watching the steady progress of Elijah's dot. "Where is he going?"

"What do you mean?" demanded Rogue, "He's making his escape! We gotta follow him."

He moved towards the nearest staircase but Tristan stopped him with a hand on his arm. "Wait." He showed Rogue the map. "Look at where he's going. That catwalk is a dead end. The only place he could go from there is-"

"The secret room!" the Titan exclaimed, "Wow, I feel dumb."

The Tower had a lot of secret nooks and crannies. Many had been found, usually by Hunters looking for places to hide caches. The secret room was actually not so secret anymore. It had been one of the first hidden places found in the Tower after the Guardians had moved in, accessible via jumping between catwalks in the Hangar and traversing a few feet of ventilation ducts.

It was hugely popular in the early days of the new Tower, but after it became widely known among the Guardians, its use had dwindled. After all, who would hide anything in a secret room that everyone knew about? The answer was, of course, people who knew it would be eliminated for its obvious nature. In this case, Elijah's elusive friends.

"Should we follow him?" asked Rogue.

Tristan shook his head. "I have a better idea."

He motioned for the Exo to follow. Staying at ground level, the pair walked back the way they had come. Tristan kept one eye on the map, stopping once they stood right next to Elijah's dot. He looked up. The secret room was visible from the walkway between the Courtyard and the Hangar. However, due to its height and lack of an obvious entrance, most people didn't notice it unless they were looking for it.

Tristan had been inside the room once. It resembled a conference room, with a large screen, a table, and some seating. Most importantly, he remembered that one of the windows had been open. It was this window that he was currently looking for. He pointed to it.

"We can hear everything they say."

"Nice!" said Rogue appreciatively, "One problem though. We're not that tall."

"Hmm… How would you feel about me standing on your shoulders?"

"Wildly enthusiastic," the Titan deadpanned.

With a bit of effort and some repositioning, Tristan managed to get onto the Exo's shoulders. Supporting himself with one hand against the wall, he slowly rose to his feet. Rogue gripped his ankles. It wouldn't help Tristan much if he lost his balance, but it did make him feel more secure.

On the Titan's shoulders, he stood just below the open window. Still, he was close enough to make out the voices of the people inside.

"-mean, we've been compromised? How?" someone was demanding.

Tristan recognized the smooth tones as belonging to one of the men he and Rogue had heard Elijah meet with before. Elijah spoke next, his voice carrying no small amount of nervousness.

"I don't know!" he said, "I was passing by the Drifter's spot when some random Titan grabbed me. He and this Warlock were asking about the Praxic file."

"Think the Drifter was working with them?" a gruff voice asked. If Tristan remembered correctly, it belonged to a man named Doug.

The man with the smooth voice disagreed, irritation sharpening his tone. "The Drifter wouldn't jeopardize his own dealings with the boss. We've kept him out of the loop on this one. Complications are the last thing we need." His voice grew more clipped. "Yet it looks like complications are what we're going to get. How much did those Guardians know?"

"I'm not sure," said Elijah hesitantly, "They seemed to know about the file being leaked. The Warlock implied that he knew I was working for someone."

"Anything else?" the other man demanded.

"Uh… Hayden! The Warlock mentioned him. He knows we're after him."

"Can they prove anything?" asked Doug.

"I don't know."

"Give us your best guess," the smooth voice threatened, "Your life hangs in the balance, after all? Or did you forget about our collateral?"

"N-no, I didn't." Elijah paused. "I don't think they have solid proof. I mean, not enough, at least. If they did, they wouldn't have questioned me."

"Good." The other man sounded satisfied. "That means we still have a chance to get out ahead of this. Unfortunate for such an unwelcome development to occur right before the trial, when everything was going our way… How do you want us to proceed, boss?"

There was a sudden intake of breath.

"H-he was listening?" stammered Elijah.

"Quiet," snapped the smooth voice.

He seemed to be listening intently to something that Tristan couldn't hear. The Warlock attempted to get closer but nearly lost his balance. Bracing against the wall, Tristan stilled his movements until the wobbling stopped.

"Understood," said the man, "You can count on us, boss." There was a soft beep.

"What's the word?" asked Doug, sounding faintly bored.

"Boss said there's no room for any more mistakes," said the smooth voice, "Joviac's being recalled to the secondary backup location."

"What? Why?" asked Elijah.

"To await further instructions," the man replied.

"Wasn't I supposed to stay in the Tower until the trial concludes?"

"Plans change. This plan changed when those snooping Guardians got wind of our business. Boss wants you out of the Tower tonight."

"What about you?" Elijah asked tentatively.

"Doug and I are going to pay Hayden a visit," the smooth voice said, "Got that, Doug?"

"Sounds good to me," said Doug nonchalantly.

"Good. Boss said we end this business with Hayden now. We've got the go-ahead to pull Hayden's card. Tonight."

This time, Tristan did lose his balance. In his shock, he stepped backward, only to find himself stepping into empty space. His back hit the ground with a thud, knocking the air out of him. Looking up at the window, he saw shadows flickering across it. Rogue hauled him up.

"What the hell was that about?" he demanded.

Tristan coughed. "I was right. They're going to eliminate Harley. Tonight."

"Fuck," said the Titan, "Let's get back to quarters. Fill me in on the way."

Tristan nodded and the two Guardians set off. They only had a narrow window of time to figure out how to stop the hitmen from murdering a Guardian right under the nose of the Praxic Order.

A/N: Things are about to get exciting.

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