The flight to the peak didn't take long.

Harley watched as the terrain below them grew colder and more snow-covered. His hands passed over Cayde's cloak, sitting folded on his lap.

Ahead in the distance, he could see the mountain practically glowing in the sun's light.

"We'll set down in Vostok," said Kaedro, "That'll give us a chance to make sure there aren't any prying eyes around."

"What's Vostok?" asked Harley.

"It's the abandoned Golden Age observatory," the Exo explained, "It's connected to the Iron Temple. Shaxx sometimes hosts Crucible matches there." Harley nodded. "Obviously, there's not a match there right now," Kaedro joked, "Wouldn't wanna drop down and get you killed while Prism's restrained. It'll be a safe enough landing."

Harley hoped he was right. He saw the structures on the peak grow nearer as Kaedro brought the Javelin in to hover over a clear patch of ground.

"Won't be setting the ship down here," said the Exo, "Not enough room, and I wouldn't want it out in the open in a Crucible arena... Standby."

In a flash, the two Guardians were transmatted down. Harley shivered as the cold air cut through his armor. He looked around. The place had clearly seen some hard times since the Golden Age. The structures were weatherbeaten and rusty.

He followed Kaedro through the area, listening to the howling of the wind across the mountain. The sun was more light than heat, reflecting off the crystalline snow to glare into his eyes. Harley saw puffs of steam as Kaedro exhaled.

"This way." The Exo gestured across a wooden bridge.

As they stepped onto it, Harley tightened his grip on Prism, keeping his eyes on the end of the bridge. On the other side, he saw concrete walls and walkways. Stone columns were built into the mountainside, guarding the Temple's entrance. A pair of wolf statues sat like sentries atop pedestals on either side of the bridge's end. Harley could see a number of flags and banners fluttering in the cold wind.

As they drew closer, he saw a great fire pit in the middle of the courtyard. Bordered in stone, the fire leaped and snapped, wafting the scent of woodsmoke across the space.

Kaedro gestured to the left upon clearing the wolf statues. "Over here."

Harley rounded the corner to find an Exo leaning against a stack of crates, his back facing the wild snow-covered land of the Cosmodrome. His cloak was the color of the summer sun - a patchwork of Fallen banners.

He pushed himself up off of the crates at their approach, an easy motion with an air of repetitiveness. "Kay!' he called out, his mouth lights flashing as bright as his voice.

"Hey, Shiro!" Kaedro replied with just as much enthusiasm.

Harley watched as the two Hunters hugged. So that was Shiro-4. He'd heard the Exo mentioned before but this was his first time actually seeing him. Shiro's eyes glowed a bright cyan. His armor was all dark colors, in contrast to his cloak.

"It's been a while," the other Exo said.

Kaedro nodded. "Yeah. I've been meanin' to stop by, but you know how things happen..."

Shiro nodded. "I do… So what brings you?"

Kaedro gestured at Harley. Shiro turned. His gaze darted from the Ace of Spades at Harley's hip to the cloak Harley was holding and his eyes widened. "So this…" he stopped himself, "Apologies. Nearly forgot my manners... You must be Harley Hayden."

Harley's eyebrows shot up. He was sure he'd never met Shiro. How did the Exo know his name? He was so caught off-guard that he nearly missed how Shiro was holding his hand out for a handshake.

He shook the Exo's hand. "I… yeah, that's me," he managed, "You must be Shiro."

Shiro nodded. "Shiro-4 at your service," he said, giving a slight half-bow. "Cayde's told me quite a bit about you," he admitted.

Harley tried to stop himself from wincing at Cayde's name but he guessed he hadn't entirely succeeded, judging by Shiro's sympathetic expression.

"That reminds me," said Kaedro, "I have a lot to fill you in on."

Shiro spread his hands. "I'm all ears…"

Harley shifted slightly, testing to see if his feet were actually losing feeling or if he was just imagining it. They were starting to feel a bit numb.

Shiro's voice interrupted his thoughts. "You can stand over there if you want," he said kindly, motioning towards the fire pit. Harley shot him a questioning look. "You're shivering," the Exo pointed out.

Harley glanced at his hands. They were trembling. How long had that been going on?

"Thanks," he said before turning away from the Hunters to cross to the center of the courtyard where the firepit sat.

Kaedro watched Harley walk away. Shiro was right. He had looked a bit cold.

He directed his attention back to his longtime friend, who also seemed to be looking at Harley.

"Tell me something," he said, his attention shifting to Kaedro, "Is he really Cayde's son?"

Kaedro nodded. "Heard it from the man himself," he said.

Shiro chuckled. "So did I, but it was still hard to believe. I mean, the odds of that happening must be one in a billion. But now that I've seen him… he does kind of remind me of Cayde, you know? In subtle ways."

Kaedro nodded. "I know what you mean..."

"Would it make any sense if I said he looks like him?" asked Shiro with a slight laugh, "I mean, Light knows Exos can't speak on physical resemblance but… he sort of stands like Cayde did. You know?"

"I get what you're saying," said Kaedro. He met the other Exo's eyes. "How did you handle it?" he asked quietly, "I mean… it was all pretty recent."

"Oh you know… one day at a time," Shiro joked humorlessly, "Another Hunter Vanguard bites the dust."

Kaedro snorted. "Andal would've laughed his ass off."

That time Shiro's laugh was real. "Oh definitely. The irony…"

Kaedro let his smile linger for a moment. "You know they're looking for a new HV, right? Your name's come up a lot, from what I heard."

"I'm flattered," said Shiro dryly, "but I'm afraid I'll have to politely decline. That job was the death of Andal and now Cayde. If that isn't a cautionary tale, then I don't know what is… Besides, I'm sure your name's come up just as much."

"I sure hope not," said Kaedro, "That gig's no good for me." He had no interest in spending all of his time tethered to the Tower instead of being out in the field.

Shiro nodded. "Yeah. I figured 'no risk, no reward' wasn't your style." He shrugged. "I suppose they'll just have to figure it out without us."

Kaedro nodded emphatically. "You got that right… Actually, I wanted to tell you why I haven't been around much. Know about Ace's little trip through the Reef?"

Shiro shot him a look. "I'd have to be living under a rock not to."

"Or on top of one... Anyway, Baz and I went out there to bring him back." Kaedro sighed. "We were just a little late about it."

Shiro let out a low whistle. "So the kid took it pretty hard, huh?"

"That's putting it mildly. You should've seen him, Shi. Actually, I'm glad you didn't. We just got back a month or so ago. I've been out in the Cosmodrome but I heard things got bad. Brought him up here to hide out for a bit. Turns out he has some pretty serious people after him."

Shiro nodded. "I saw the Praxic band on his Ghost."

He looked past Kaedro's shoulder. Kaedro turned slightly, following his gaze to Harley.

The Hunter was standing extremely close to the firepit. In fact, he was practically standing in the fire. Yet he still stood slightly curled inward, as though he was still cold.

"What Light does he use?" Shiro asked.

"Solar," answered Kaedro, "Well, he used to use Arc but he's pretty much entirely Solar now."A situation that he was nowhere close to understanding but one that he'd accepted.

"Hmm… Doesn't it worry you?"

Kaedro heard the frown in his voice and turned back to face him. "Does what worry me?"

Shiro nodded towards Harley. "Him. If he uses Solar, he shouldn't be that cold... You used to be Solar. You know."

Kaedro nodded. He'd specialized in Solar Light for most of his existence since he'd first learned what the Light was. He'd only become Void when he'd taken the Light from Tevis' bow.

He realized that Shiro was right. Solar Hunters usually ran hot.

"Is he ok?" Shiro asked, sounding concerned.

Kaedro sighed. "Buddy, I don't know if that kid's ever been ok… But I mean, his Light's suppressed on account of that Praxic tech, right? Couldn't that have something to do with it?"

Shiro echoed his sigh. "Well, I'm sure it isn't helping matters." He cast another glance in Harley's direction. "Let me go find my tools... I might be able to do something about the suppression tech. Grab the kid and meet me in my workspace."

Kaedro nodded. As Shiro walked off, he turned to cross over to where Harley was still standing. A pebble skittered away from his boot and the other Hunter gave a slight jump.

"Hey," greeted Kaedro, "Shiro's gonna try to do something about the restraining band. C'mon."

Harley's demeanor seemed to perk up slightly as he followed Kaedro to Shiro's workspace.

Though Kaedro had never seen the place before, he wasn't surprised. Most Hunters had a go-to place that was tucked away from prying eyes. He'd only been to the Iron Temple a couple of times - both long ago - but he walked with confidence in his stride.

He was able to locate the place in just a few minutes, drawing upon his experience as a Hunter and the years he'd spent working with Shiro.

The other Exo was sitting at a small table when they entered, looking over a set of small tools. "Welcome," he greeted them brightly.

Kaedro looked around the small room. There was a lot of Fallen stuff decorating the space. Trophies, probably.

Shiro put down his tools and got up to move the chair across from his out. He gestured to it. "Have a seat."

"Thanks," said Harley a bit uncertainly as he crossed to sit down.

Shiro sat back down in his own chair. "Sorry, Kay, I only have the one." Kaedro gave an overexaggerated groan.

"You can sit here?" Harley offered.

Kaedro waved him off. "Nah, it's fine. I was planning to stand anyway… What's the word, Shi?"

"I've come across Praxic tech before," said Shiro, "This'll be my first time tampering with it, but I have a good feeling about it. Unfortunately…" he directed the last part at Harley, "I'll have to hold your Ghost." The Exo sounded apologetic, "I know how difficult it is to let someone else handle your Ghost, especially someone you just met, but it's the only way I can remove the band."

Harley bit his lip, considering the situation.

Eventually, he passed Prism over.

Shiro nodded at him before turning his attention to the Ghost, inspecting the band. "I think I have a good chance of getting this off. The problem will be not tripping any sensors... Suzume, would you monitor the band's activity for me?"

"Of course," a female voice replied as Shiro's Ghost blinked into existence at his side.

She emitted a beam, playing it over Prism's shell as Shiro got to work.

Kaedro watched his friend's movements. The other Exo behaved as though the Ghost was made of glass, explaining the process as he began to fiddle with the restraining band.

Prism was very professional about it. Of course, most Ghosts had to have maintenance performed once in a while due to the damage their shells sustained while they were searching the wilds. She'd also been around a great deal longer than her Guardian, so there was a good chance she'd already known who Shiro was.

Harley, on the other hand, seemed to be having a bit more trouble. The Hunter was perched on the edge of his seat, eyes fixated on Prism. His hands clutched Cayde's cloak. This time Kaedro was pretty sure the trembling wasn't related to the cold.

"Hang in there, Ace," he said reassuringly, "Shiro knows what he's doing."

Shiro nodded, a look of intense focus on his face. Kaedro watched with admiration. He'd forgotten how good Shiro was at that sort of thing. He told him so.

The other Exo laughed, pausing in his work. "You seem to have forgotten about Trespasser."

Kaedro chuckled as the Hunter resumed his task. Trespasser was Shiro's sidearm. He had built it himself, kitbashing it from whatever he came across in the wild.

The minutes crawled by as Shiro worked away at the band. Kaedro found himself starting to shift his weight more often. He wondered idly at the need he felt to do so. Machines didn't get tired, so it was clearly something Clovis Bray had added in an effort to make Exos feel and appear more human.

Finally, there was a small clattering sound.

Kaedro looked up to see that the restraining band was now lying on the table. Prism was circling through the air, doing little flips and spinning her shell, obviously happy to be free. Harley had slumped back in his chair, looking relieved.

"Thank you so much!" Prism told Shiro.

The Exo beamed. "My pleasure," he said. He looked at Harley. "Feel any better?"

Harley frowned, his head tilting slightly. "I'm not sure," he said slowly, "I don't really feel any different…"

"I'm so glad I can heal you again," Prism told her Guardian, "I was worried that something would happen to you while we were staying in the City."

Harley didn't reply. The Hunter was busy staring at his own hands. "I don't feel any different," he said in frustration, "My connection to the Light is still being blocked. Removing the band wasn't enough."

"What's blocking it?' asked Kaedro curiously.

Harley showed them his wrists. Encircled around each was a metal band; they weren't thick enough that they couldn't be hidden under sleeves but they still looked restricting.

Kaedro touched one. The metal was cold and hummed slightly, likely imbued with some kind of charge.

"Leave it to the Praxic Order to think of something like this," commented Shiro grimly.

"Yeah," agreed Kaedro. He looked at the other Exo. "Think you can get them off like you did with the other one?"

Shiro grimaced. "I can try," he said, "I'd seen the Ghost bands before, though. These are new."

He gestured for Harley to move closer. The other Hunter complied, leaning forward and extending one of his wrists to Shiro.

Shiro examined the band, frowning. Selecting one of his tools, he began to work on it. He was only a minute or so in when there was a sharp 'bzzzt' sound. Harley flinched, nearly wrenching his wrist away.

Shiro made a frustrated noise. "These are different than the Ghost restraint," he said, "They work differently. If I had more time to study them, I might be able to crack it…" He gave Harley a sympathetic look. "As it is is, there is no other option short of cutting your hands off." Kaedro couldn't blame Harley for turning pale at the statement. "Assuming you don't want to try that, I could have Suzume run a deep scan of the bands and figure out how to remove them that way."

Harley considered that for a moment before nodding. "I think I prefer that option," he said with a faint smile.

Shrio nodded. "Hold still."

Harley did as the Exo said, waiting as Shiro's Ghost conducted the scan.

"Alright," said Shiro when she was finished, "I'll start looking at the scans to see if I can do anything about the bands."

Harley nodded again. "Thank you."

"Anytime," said Shiro warmly, "Though I really hope this won't be a repeat situation."

Kaedro watched as his friend got out a Holopad to pull up the scans Suzume had taken of the restraining bands. He was confident in Shiro's abilities. He knew the Exo could get to the bottom of it. It was just a matter of time.

As his gaze drifted over to Harley, a memory struggled free from the tangled labyrinth of his mind. He snapped his fingers. "Ace, didn't you want me to help you with Solar Light?"

Harley looked at him curiously. "I did… but I'd probably have to be able to use the Light to benefit from that," he said ruefully.

"Shit, you're right," said Kaedro.

"You're going to give him pointers? Do you even remember how to use Solar Light?" Shiro teased, his eyes still focused on the Holopad's contents.

Kaedro gave him a light shove. "I only became Void recently, Shi. That doesn't erase hundreds of years of using Solar. Believe me, I've still got moves."

"I'm sure you do," Shiro muttered with an edge of sarcasm.

Before Kaedro could decide how offended he should act, Harley chimed in. "I didn't know you've been around so long, Kay."

Shiro laughed. "Yep, he's an old man."

"You're not so young yourself," Kaedro shot back. He returned his attention to Harley. "Yeah, I've been around a bit. Stopped counting the years but I could probably figure out how long if I bothered to try."

Harley nodded at that, looking a bit thoughtful as a lull settled into the conversation as Shiro kept up his scrutiny of the bands' designs.

Kaedro caught Harley yawning. "Why dontcha get some sleep, Ace?" he suggested.

Shiro glanced up. "There's a room down the hall," he said, gesturing towards the doorway, "You're welcome to use it."

Harley looked like he was about to protest. "Look, I-"

"You're going,' said Prism decisively, "You need sleep. Are you going to get up or am I going to have to transmat you?"

Harley sighed in defeat, getting up off of the chair as his Ghost stored Cayde's cloak away for him. Kaedro tried not to laugh at the other Hunter's dejected walk out of the room. Literally dragging his feet.

Once Harley had left, Kaedro stole his chair, kicking his legs up to rest on the table.

As he sat with his friend, his mind began to drift back to what he called 'the good old days.' He called them that as a joke because, for Guardians and humanity as a whole, they were bad times.

Warlords and Iron Lords had fought battles that tore across the land. The City had been little more than an idea. Days were dark and deeds were darker.

But they also began to find each other. During the battle of Six Fronts, newly forged friendships were put to the test.

Afterward, their crew began to really take shape. What a tight-knit group they'd been.

Now only Shiro and himself remained.

"Don't think too hard or you might bust a circuit," Shiro joked, snapping Kaedro back to the present. "...What were you thinking about, anyway?"

"Oh, y'know. Just… old times."

Shiro nodded, looking solemn for a moment. Then he brightened a bit. "I found something that I'd like to try," he said, gesturing to his Holopad, "I hate to disturb Ace, but I'd rather try this now before I spend hours pouring over these scans. Do you think he'll mind if we wake him up?"

Kaedro snorted, rising from his seat. "I doubt he's even asleep yet," he remarked.

The two Exos left the workspace and traveled down a somewhat narrow hallway.

As they neared the doorway to the room Shiro had offered, blocked off by nothing more than a curtain, Kaedro called out to Harley. "Hey, kid, you still up?! Shiro's got something he wants to try with those bands."

There was no response. Maybe Harley was asleep after all, though Kaedro had always known him to be a light sleeper. Most Hunters were.

He pushed aside the curtain and stepped into the room to address Harley again, only to stop in his tracks.

There was no one lying on the cot.

The Hunter was gone.

A/N: Another early chapter because I won't be able to upload over the weekend. I'm glad I got to bring Shiro into the story since he hasn't made another appearance in the game yet. Hope you enjoyed!