"Is this it?" The huntress asked, looking up at the time gate. The structure was no doubt made by the Vex, circular in shape and thinner than a knife blade. The outer rim held together a rotating steam of light that closely resembled the waterspouts she often saw in the Cosmodrome during the Spring.
"Yes. This is where I entered the simulation and hopefully, where I'll be able to return." Saint stretched an open palm toward her. "Despite our rough first meeting, it's been a pleasure."
She smiled, grasping his hand. "Likewise. It was pretty cool getting to meet a legend in person."
He chuckled as his grip on her fingers squeezed. "Legend, huh..."
"So, any chance I could come with you sometime?"
His hand slid away from hers and he replaced his helmet, clicking the seals to lock. "Your place is here, in your own time, your presence in the past may change things here in the future."
"Ah." Frea's face dropped slightly. "Good point. Oh, by the way..." She brought out the shotgun she found in his tomb, its strange metal casing radiated in the light emitted by the time gate. "I believe this is yours."
Saint's head tilted slightly but he made no movement to take the gun. "I don't believe so. I've always been more of a rocket launcher fan myself," he said. Her brows knitted together in confusion as she put away the weapon. Maybe the shotgun was placed in his tomb after he died? But it clearly had the number 14 etched into the side. "Take care, little Hunter." The Titan's farewell snapped her back to the present. "I hope your future is as bright as mine."
"Thank you, Saint. Safe travels." She bowed her head slightly.
The Titan returned her nod before stepping into the swirling light of the portal. The energy inside shifted with his presence then once again returned to its natural state once his dark figure vanished. Frea bit her lip as she watched, the desire to satisfy her curiosity rising. Before her was a doorway to the past, hundreds of years before she woke up as a Guardian, where legends lost today are still alive and fighting. She wanted to see what the Tower was like when it was new, with shining marble walls and freshly painted railings. She wanted to meet the Iron Lords, and most of all...see Shaxx as one.
Without realizing it, her hand lifted toward the portal. The glow seemed to tug at her fingertips, beckoning with untold adventures on the other side.
"Stop!" A figure made of solar fire leapt between her and the Vex machine. Frea stumbled back, surprised by the sudden arrival, but quickly regained her footing and her senses when she realized it was another Osiris reflection.
She grumbled with annoyance. "You need to tell Osiris to stop harassing me with his magic. I'm getting tired of it." The huntress walked forward, expecting to pass right through the mirage as she had once done before, but it caught her by the shoulders. The energy around the reflection flickered and slowly diminished to reveal a very real, and very aggravated, Warlock.
"Frea." Letting her go, he glanced behind at the portal and then returned his attention back to her, a look of irritation and concern hung over his features. "What did I say about staying here for too long?"
"But Osiris...I just met..."
His hand lifted in her face, cutting her off. "We may have control of the Infinite Forest but the Vex's rules still thrive here, including their tricks. Anything could be a fake."
"I know what I saw," the huntress snapped. "And I'm not a child. Do not treat me like one."
"Compared to the Guardians who have been around for centuries, you always will be."
The comment made her eyes go wide and she whirled around, her cape smacking against the Warlock. She had planned to tell him everything about her meeting with Saint, maybe it would have given him closure after seeing the body in the simulate future, but now she didn't think he deserved it. "Then this child will be sure to stay out of your way next time you nearly die to another Vex creation."
His next words were lost to the wind as she sprinted for the Forest exit.
Frea jogged across the Tower's plaza toward the gunsmith's shop set up in one of the side corridors. It had been nearly three months since the Guardians and Vanguard finished settling in. They took an open area on top of the wall for the new Tower; positioned just below the old one both for convenience as they try to salvage whatever gear that survived the Red Legion attack, and as a reminder of those who lost their lives to get the City back.
"Hey Banshee," the huntress greeted as she arrived at his kiosk.
The grumpy Exo looked up from his work, his metal brow twitching with recognition. "Frea. I hope you're not bringing me a sword this time."
"Lucky you, I just need some parts!" She handed him a list she jotted down, hopefully it was everything she needed to fix the shotgun she found near Saint-14's body.
His glowing eyes skimmed over the paper and then slowly raised to meet hers. "These are some odd pieces. What are you fixing?"
"Just working a small project, nothing too crazy."
Banshee's face held his usual blank expression as he tossed a bag of parts over the counter to her. "Uh-huh. Make sure this one doesn't have the potential to kill you, alright?"
"I'll keep that in mind. Thanks." Trading the materials for Glimmer, she waved a goodbye before making her way toward the Crucible office.
A smile naturally eased over Frea's lips when she rounded the corner and saw Shaxx speaking to some rookie Guardians. Just recently they had a influx of new people, most likely brought on by the Traveler's awakening, and it's kept the Crucible handler very busy. Between her frequent bouts in the Infinite Forest and his training sessions, they rarely had free time to spend together these days. She still made an effort to visit him when she could, to recharge her batteries after a long day, but secretly she hoped things would quiet down around the Tower. At least for a week or two.
The Titan sensed her as she approached and looked up from his discussion, his hand rising to beckon her closer.
"Why don't you two run along now," he said to the Hunter and Warlock staring up at him. "Arcite doesn't appreciate tardiness."
The newbies scampered off toward the hanger, nearly bumping into Frea in their scramble. She watched them go and then turned back to Shaxx with a chuckle. "You didn't have to chase your adoring fans away so quickly."
"If I didn't then they were going to continue to talk my ear off for the next hour," he laughed. "Good afternoon, by the way."
"Good afternoon," she returned the greeting as she crossed the room and passed by the Titan, his head following her as she went. The new Crucible set up was less modest than the tiny, dinky office in the previous Tower. Scenes depicting in-progress matches lined one wall, while the rest of the area was open air and overlooked the City below. Shaxx often complained about the lack of privacy, but she could tell he enjoyed not being cooped up for once, she often caught him mindlessly staring out at the skyline.
"You're in a bad mood," he commented.
She sighed heavily. "It's been a long day."
"Oh yeah?" Shaxx crossed his arms. "Did you find Saint?"
The huntress dropped her satchel onto one of his desks, the scraps of metal and weapon parts clanged loudly inside. "We did. Unfortunately, he was dead."
"I'm not surprised."
She raised a brow. "How come?"
"A man like that doesn't just go missing for a few hundred years and then end up alive."
"That's kinda depressing," Frea said and stepped up to his side. "How are things here?"
"Quiet, or as quiet as they can be. We're still dealing with small groups of Red Legion, but they're no longer the power they used to be." His helmet tilted to look down at her. "How's the old man?"
The mention of Osiris soured her mood further. "I don't want to talk about it," she grumbled.
"That bad, huh?" He took hold of her hand when she adverted her eyes. "Maybe I can make it better?"
Frea's head moved back to the Titan with a smirk, a heat flickering in her gaze. "What do you have in mind?" In the next second, he pulled her into an empty alcove just to the side of the Crucible room. She hit the wall with a small gasp as his body pressed against hers, his visor burying into her hair.
"I've missed you," he whispered with a deep husk in his voice. His hands roamed up her thighs, his fingers moving in slow circles around her armor. It was the lightest of touches, enough to start the fire inside her but not satisfy.
"Not as much as I've missed you." Finding the locks around his neck, she took off his helmet and tossed her head back, his lips going to the soft skin along her jaw. He trailed hot kisses from her collar to her cheeks, at last landing on her lips when she impatiently yanked on his Titan sash. He briefly pulled away with a sly grin. "I hate it when you tease me," Frea complained, playfully patting his chestplate.
"It's hard not to when you look at me like that."
She smiled and cupped his face, leaning in for another kiss.
"Lord Shaxx? You here?"
They both jumped from the sudden interruption. Shaxx's head hung down with an annoyed groan as he reluctantly pulled his body away from her. He recognized the voice and so did Frea when her eyes widened slightly. "Is that Dex?" She asked in a quiet whisper.
"Hold that thought." Retrieving his helmet from her hands, he left the alcove to greet his guest. "I'm here. What do you want?" He snapped, not bothering to hid the agitation in his tone.
Dex flinched with the Crucible handler seemingly appeared out of nowhere, and in a very bad mood too. "I uh-was wondering if you happened to see Frea yet today? We haven't heard from her since leaving the Infinite Forest."
The Titan rested his hands on his hips. "Did something happen?"
Trying to not wilt under the piercing gaze, Dex fiddled with his sleeve. "Well...we ran into a problem and she got trapped. She said she was going to call us when she found her way out."
Shaxx could feel his blood start to boil. Why didn't she tell him this at all? "She came by earlier," he lied, using all his willpower to keep his voice calm. "Said something about working on her jumpship at the hanger."
"Oh, good." The Warlock laid a hand over his heart, obviously relieved. "Thank you."
Once he was gone, Frea emerged from the corner. "Shaxx, don't be mad."
"Mad?" He turned toward her. "Haven't I warned you about how dangerous the Infinite Forest is? Why didn't you tell me you got trapped?"
"So you wouldn't freak out like you are now!" She cried, raising her hands. "Everything turned out okay. I found Saint-14 and even this amazing shotgun." When she lifted the weapon off her back, something flashed over the Titan's eyes as he peered down at it. Was that...recognition?
"Don't go there anymore. You don't need to," he commanded.
"But..."
"Frea." He was almost yelling now. Using a tone she hadn't heard in a long time. He straightened when he realized what he had done and ran a hand over his hair, inhaling a steady breath before returning his gaze to hers. "As ranking Guardian, I order you to never enter the Forest again. Doesn't matter if Osiris needs you or not, you will not go there. Do you understand me?"
Frea's upper lip quivered as she returned his stare. Her knuckles turned white from her grip on the shotgun. "Yes...Sir."
A strained silence passed over them and he extended a hand to her shoulder. "Believe me, I'm not doing this without a good reason." She slapped his hand away and spun, grabbing her bag off the table. "Frea? Wait." The huntress didn't stop, her white cloak melted into the crowded plaza. Never turning to glance back at him.
Her head held in her hands, she forced down any tears that threatened to spill from her eyes. The soft glow of the Infinite forge casted a shadow over her face, the hum of it continuing as its beam scanned over the broken shotgun.
"I'm sure he didn't mean it," her Ghost murmured next to her ear. "Shaxx would never order you like that normally."
Frea sighed, wiping a gloved hand over her brow. "Exactly. He knows something. I'm more mad he won't tell me about it."
"You didn't tell him about getting trapped in Saint's tomb...or meeting Saint."
She shot a glare at the little bot. "Who's side are you on again?"
It hovered in the air like it was shrugging. "I'm just saying. Both of you are holding secrets and it's obviously affecting your relationship."
The forge signaled that it finished the repair cycle and at last the red hot beam turned off. She took the gun from the metal plate and ran her fingers over it. The nicks and dents were gone, the rattling inside fixed. It should shoot just like a brand new gun now. Hefting it against her shoulder, she tested the sights. "I want to know what's going on. And I think it has something to do with that portal Saint came through."
"Wait," her Ghost said, floating up to land on the barrel of the gun. "Both Shaxx and Osiris have warned you about going there, and yet you're still going to do it?"
Frea grinned. "I'm a Hunter. We don't listen to rules."
The search for the time gate was much shorter than she expected. In fact, she felt the same power that drew her in earlier pull on her through the entire Infinite Forest. Standing before it, she watched the waves of light inside spin in a slow circle. Such a simple looking thing, yet somehow it held the power to traverse time and reality. She glanced behind to ensure she wouldn't be stopped and then took a deep breath. No Osiris reflection to be seen. Perhaps he was busy with another simulation.
"Let's see if this is really just a fake, shall we?" Her hand went through first and she felt an odd tingling sensation creep over her body. Then the surface changed. The gentle pool of energy that was once calling to her reached out like claws and wrapped around her arms. She was yanked forward, her vision flashed blue and white, making her gut wretch like she was falling from Ghaul's command ship once again. In the next instant, the swirling stopped and she tumbled to the ground with a cough, her head spinning unpleasantly.
"Frea?! Are you alright?" Her Ghost appeared at her side.
"Yeah," she groaned. "Just a little nauseous."
"I imagine so. That trip isn't a pleasant one." The new voice made her raise her head, her mouth dropping when her eyes landed on the Exo casually sitting on a rock before her.
"Saint? Why are you still here?"
Giving her a helping hand up, he beckoned behind her. "I should be asking you that."
The huntress turned and her heart dropped just like her stomach had. The time gate she came through that was once brimming with energy was now void of all power. Only an empty, shadowed frame stood in front of her. She was stuck.