We interrupt this chapter of Destiny: Skyfall for some announcements! First off, I'd like to congratulate everyone who were fortunate to stumble onto my latest piece for reaching 606 views (as of 12/27/15, 10:19 AM Pacific time) and it's rising faster than I originally thought it would get! Thank you guys so much for all of this! This wouldn't be much of an accomplishment to many fanfics on the site, but it's a milestone for me ever since I posted Reloaded which has acquired only 7.1% of the total views from Destiny: Skyfall (yikes, that's…a little harsh. Then again, maybe it's because I didn't update for 10 months or that's how all remakes are…).

As a way of saying 'thank you' to all you guys, I figured that I would make this chapter a (unfortunately) late Christmas/Holiday present from me to all of you guys for all the support! This will be the last chapter I'll make in 2015, but there will be more coming when the New Year rolls in for us!

Okay, I know that this chapter won't continue off from the last one where Spectre and Reaper would go on a date, but at least I have something for you guys! An entire chapter dedicated to the shenanigans of one of the funniest, most awesome shows on Youtube: Red vs. Blue! *Cough cough* Majority of chapter is based on an episode from Season 5. *cough cough*

Enough chitchat, let's jump into it and see what a normal (well, not entirely 'normal' today) day in Fireteam Nero Bianco's shoes works out!

Also, just to get a feeling to the vibe/theme I see in Destiny: Skyfall, I recommend listening to "Writing's on the Wall" by Sam Smith (Yeah, I know it was used for the recent Bond film, but I felt like it also fit in what's going on in Destiny: Skyfall as well. Since, as I will mildly admit, Spectre has a tiny bit of Daniel Craig's interpretation of 007 in him in terms of how both of them get to the point of their missions. Also, no spoilers from the film, as I haven't seen it.). Well, either "Writing's on the Wall" or "New Divide" by Linkin Park after reading this chapter. Your pick.

Rant for the game: Honestly, I like it better when Titans have their handcannons holstered like Hunters and not on the lower of their backs. Heh, I also realized that I made Spectre holster his Skyfall before the December 8 update was implemented to the game. Foreshadowing at the time then? Or just pure coincidence? Also, as I've been playing Destiny since it came out last year, I'm biased between both voices for the Ghost. Honestly, I like Nolan North's interpretation (since it gives me a feeling similar to Wheatley from Portal 2), but Peter Dinklage gives me a nostalgic feeling now that I look back at Destiny and how far it came since 2014 to now. I wish there was a setting that changes between both voice actors…

I do not own Amelia, Firewing, Triton, Hurricane and Lucks. They are created by The Crimson Commando.

Chapter VI: Lightning in the Solar Storm


A warm breeze brushed by Spectre's face, the setting sun clear as day upon the untamed wilderness of an unknown area on Earth. For a fact, this area was not the Russian Cosmodrome. It was somewhere else. Somewhere in the European Dead Zone.

Again… This damned dream again!

And damned it was. Here, the Sunbreaker is in no control of himself. He never wanted to witness this again. This is what haunted him down to his very core. It was a scar that he would never forget, nor try to erase it from his memories.

But why? Why is it happening now?!

There he stood, in the wasteland-like wilderness, with an iconic English clocktower in the far distance, and with it, a city. Before him was a Huntress, kneeling down in a pained and defeated motive. Her helmet was gone, next to her side and it was clear that Spectre could see the face even as the sun began to set. It was just like Reaper's face in terms of how beautifully defined it was, but this one had black hair and that it was ruined by black veins running all over her face like she was corrupted by something. Another disturbing thing was her eyes. It was the same color when he was hallucinating back when he slayed the Echo.

A sinister gold.

No, not again! NOT AGAIN!

But his pleas to make whatever force is forcing him to relive this continued to torture the leader of the Ancient Vanguard. A ghost that forced him to relive it stood at the sidelines invisible, silently cackling as it enjoyed the agony and torture that the Titan was facing. This invisible ghost was the one pulling the strings, reenacting his dreaded memories.

No!

Unable to control himself in this nightmare, Spectre took out the First Curse from his hip holster and aimed it at the Huntress's face. As though she sensed it, she looked upwards, further causing the knife to carve deeper than normal. Even if those golden eyes were lifeless or emotionless, he knew that underneath that veil was denial. They pleaded him not to kill her, not even in this state she's in. And at this point, he agreed with what her eyes were pleading him.

"Don't…" she rasped, her voice clearly strained as though she had been screaming continuously for the past few hours. "Please… Don't do it." Tears began to fall from her gold-colored eyes, and it hurt the Sunbreaker even further.

Spectre knew at this point he had said something back to the Huntress, but in this nightmare, it was muted. He raised the counterpart of the Last Word and aimed the barrel towards the Huntress's head. He cocked the hammer of the handcannon back, readying the round. If the Titan wanted to get out of this nightmare, it was too late. He's going to suffer the one part of this dreaded memory once more.

"I'm sorry." The Spectre in this memory apologetically said, and the Huntress closed her eyes.

NO!

Bang!


The Titan awoke to a startle, springing up in his bed in his Fireteam's quarters. Sweat beaded across his forehead and his breathing became rather heavy, forcing him to press a palm to his forehead. A stinging feeling surged in his forehead, and he continued to hold his hand to his head. Dammit… Why now out of all the times it could've done it? Better yet, why did it bother to even make me suffer again!? He sat at the edge of his bed after assessing what just happened, his breathing regulating as time passed. The pain faded away, and the Sunbreaker looked at his hand. Is there nothing I can do to forget it all? The same blood that was on his face after the fight with the Echo of Oryx transferred to his hand, and for once, he didn't bother shaking it off. Even if it was a hallucination.

How can I live with this? Not even two years, and it haunts me to no end. No matter what I do to run from it, it always drags me back to my own hell. His blue-gray eyes, darker than normal, focused their gaze on a shape resting on the bedside table. There's a million shards of glass, and it still haunts me from my past. He got out of bed and stood before his bedside table, staring at it both hatefully and regretfully.

Because sitting on the bedside was a handcannon.

The First Curse. Stained with blood along the barrel just like Red Death. Her blood.

Spectre wanted to throw the handcannon out of his quarter's window or throw it into the icy waters of where he killed her, but that handcannon was the only thing left that has been imprinted with a memory of her. A memory that he never wanted to remember.

How do I live? How do I breathe? When you're not here, I'm suffocating in my own regrets. I just want to feel love run through my blood…but I'll never be that way because I killed you. Reluctantly, he picked up the First Curse, his hand brushing against the blood-stained frame like the gun was a lover's hand.

"I know you would never forgive me," he mourned, hand around the grip moving away to reveal an emblem printed on it. A wolf's head similar to the emblem on Skyfall's frame, but with a Hunter's knife in its mouth and the same knives on the sides of the head. Her insignia.

"Is that why I'm being punished with these nightmares of that day…? Vesper?"

-Destiny-

"To start sending a message, please start─"

"I HATE YOU!" A Hunter roared irritatingly in front of his Ghost, Sundial, scaring it and forcing it to send a message. "Melia, its Firewing. When are you─?"

"Sorry Firewing, but Amelia's not taking messages at this time of the day." The other Ghost on the other end of the comms channel, Phoenix, informed, forcing the cyborg Hunter to enter a frustrated groan before the comms channel closed.

"Ugh, I'm gonna kill that Ghost, I'm gonna kill that Ghost."

"Dude, just chill out. I mean, you and Amelia's been going after each other for a while, but pushing it today? Not cool." An Exo Titan, Lucks, answered. As much as Firewing was a member of Fireteam Death, including Lucks and another Exo─a Warlock, unfortunately─ everyone's gotta have their problems.

"Lucks, I got some word from her that an unknown ship's been spotted headed towards the City from the outer reaches of the Reef. Tri's busy getting the Twilight House set up, and I seriously don't think that both we and Amelia can investigate it without our ships being blown up to pieces!"

"Why not ask Spectre and his team? They've done stuff like that before."

The Hunter facepalmed. "Lucks, did you not hear? All ships can't go past Earth's orbit without a good reason─aside from patrols and bounties─, and Spectre's team isn't excluded this time because of what Cayde made him do yesterday!"

"Uh, Firewing?"

"What?!" The Exo pointed behind the human, and said Hunter turned around at the sound of several ships headed towards the Tower. He saw Amelia's Quite Content Damsel with the Jade Rabbit insignia imprinted on its middle fin. "Oh, there she is."

Another ship was behind Amelia's ship. A silver and black Draught of Nectar, with a multitude of weapons that made it more of an attack-class ship rather than its original purpose. The Guardians in the plaza caught sight of the intimidating ship and they all immediately raised their weapons as the ship positioned itself over the grass instead of docking in the hangar, letting the pylons attach themselves to anchor itself and remain hovering over the plaza.

"Fireteam Nero Bianco, please report to the hangar bay immediately."

Wait, what? The two members of Fireteam Death watched as Spectre, Rez and Silver walked from the Hall of Guardians towards the hangar, walking normally as though nothing was wrong. Well, Firewing supposed that was because of some other reason unlike the time Death was caught working with the House of Winter a while ago.

As sudden as this turn of events were, the Guardians in the area re-holstered their weapons and began to talk with others nearby, wondering why the elite of the Vanguard's Fireteams were called to the hangar. And that included Lucks and Firewing.

"What was that all about?"

The Exo shrugged. "Beats me. Haven't seen Nero Bianco get into trouble since… Well, never."

"It couldn't get any worse than what we had to go through! Who knows what could be on that ship?! It could be Cabal that commandeered a Guardian's ship, or maybe Fallen! Maybe it could be a decoy that has been rigged to blow up! Or─"


"Spectre's sister?!"

"Is that a problem, Hunter?" the sister of Nero Bianco's leader coldly questioned, cracking her knuckles in the case that she needs to teach someone some manners. She faced the Sunbreaker, a faint smile on her lips under her helmet. "Spectre. It's good to see you again."

"Seeing as it's been, what? Nine years since I last saw you?" (A/N: Humans' lifespan in Destiny is tripled due to the Golden Age, and Spectre is physically 23-24, meaning he's 69-72 years old due to the Golden Age).

"And you weren't always in black armor, last I remember. Had a habit of using red and black shaders," she reached for her helmet and removed it, revealing long blonde hair in a shade similar to Spectre's with red tips as well as a lighter shade of blue eyes. "And with those years, you must have improved greatly."

The Sunbreaker scoffed. "Seeing as you were always in the Trials nonstop since the day you left and never came back, it's no surprise that I did, Light. Plus, how the hell did you find me?!"

"There's only one place most Guardians would be mostly found. Plus, I had Artemis follow Primus's scan signatures."

"Explains the armor," muttered Rez, to which he earned a death stare from Spectre's sister. "I always knew that there was a silver of a chance that Spectre had some relatives, but I held on to the hope that he was the byproduct of a Pre-Golden Age military program that turned their test subjects into unstoppable soldiers!" (A/N: Cough cough *another famous franchise by Bungie reference* cough cough)

The next thing he knew, the new Titan and his commander in both the Fireteam and Ancient Vanguard punched him in the face at the same time, sending the Hunter into a Sparrow power core. It exploded on his impact, throwing him out of the hangar and down the cliff where the Tower rested.

"Son of a biiiiiiitch!" the three hear the Hunter call out as he plummeted down and his Ghost, Church, appeared before them as a blue orb.

"Guardian down." He muttered, delaying the respawn time for his partner to return because of apparently insulting Spectre in front of his sister.

"I'll deal with him, Spectre. Gotta let you and your sister catch up," Silver walked over to where Church was hovering and brought Rez back.

"You son of a bitch! I'm gonna─!" before Rez could go up to the Titans, he was held back by the Warlock and Spectre held his sister back before things could get out of hand.

"Sis, calm down!"

"I'll rip that godforsaken throat of yours out! Then your eyeballs and force you to eat them while you're being ripped in half by my sword, you Hunter piece of shit! And if you're still breathing after I rip you in half, I'll rip your head off and put it on a pike for all the Hunters to see!"

"Then come at me, she-hulk!" just as Rez delivered the most insulting blow that further angered the female Titan, the Exo holding back the human Hunter freed one of his hands from holding him back and ignited an Arc-infused force ignite. He placed a hand around the back of Rez's neck before he electrocuted him, shocking the Hunter to the degree that he was knocked out from being electrocuted.

"Sorry Rez, but you're being too much of an ass right now," apologized the Warlock, looking back at the Titans. "I'll take him back to the quarters, hopefully stop him from being an ass for the day." He began to carry the unconscious Hunter on his shoulder and walked out the hangar, ignoring the looks of the other Guardians that saw the Warlock carrying a Hunter.

"You realize that was a prototype Sparrow power core, you two." Amanda Holliday walked in on the Titans, hands on her hips and a mildly pissed off look on her face. "I was building that thing, and look what you two did! You blew it up!"

"Relax, Amanda. That wasn't a stable one. Plus, I know the blueprints to replace it. I'm not known for adding Exotic perks to Legendary armor for nothing."

"Stable? That power core was sensitive to impacts because of its current stage!" Holliday darted a dark glare at the Sunbreaker, to which he was somewhat intimidated. "You owe me big time, otherwise I'll have to talk to Hurricane to do it for me."

"I know. Just let me go back to my workshop and I'll rebuild one for you."

Light raised an eyebrow. "Wait, you have a Sparrow workshop?"

"Well, not exactly for Sparrows. How do you think I implemented Exotic perks to my Legendary armor?"

"…Good point."

"It better, since I need the engine for the new Sparrows for the Racing League. I have the new EV-class Sparrows to get on the track for test runs before I start rolling them out."

"Give me at least an hour. I'll bring a stable one for tests by then. If it's successful, then I'll send over the details to make copies of it." He began to walk away, gesturing his sister to follow him as they head over to his workshop.


"So this is it."

"Honestly, it's not on par with what we had before. But this is the Tower," Spectre began working on replacing the destroyed power core that Amanda intended to test before the SRL starts, Primus materializing and creating a replicated power core that he unintentionally destroyed. "No wonder it was unstable. The power conduit's energy output configuration is all wrong, which would explain why the energy is too much for it to handle. Just what is Amanda trying to do? Make more Overdrive Sparrows?"

"I don't think that would be the case. According to the roster of new Sparrows for SRL, there are going to be Destabilizer and Normal Sparrows. No sign of Overdrive Sparrows anywhere on it."

Spectre cracked his knuckles. "Primus, tell Amanda that I'll be sending over a power core for the Normal and Destabilizer Sparrows to test within 30 minutes."

"Already did."

Spectre's sister watched as her brother began to work on the power core, sparks flying and the constant whirring of power measurers informing the Sunbreaker whether it was stable or not. She stood near the doorframe, back resting against it and arms crossed. "Do you know why I'm here, really?"

"Let me guess; involves a new threat to our System, leader of said threat is the father of a Hive god, and said father is after a specific Fireteam that put down his son on the Moon?"

"I'd say you got it right. But its not just the Taken that's the problem here."

"What else do we need to worry about? Vex? The Fallen? Or is it Triton and that new House he founded?"

"It's the Cyphers." His sister informed.

Spectre stopped what he was doing and put the tools down, a look crossing both hate and feeling grim on his face. "What do they want?"

"They want to know what's the progress on the mission."

"I've told them months ago, it's not the time yet. Who knows how long it will take until the time comes?" he picked up his tools again and started adjusting the conduits in the core, ensuring that they can withstand the amount of power the Sparrows need to be used time and time again. "Because if it were up to me, I'd tell them that the mission should be completed when the Light has its back against the wall."

"By then, it would be too late."

"Then how would they react when our mission's directive just before it happens? Surely by then they would turn on us."

"A good point, indeed," she unfolded her arms and took out a sidearm from her hip holster, inspecting the weapon like it was an entirely alien object. From her Mark, she drew out a knife and started spinning it around her hand before entering a CQC stance with her sidearm and knife. After checking the sights to see if they were in perfect sync, she put away both her knife and sidearm. "…How are you holding up, Spectre?"

Spectre stopped working on reconfiguring the power core's conduits as soon as he heard the question, putting down the tools meant for readjusting the conduits. The nightmares of that day began to flash in his head, forcing him to shake his head to get rid of it. Looking at his Ghost, he nodded for Primus to continue working on the power core's energy output as he turned in his chair and faced his sister, exhaling heavily. "You well know the answer to that question, Lightning."

"I thought by now you would've gotten over it."

"No. You had no idea how much I tried to let go of it, but the nightmares of that day still haven't let go of me. Even if it has been two years since."

Lightning frowned. "I know how much she meant to you. You two were perfect for each other, and then…"

"Shit hit the fan hard."

"You can't keep blaming the Cyphers for─"

"The hell with the Cyphers!" he sprang up from his chair, anger boiling over at their mention. "Do you have any idea how much I hate them for forcing my hand?! Even if they tasked me with an important mission like a week after I killed her? A mission which I'm still doing to this day?!"

"…Is there really no way to bring you back? Back to the brother I once knew before I left?"

As much as he felt guilty for what's going on with him since Lightning left for the Trials, he knew the answer to her question. "Not entirely. There is some of the old me, but only a shard out of the millions that once defined me. Everything else has been shattered, gone since Vesper's death. And there's no way to bring those destroyed pieces back." He faced his sister, someone he once knew was just like a gender-bent clone of himself before they parted ways.

"But all in all, it's good to see you again."

"Agreed, brother."


Well, who would've expected a new character to join the fray?! And from me, no less! No one? Meh, okay then.

So, who are these 'Cyphers'? Are they connected to the Vanguard and the City? I'll leave it up to your interpretation. But know this: once there's a real answer to the Cyphers, will you realize who they are and what significance they have before they are revealed?

Here's Spectre's sister's profile:

Lightning:

Main Subclass: Story-exclusive, modified Striker that combines Arc and Solar elements 'Sunstriker' (Talent Nodes used: Solarstorm Grenade (Combines Incendiary Grenade from Sunbreakers with Arcbolt and Pulse Grenades from Stormcallers and Strikers); Balanced Lift (Lift, provides a balance between Increased Height, Increased Control, and Catapult); Infernal Punishment (Super, combines Death from Above and Aftermath from Striker with the bigger explosions effect of Forgemaster from Sunbreaker); Arcburn Strike (Solar/Arc combined melee with Discharge effect from Striker and Stoke the Forge's insta-cooldown effect from Sunbreaker); Titan Codex III; Explosive Shock (Combines Explosive Pyre's 'exploding, chaining damage to enemies' effect with Aftershocks and Transfusion); Titan Codex V; Divine Sunstriker (normally regenerates health with every enemy brought down by the Solar/Arc fusion-based abilities, but also causes grenade and melee abilities to recharge faster in a stackable effect up to 3 times)

Primary Weapon: Self-built Auto Rifle 'Empress of the Abyss' (story exclusive, treated as an Exotic weapon; follows a similar upgrade path to both SUROS Regime and Fabian Strategy, excluding it's special perks that make it unique (Perk column 0 description, Charged Up: When loading a fresh magazine and making the first precision kill, magazine will refill and impact will be increased for the duration of the magazine; Perk column 4 description, Empress of the Abyss: Kills with this weapon increases stability, reload speed, and impact greatly.). Weapon takes the frame of a black and gray-colored SUROS ARI auto rifle, but is bullpup-styled like pulse rifles with a curved magazine, mounted ballistic shield similar to Fabian Strategy, and features a SUROS SRO-41 scope with the range of a SRO-37 scope.

Secondary Weapon: In Times of Need (Variant with High Caliber Rounds, Final Round and Range Finder), revamped silenced Walther CP99

Heavy Weapon: Arc/Solar-fused Infinite Edge

Ghost Shell: Dread Explorer lookalike

Helmet: Golden Bull Mask (with an evasion perk similar to Graviton Forfeit and Twilight Garrison)

Gauntlets: Winged Sun Gauntlets (with the Exotic perk of ACD/0 Feedback Fence)

Chest: Winged Sun Chest (with the Exotic perks of the Armamentarium and Crest of Alpha Lupi)

Legs: Blindsight Greaves (Grants Lightning a Solar/Arc-fused variant of Shoulder Charge)

Mark: Thalor's Golden Maul

Artifact: Echo of Honor

Shader: Abydos Common

Bio: Twin sister of Spectre, Lightning is the more tactical and soldier-like of the two and can be straight to the point if she wants…which is unfortunately all the time, both in combat and in missions. At 60, she and her brother parted ways as Lightning sought out to be stronger, leading her to the Trials of Osiris in the Reef. There, she earned a reputation as one of Osiris's greatest champions as she did the Trials alone flawlessly. While she was in the Reef, she was the first Guardian to work under the Queen as one of her personal knights and participated in the Reef Wars, and recently, the House of Wolves's escape. She, based on her ruthlessness against the Fallen during the Reef Wars, was once offered the position of Queen's Wrath before she declined it and let her only Awoken friend, Petra Venj, take it. Aside from Petra, her only other friend is member of the House of Judgment, Variks. Even if she is the older of the twins and the more battle-hardened to the point that she appears cold and standoffish outside of combat, she has a softer side in which she often worries about her brother, especially with the incident that changed him forever. Unlike typical Sidearm-bearing Guardians, Lightning utilizes not a Häkke Sidearm or one used by the Awoken in the Reef, but a Pre-Golden Age Walther CP99 semiautomatic handgun that has been heavily modified and tuned up to get on par with the standard Sidearms of now.

For anyone curious as to how this new Huntress (Vesper) and Spectre appeared during his nightmare, here are the armor sets the two used:

Spectre:

Helmet: Knight Type 4

Gauntlets: Knight Type 2

Chest: Knight Type 4

Legs: Knight Type 1

Mark: Mark of the Watcher

Shader: Debt Unpaid

Vesper:

Helmet: Cryptid 4.6.2

Gauntlets: Cryptid 4.6d

Chest: Cryptid 4.6

Legs: Cryptid 4.6.2

Cloak: Hardcase Cloak

Shader: Aurora Blur

Hope you guys enjoy this late Christmas present of mine, and I'll see you guys in 2016!