Chapter Nine

The Tower hadn't been an option for them. Franz had returned with Cayde's map, now filled in with map information that could be important in future missions, but the rest of Cerulean had been sent to Earth. Heavy Fallen activity near a place called Skywatch had attracted the attention of the Vanguard and likewise, the Speaker. He'd asked Cerulean to check it out, as they were the closest team to the area.

Cerulean had landed nearly ten miles away in the hope that the distance wouldn't alert the Fallen to their presence. It was late afternoon by the time they got to a safehouse, which was a building at the edge of a city, left nearly untouched. The left-wing roof was caved in and every window was shattered. Doors were missing and the ones that weren't hung from rusty hinges. Compared to the rubble of other buildings around it, it was still in decent shape.

Sisre led Wren upstairs to a room on the third floor, which she said was a good place to keep an eye out for enemies. She set up her sniper rifle in the open window and Wren set their things against a wall, which had more exposed brick than it did chipping paint.

"I don't know about you, but I need a bath," Sisre said, hands on her hips. "I can handle being stuck in armor for days on end but every Guardian needs a break from it."

"A bath?" Wren said. She'd not had one since waking and it hadn't even occurred to her. "Yeah, it's been awhile."

"I bet," Sisre laughed. "Let's go. I know of a spring nearby."

Wren followed her back outside, past the room where Rorick and Flak set up their equipment in silence. Wren didn't look at Flak. She hurried by the door, hoping Rorick wouldn't stop them on their way out. Sisre didn't bother telling him where they were going.

Outside Wren shielded her eyes against the sun, which was setting directly ahead. They would only have a couple of hours before nightfall when Rorick would no doubt expect them back to prepare for the mission that would begin before dawn.

Earth was more interesting than the Moon. Flowers, trees, and grass grew from the remnants of what humans had left; sprouting up between cracks in the pavement and even from the rubble of the buildings. Across the street was a one-story house with the entire right side missing. A giant oak tree grew up from a hole in the roof on the left side while wildflowers had taken over the destroyed half.

Overhead the sky was still blue and puffy white clouds drifted lazily overhead. Sisre took a deep breath, turning her nose to the sky.

"Smells like rain," she said wistfully.

Wren copied her, turning her nose to the sky and breathing deeply, labeling the specific scent in her head. This was the smell of coming rain. She grinned. It was refreshing.

Sisre led the way toward what was once a bridge. The asphalt had fallen away in huge chunks but there were still some that jutted out over a canyon the bridge had once spanned. She hopped down to a narrow path that snaked down the edge of the canyon. Wren peered over the edge as they walked, taking in the view of a river that ran about fifty meters below.

About halfway down they stopped at a crevice in the rock wall where a small waterfall cut into the walkway. Sisre squeezed through the opening and Wren followed into the darkness, their boots splashing in the shallow water until the cavern opened up with a stunning blue glow. Mushrooms covered most of the walls around the spring, illuminating the area with pale light.

Wren let out a small gasp. It was beautiful. The pool itself was rock lined with an outlet which spilled out as the little waterfall. The pool itself was deep enough that the surface didn't bubble up but it did have movement toward the overflow. It was about ten meters wide and nearly perfectly round and seemed to be about as deep with the exception of the spring itself which was a black hole near the far wall. The water was perfectly clear, revealing shelves not far beneath the surface where people could sit.

"Speechless?" Sisre giggled, stripping off her armor.

"I guess it'd be stupid for me to say I've never seen anything so beautiful before."

"Not stupid at all, but I get what you mean. Your experience is limited. Sometimes I forget how that feels."

Wren turned her back to Sisre, although the Titaness didn't seem to mind being nude in front of her. She could hear Sisre get into the water with a ripple and a laugh at how cold it was.

"It's nice though," Sisre assured. "With the heat and humidity around here, it's refreshing. I'll turn around if it makes you feel better."

Wren stripped down, covering herself as she quickly slipped into the water.

Sisre waited until she heard the water settle before turning around. "Holy shit, Wren. What happened to your chest?"

A large purple bruise blossomed across her sternum, spreading up to her collarbone and her breasts. She'd nearly forgotten her encounter with Flak in the tunnels. Her skin prickled with goose bumps but she continued to stare at the bruise even as Sisre came to sit beside her. What could she say?

"Did you get shot? I've never seen a bruise that big from a bullet."

"I-I don't really want to say," Wren said, looking away. "I mean, it's not a big deal."

"You know you can trust me. What happened?"

Wren hesitated. "If I tell you, it has to stay between us."

Sisre nodded.

"When we were exploring the tunnels Flak…"

"What did he do to you?"

"He suggested that I'm on this team because I did some sort of you know… favor… for Cayde."

Sisre's chartreuse eyes grew wide. "Wait, you mean a sexual favor? What in the—Cayde is an Exo. He doesn't even have the equipment for that. Exo don't have… or do they?"

"I don't know. Either way, Flak has it in his head that Cayde's playing favorites with me."

"Huh…"

"It's the Better Devils," Wren said, looking at the gun that lay on top of her armor. "I don't know how he figured out Cayde gave it to me, but he did."

"Well, that's kind of obvious. I mean, you're wearing base armor with a base Sparrow. Toting that thing around means someone high up had to give it to you."

"Did Cayde give it to me knowing it would make me a target?" Wren bristled.

"I highly doubt that. And I know he wouldn't have done it as a means to hurt you. Actually, I think you should tell him what Flak did. This is unacceptable."

"No!" Wren insisted. "I don't want him involved. I can handle Flak myself. If I prove I'm here for the right reasons, he'll leave me alone; I'm sure of it."

Sisre's mouth pulled into a tight line. "If it gets worse, I'm going to Cayde."

"Let me make that decision. Please."

"Fine," she sighed. "Hardheaded Hunter."

"It's a thing I guess."

"Sure is. By the way, good job out there earlier; going back for Franz. It's hard to get on the twins' good side, but it's worth it if you are."

"Twins? You mean Beorn and Franz?"

Sisre laughed. "They're obviously not really twins, but everyone calls them that. They were chosen at the same time. Woke up side by side. Of course, they don't know each other, but they thought it must have meant they were connected in life. They've been together ever since. Works well for them really."

"Like you and Rorick."

"I wish we'd clicked that easy. Ro goes by the book more than not and he's always about the greater good before the good of an individual. I respect that he's had to make some hard calls but when we first started out we butted heads a lot. I'm too emotional and he's too logical. We balance."

"Balance," Wren whispered. Made her realize that she didn't have anyone like that yet. But wasn't that the goal? To get out without getting too close to anyone? If it was, she already failed. She liked Sisre. Trusted her. Any idea she had to keep her distance from other Guardians was already shattered. But would she ever find someone to be her balance like Rorick and Sisre, or Franz and Beorn?

"Earth to Wren," Sisre said, waving her hand in front of Wren's face.

"Hmm? Sorry, just thinking."

"Well, get your hair washed so we can go. It'll be dark soon and I'd rather not run back in the dark and rain." She dunked her head under the cool water and Wren did the same.

By the time they got out of the spring, they were shivering. The heat of the day had subsided, bringing the cool of dusk. They scrubbed off their armor and put it in bags they had brought civilian clothes in, but they kept their weapons on them, just in case.

Outside the Moon was huge and full, but its silvery light wasn't bright enough to overtake the dying light of day. The canyon was painted in soft oranges and golds, deep purple shadows settled on the river below. The puffy white clouds were gone and the smell of rain was much heavier. The Moon was overshadowed by the time they reached the safehouse and by the time Sisre doused the light in their room and Wren was settled into her makeshift bed, the rain began. The first rain since Kiran had brought her back. It was so new, but so familiar all the same. Despite the hard floor, soon she was asleep.

It was still raining when dawn broke, but that didn't deter Rorick. He'd gathered them around a broken table in the entrance room on the main floor. A map, marked and detailed by hand but in much better condition than Cayde's, was rolled out on the table.

Wren listened intently as Rorick outlined their plan to rush the hill on the other side of an area called the Steppes, to take the old Skywatch. There was a road that snaked through a little valley, then up the other side, curving tight before ending up at a building called Lunar Complex they would have to pass through before getting to the Skywatch.

"We'll clear the Lunar Complex on the way through," Rorick said, tapping a thick finger on the map. "The Steppes should be clear for the most part, but scouts in the area reported Fallen activity outside of the Lunar Complex. They say the Fallen won't go in, but they aren't sure why."

"Could be guarding something," Sisre said. "With any luck it'll be loot."

"Leave anything you won't need here," Rorick said, rolling the map up and placing it back in its thick plastic tube.

"We're ready."

"Good. Let's head out."

Flak passed Wren on the way out the door, casting a cold glare down at her. Sisre stood straighter, and being only slightly shorter than Flak, he broke his eye contact with Wren. Surely he'd know now that Sisre knew about what had happened in the tunnels. He didn't look afraid however, but smug.

"I wanna make him swallow his own teeth," Sisre growled.

"Forget it," Wren said, stepping out ahead of Sisre. They put on their helmets and mounted their Sparrows. Their speed was impeded by the rain but they still kept a decent pace, weaving between buildings until the ruined town passed behind them and the grasses became more sparse.

It was more desert than Wren had been expecting, but the river that ran through the canyon must have made the area around it a sort of oasis. Silhouettes of buildings could be seen towering on the horizon. What had it been called? Lunar Complex. The place where humans had gone before the collapse to board ships for colonies on different plants. Oh how far that had fallen.

They rode for miles in silence and soon the rain slacked off. The sun peeked over the mountains in the distance, casting pale light over the sandy terrain and tufts of harsh grasses that managed to grow there. The silhouettes became more pronounced, easier to see in the clearer conditions until at last Wren could see huge painted letters that she couldn't recognize. The building itself looked like it had a massive loading bay that cut into the rocky terrain.

In her ear Kiran spoke, "Can you imagine what this place was like back then? It must have been amazing; people of all walks of life coming together for a life among the stars."

Wren nodded in agreement. It must have been quite a sight; a far cry from its dilapidated state.

The ancient road beneath them was more blank space than asphalt; the material cracking ages ago to be reclaimed by nature. They turned past the docking bay, up the slope, and into a wide plain where the rusted remains of a airplanes were scattered about; gutted, all of them.

Rorick sped up, taking a detour toward a wing of one of the planes that had bent over the years to touch the ground below. Wren's heart raced as she too sped up and over the wing, launching out on the other side, completely over the wing on the other side. The tail of the Sparrow touched the ground when she landed and Sisre laughed. Wren didn't care. It was that feeling of running she loved, like a pack of wolves, freely running across the landscape.

In the last hairpin turn, Rorick slowed and stopped, hopping off his Sparrow right before it vanished. The rest dismounted and he double checked his pulse rifle for ammo. Being satisfied he made the motion to move, his team falling into formation behind him. It felt natural to Wren, as if she'd done it before. Taking up the right side after Sisre, she moved in pace with them, the Better Devils gripped tight in her hands.

The scouts were right. A small band of Fallen stood outside the door to the complex. There were a few Vandals and a Captain, but none of the smaller Dregs that were so common. The Fallen hardly got any shots off before the Guardians dropped them where they stood. Weapons and ammo useless to them was left behind but there were a few engrams dropped by the Captain.

"We'll split the loot later," Sisre said, tucking the small blue engrams away.

The interior of the building was dark, broken lights flashed somewhere off in the hallway beyond. Light rods had been set up here and there, helping to guide the path along the crushed concrete and rebar flooring. Most of the doors were sealed off; either through locks, extreme damage, or heavy rust. They passed by them without much thought, driven forward with the goal of the Skywatch.

Only, something else happened.

Rorick stopped.

"What the—" he poked the muzzle of his pulse rifle at a Hive barnacle, firmly attached to the metal wall.

"Hive?" Sisre asked, coming up behind him.

"There's more," Wren said, moving past them. Kiran lit the hall with bright white light. The barnacles grew thicker toward the end of the hall.

"Hive on Earth? That's not good," Kiran said, disappearing in a flash of blue.

"Keep moving," Flak said, shoving his way past Wren.

Rorick set his jaw before he pushed his way ahead of Flak, flashing a glare at him as he did. He wasn't going to back down from his post and let someone as low as Flak to take point. Sisre trotted to catch up with him but Wren didn't pass him. She stayed a little farther back, away from Flak.

"Dregs," Rorick said, kneeling outside a wide doorway. He tossed a grenade in and turned his head. The explosion flared, shaking debris from the ceiling. The Dregs screeched, then fell silent and the team moved forward. They stopped at a gate, blocking them. Brix materialized and scanned the panel beside the door.

"The Fallen locked it. Just a minute and I'll have it open," Brix said. "I thought they wanted to keep us out, but it looks more like they're trying to keep the Hive in. Go with caution."

Beyond the door a stairwell led up to the right. The barnacles were thicker past the door, covering the walls, their slimy surfaces reflecting green Hive lanterns. Still the darkness prevailed and by the time they hit the top of the stairs, the light behind them was choked out. Rorick turned on a small light on his rifle and scanned it across the room. Their boots echoed from the walls and pillars but the silence beyond that stirred Wren's stomach.

From the left green eyes lit up. She turned and fired two rounds, one striking its target and the other embedding itself into the wall. Countless green eyes flashed around them to be met with the orange blaze of gunfire.

The sound was deafening; the explosions, the animalistic screams of Hive, yelling of the other Guardians. Chaos. Pure chaos. Wren wasn't even sure how many Hive she'd killed by the time the room fell back into silence, their bodies burning to ask before they even hist the floor. Wren breathed heavy into her helmet, heart pounding against her ribs.

"Keep moving," Rorick called and the team followed him up a few more flights of broken, bent stairs until they reached another room, separated off from a larger one with Thrall lurking around a control panel. "More Hive."

Wren reloaded her hand canon and breathed deep, steadying herself. She didn't want to admit that the heavy fighting was unnerving, leaving her lost in the chaos. She felt there wasn't any order to it at all, and yet she couldn't shake the familiarity.

"Wren, Flak, circle right. Sisre and I will go left," Rorick said, looking out into the rooms beyond. "There's a Wizard in there."

"Dammit," Sisre huffed.

"Wren clear the smaller Hive, then focus on the Wizard," Rorick instructed. "Headshots preferred."

"Got it."

"Good. Move."

Wren took off before Flak could, leading the way around the right side, behind the control panel. They picked of the few Thrall that lingered but their screeches alerted the others to the presence of the Guardians. Wren ran around the panel and a Void shot hit her square in the left side of her chest, knocking her back. Void fire burned into her armor, searing the skin underneath. She cried out, slapping the fire out while Flak unloaded his weapon into the Hive.

"Useless," he said before rushing out to join Sisre and Rorick who had taken the left side and were proceeding toward the Wizard.

Rage boiled in Wren's veins and she forced herself up, pushing the pain to the back of her mind as she followed him. Rorick cleared the remaining Acolytes while the others concentrated fire on the Wizard.

Useless.

Wren boosted high above the others, anger overtaking the pain as she threw a knife directly at the Wizard's head. She didn't know if it was her blade or one of the bullets ripping through the Wizard that finally took it down, but it didn't matter. The creature burst into smoldering ash.

Wren landed heavy, hitting her hands and knees, forehead to the floor. Her left arm shook and blood dripped along her armor.

"You okay?" Sisre asked, kneeling beside her.

"Yeah," Wren breathed, sitting up on her knees. A wave of Light washed over her and she immediately breathed deeper. The wound healed over, the pain fading away.

"You did good," Sisre assured.

"That was reckless," Rorick interjected. "Don't get too cocky."

Wren nodded. Flak was rigid and although she couldn't see his face, she knew he was furious. There was anxiety about his anger, but it took a backseat to satisfaction. He'd not call her useless if she had anything to say about it.

"Come on, we need to let Zavala know what we've run into here. He'll instruct us on how to proceed."

Rorick walked into another room and the others stayed behind to inspect the room. Most traces of the Hive were gone, except some barnacles here and there. The bodies had turned to ash which lay in small piles all over the room. Strange to think there had been aliens standing there only moments before. Wren nudged a pile with the toe of her boot.

"I wonder if we'll get called back," Sisre said, leaning against a wall. "Finding Hive on Earth wasn't in the game plan."

"I doubt we'll be recalled," Flak said. "It would be stupid to send us out here to investigate Fallen activity only to bring us back because of some Hive. They'll send us on and another fireteam'll check this place out."

Sisre hardly turned her helmet in Flak's direction and when neither of the women spoke to him, he turned and walked away.

"I can't treat him like he's anything but garbage," Sisre muttered. "And I still think you should talk to Cayde."

Rorick joined them and Flak came back to the group.

"Zavala wants us to push forward. If we cleared the complex there shouldn't be any issues here but he's going to send a scouting party to keep an eye on it, just in case. We're still on objective; figure out what the Fallen are after."

Sisre pushed off the wall and shouldered her way past Flak. Rorick turned his helmet toward Wren but without seeing his expression she couldn't tell what was going through his head. He didn't speak and caught up with Sisre quickly, his long stride overtaking hers. Wren refused to look at Flak, trotting to make pace with the taller Titans.

Out in the bright sunlight the Steppes were empty and quickly drying in the heat of the sun. Rorick mounted his Sparrow.

"We're heading to the Forgotten Shore. Zavala says new intel has most of the Fallen presence over there."

They headed back the way they came and took a wide path through a canyon where a river cut through the rock. Their reflections shone back at them as they sped over the shallow water, over rapids, and wound their way almost to the end where the river spilled out into a larger body of water.

But there was no time to admire the landscape. Fallen fired on them from a long-beached ship, split in half. Rorick lead the charge, sailing by with one hand firing his pulse rifle at Dregs that left the safety of the ship's broken hull.

"Shoot the Shanks!" he yelled from the front, but Wren hesitated. "The floating things," he elaborated, a twinge of irritation in his voice.

Wren's cheeks flushed behind her helmet and she sat up, firing at the Shanks. Riding and engaging them was harder than she anticipated, and she missed a few shots, the bullets whizzing by them but through her struggle one by one they dropped. The team curved right on the far side of the ship, dismounting on the shore.

Sisre slung her sniper rifle from over her shoulder and set up on a rock close by. "We got a Captain," she said, her voice calm and steady as she adjusted her weapon.

"Where?" Rorick asked, tearing a Dreg to shreds with two bursts of his rifle.

"Up the hill. By those ruins."

"Take him out. There's another signal coming from up there."

"Got it," she said, taking aim.

Rorick led the others into the hull of the ship where they cleared a few more Dregs and Vandals. Wren boosted up to the next floor where Rorick and Brix were scanning the amplifier when the sound like thunder erupted from the sniper rifle, reverberating through the metal structure. In the distance a creature cried out but with one more shot the sound stopped.

"The signal is distorted," Brix said. "I'm not sure what it is or where it's coming from, but it's not Fallen."

"We'll head up to the next one," Rorick said and Brix nodded before disappearing.

They didn't bother with their Sparrows for the short distance up the hill to meet with Sisre, who after felling the Captain, took it upon herself to move forward and clear the ruins. Wren half expected Rorick to reprimand her, but he said nothing as she passed to let Brix inspect the next transmitter.

The Ghost didn't take long. "It's the same transmission. I can't pinpoint what it is, but both transmitters are linked into something at the Skywatch. We have to go back there."

"Are you sure?"

"Completely."

"Alright, you heard him," Rorick said. "Mount up. We're headed back to Skywatch."