Cayde finished debriefing the fireteam responsible for killing Aksis, the Archon Prime responsible for leading the Devils down the path of using SIVA to modify themselves. The honor should have gone to Cerulean, the top fireteam at the Tower which had disintegrated with a single motion which had now caused a domino effect of them falling from grace with the other Guardians.

They weren't shamed by the others but pitied and for most Guardians, that was worse. To be on top for so long only to fall from that position was never an easy thing to accept, but it was the way things were. Fireteams came and went, some leaving their mark more than others but there was no denying that Cerulean was special, even among legends.

The weary Guardians of fireteam Bastion left the command center, dragging their feet with exhaustion. They'd done well enough, but they struggled against the Archon Prime. One of them lost their Ghost and now faced leaving the life of a Guardian behind. Another had died so much and had to be revived so many times that he was disoriented, zoning out here and there only to come to, confused as to where he was. It would fade over time, but until they he'd be a mess.

"Cerulean could have handled that no problem," Cayde sighed.

"They're not fit to be in the field yet, not for missions of this nature," Zavala said. "They'll come around again eventually, I'm certain of it."

Cayde wished he could be as confident. Then again, Zavala had no idea what was going on with Wren. Hell, Cayde hardly knew. She cut them off. All of them. She avoided them all, keeping quiet until they'd leave her door and the den was abandoned now. Everything from it was still in his apartment and sometimes he would sit in the spare bedroom with her things and wonder what went wrong. It seemed a million years ago that they'd begun to plan fixing it up to be their place.

Colonel was tucked into his pillows and blankets and the one Wren had swapped for her own was now back in the pile with the others. He'd get a call sometimes from Sisre or Rorick, saying they'd found her drunk somewhere, fighting other Hunters or crying over poor unsuspecting Warlock Exos that even vaguely looked like Beorn.

"Are you alright?" Ikora asked and Cayde realized he'd lost himself in thought.

"Hm? Oh, sure. Just tired is all."

She nodded but didn't blink as she stared him down. If anyone in the Tower knew about his insomnia, it was Ikora and there was no chance she was falling for his lies.

"Why don't you go get some rest. We have some storms coming in soon and we'll need you here."

"Nah, it's your night off. I'm fine."

"You should both go," Zavala said, turning his back to them to view the darkening horizon. "We're expecting some powerful storms coming our way. Power structures in the City are still not at full capacity after the blizzard. If we're not at our best, many people could perish. Rest and prepare yourselves."

Cayde didn't argue. He set out down the hall and up the stairs to the courtyard.

"Sun? Reach out to Kiran and check on Wren."

"Well, see, I got a message a bit ago but I knew how you'd respond if I interrupted you," she said, her shell twitching a bit.

"What happened? Is she alright?"

"Yes and no? She… well, she got kicked out of a bar for fighting and apparently passed out in the alley. Woah! Stop! This is why I didn't tell you. Sisre got her home, she's in her room and she's safe."

Sundance's request for him to stop fell of deaf ears. This was it. The last straw. What the hell was she doing? Trying to get herself killed?

And yet…

He saw himself in her. In the way she grieved. Back when Andal died he handled it much in the same way. He put on a brave face, put off like it wasn't that big of a deal. Andal was a Guardian, happens all the time. But below the surface he was a wreck. He drank more despite knowing it wouldn't affect him. Made bad bets, got caught in simple cheats that he normally wouldn't have an issue with. Basically, anything to distract him or put him in a position to get into fights. Dangerous missions, bar fights, Sparrow racing in dead zones… the ability to mask his pain was refined in the months following Andal's death and he'd been able to keep that guilt buried for a long time.

Guardians moved out of the way as he stormed through the halls of the Tower housing until he reached her section. Koro was outside her door, leaned against it looking defeated. When he saw Cayde he met him, putting a palm to Cayde's chest to stop him.

"Sundance got the message I guess," Koro said. "She's sleeping now. Let her rest."

"If you don't get outta my way we're both gonna regret it."

"Don't do this. She's exhausted and still very drunk."

"And what should I do then? Hm? Keep letting her do this to herself? This has to stop and I'm gonna end it now."

"Hold on." Koro grabbed Cayde's arm as he tried to pass and the Vanguard glared at him until he was released. "I agree. Since Beorn she's been… she's destroying herself. It hurts to watch, but you yelling at her isn't going to help."

"What the hell makes you think I would yell at her?"

"You're already yelling."

Cayde clenched his jaw.

"I knew you would come here, that's why I waited for you. I wanted to talk to you about something. Involving Wren."

"Spit it out."

"I want you to help me convince Wren into retiring. Give up being a Guardian and settle down in the City. She just can't handle it."

"Right and you want that for her best interest, huh?"

"I do. I know she doesn't feel the same but I've been in love with Wren for a long time and I honestly think this would be the best for her. I already talked to my folks and they agreed to give her a job at the ramen shop. We have an extra room too. I know she'd need something to keep her busy but—"

"You did what? You're movin' along with this like you know it's gonna happen." Rage boiled up in him but he had to remember that Koro was human. Beating some sense into him would be catastrophic. Still, hearing the way he was taking liberties planning Wren's future or saying it was because he was in love with her stirred feelings of resentment and jealousy he hadn't felt in a long time. Wren didn't belong to him, but he didn't want to think about anyone comforting her the way he did. To hold her and kiss her and…

"If I talk to her then I know there's no way she would agree. But I know she cares about you. I think you could convince her. And I mean, you're her Vanguard. Can't you just, you know, make her?"

"I think you must have hit your head on the way here cuz there's no way that could ever end well. Wren is a Hunter. That comes with a whole lotta freedom that she can't thrive without."

"But the City—"

"Is still a cage. The City might be big to you, but for what she's used to its claustrophobic. You tell her that all of her freedom is gone she's gonna lose it worse than she already is. I'm not brinin' that kind of hate on myself, especially not for you."

"Hunter or not you know I'm right. She's tearing herself apart Cayde! You might be okay sitting back and watching while she does it but you didn't see her!" Tears welled up in Koro's eyes as he neared Cayde. "She was in a fucking alley! Beside a dumpster, Cayde. She is going to die and I can't handle the thought of that."

"I'm not gonna let that happen."

"Then do something! Anything. Just… dammit. Don't let her keep doing these things to herself."

"Hey, can you take this somewhere else?" a groggy Titan said, peering out from the darkness of his apartment. "It's bad enough we have to listen to your Hunter lose her mind all the time, we don't need your shit either."

Cayde glared at the Titan who retreated into his room.

"I have to get back," Koro said, wiping his eyes. "Leave her alone to sleep for now. But Cayde, if you don't fix this, then I'm going to."

He shouldered past Cayde, leaving the Vanguard alone in the hall, angry and conflicted. As much as he knew that what he said about stealing her freedom was the truth, he also knew that Koro was right. Loss was a huge part of a Guardian's life and Wren wasn't handling it well at all.

Fuck. What was he supposed to do?

"I'll tell Kiran to let us know when she's awake," Sundance said. "But I think you should go to bed. Let her sleep it off."

"I gotta blow off some steam."

Hunter bars in the City were common but hidden in plain sight. Rowdy places by nature, there was always something going on but unless the City guards had to be called, it was easy to pretend they didn't exist at all.

In recent years Cayde had started avoiding some of the seedier ones but tonight… well, there was a time and a place for everything and the storm of emotions brewing within him demanded something of him. He could get that energy out now, or take it out on someone later when he didn't mean it. If there was one thing he'd learned as a Hunter Vanguard, it was that misplaced anger could have devastating effects.

So he sat at the bar of a run down joint on the edge of the City where people danced on the poorly lit stage and something sticky on the floor might have been booze or blood but no one cared. Knives protruded from the dart board and broken glass crunched under his boots.

Gambling was out in the open here instead of being confined to some back room but even though he was Vanguard, no one batted an eye when he sat at a poker table in the corner. A Hunter was passed out on the floor beside him, mouth open which some asshole had taken advantage of, dropping cigarette butts in as some dumb joke.

The distraction of cards backfired. The only true distraction he had was what the fuck to do about Wren. Hours passed and he only spoke when necessary until at last there was no more Glimmer left to lose and he stared at his final hand. He didn't have shit and his bluffs had all fallen through. Probably because he wasn't his usual chatty, confident self. Couldn't quite swing the lies…

"Let's go home," Sundance suggested as Cayde got up to leave the table.

"Yeah, run home to your alcoholic pet," a Hunter from the next table laughed.

Cayde recognized the colors of his cloak as Emelie's den. Great. One of these shitheads all over again. Cayde stopped and stared down at the Hunter.

"Did you break another one?" the Hunter laughed, his friends cackling along with him.

Breaking glass and cries of shock spread through the corner of the bar as Cayde picked the Hunter up by his throat and slammed him into the wall. Plaster broke around his head and shoulders, chipping off in chunks. Cayde's grip tightened. He could feel the Hunter's quickened pulse and the way his throat popped under his palm as he struggled for air. His hands tore at Cayde's hand but Cayde didn't ease up. He leaned in close, centimeters from the Hunter's face.

"I'd think real hard about the next words outta your mouth," he growled.

"Leave him alone!" one of the Hunter's friends said. "He's just a dumb fuck, don't hold that against him."

Cayde dropped the Hunter to a heap on the floor where he coughed and gasped. With one fell swoop Cayde grabbed the edge of their table and flipped it, sending Glimmer, cards, chips, and whiskey glasses flying. Hunters scrambled out of his way as he stormed through them.

In the street he punched the wall, taking out more aggression that he couldn't on the Hunter. The brick crumbled under the force. He shook the dust from his hand and made his way back to the Tower.

"This is getting crazy," Holliday said through gritted teeth as she and about fifteen other mechanics helped Cayde manually tether a ship that had been battered in the incoming storm.

Several had come in damaged, a couple coming too close to crashing through the hanger due to being struck by lightning and their navigation systems getting fried. Systems they normally used to keep ships docked were freezing or dropping entirely from the main energy source, leaving the mechanics with the job of manually ensuring that each and every ship was safely docked.

"What are we going to do when the actual storm gets here?" she asked.

Cayde's cloak whipped around him, pulling at his shoulders as he scanned the horizon. Only a couple hours to go and they'd be screwed. A few Guardians had been cleared to leave on last minute missions, but the window for leaving grew smaller with each passing minute and soon they'd all be stuck here until it was over.

"We'll have to close the hanger doors and hope for the best," he replied, moving farther into the hanger and away from the entrance where rain had begun to patter against the metal plating and cement supports.

"I'll go get the update reports ready," Holliday said. "Get your stuff and meet me in bay 224 in fifteen minutes. I got a ship there that got the whole damn wing shredded. Gonna need ya for it."

"Ah, gotta call in the master, huh?"

"I've forgotten more about ships than you've ever known," she laughed.

Cayde forced a smile when she punched his shoulder and left, motioning mechanics to follow her as she went. His shoulders dropped and he continued on to his workstation, eyeing Wren's ship as he passed it. What caught his attention was the tag hanging from the console on the catwalk. Green. She was free to fly without restriction. What the hell?

He flipped the tag. Zavala authorized. He ripped it off and shoved it in his pocket. If a mechanic checked the system it would still say cleared but he didn't want it authorized at all. He'd have to discuss it with Zavala later, but how could he do that without admitting that she was out of control?

Wren was pacing around his area when he returned and his chest constricted. He'd not seen her in days. Her cheeks were flushed and she was slightly shaky. Not enough that most would notice but with his heightened vision it was obvious. Circles had formed under her eyes and the sparkle they normally held was dulled.

Until she saw him.

Her face flushed even more and she bit her lip but now stood still as she waited for him to approach.

"Hey kid."

"Cayde… can I talk to you about something?"

"Yeah. I uh, ya know I've been needin' to talk to you too." He guided her into his workspace, away from the other mechanics.

"Let me go first," she said, fidgeting with something in her pocket. "I don't know if I'll have the courage to do it otherwise."

"Oh, sure. What is it?"

"Well, things between us have been… strained. With what happened and I… I never meant for things to go the way they have and I know I've been a lot of trouble lately and…" the shaking worsened.

"Hey, you okay?"

"Yeah I just… Cayde, I really care about you and I've wasted so much time and I don't want to wait any more."

She thrust her hands out to him, a red ribbon clutched between them. At first he was confused but when he saw the intricate designs embroidered into the material he knew exactly what it was and his breath caught in his chest. If things hadn't been devolving the past several days he'd be ecstatic. He'd scoop her up and hold her close and run through the whole hanger telling everyone but she…

"Sugarbird," he said, "You've been through a lot lately and I… well, you gotta understand why I can't accept that from you. It's a damn big deal and you're… dammit kid, you're a mess. I know what you've been up to and I was gonna tell you that you gotta stop tryin' to destroy yourself or you'll force me to stop you."

Her faint smile dropped entirely. "I know what I'm doing. I'm still hurting, yes, but I need you Cayde. I need you to take this. Please." She extended it again but Cayde only shook his head.

"I'm sorry, I can't. You gotta let me help you first."

Tears streamed down her cheeks as her expression shifted from disappointment to bitter resentment.

"I can make my own choices!" she yelled, wadding up the ribbon and throwing it at him.

It never made contact, just fluttered to the floor as she stormed off, mechanics jumping out of her way. Cayde stooped over to pick it up, drawing his thumb over the gold birds. He'd have to give it back to her once she'd cooled off.

Outside thunder rumbled across the mountains and a new ship came into view. Mechanics went to help secure it while Cayde made his way to Holliday. He couldn't keep himself from looking at the door, hoping Wren would come back. Dammit he couldn't wait until he was off duty and he could go to her. He'd break her damn door down if he had to.

Her words played on repeat, stabbing him in the heart every time. I need you. How long had he wanted her to say it? But now? Now she was falling to pieces, just like his dreams. Maybe Koro was right after all… a little anyway. Maybe he needed to clip her wings in order to help her grow strong enough to fly again.

"Cayde?" He turned to see one of his Hunters jogging toward him. A scout from beyond the Wall. "We have a problem."

Wren stormed out of the hanger and into the courtyard, clenching her teeth together to keep from screaming. Right under the surface anger whispered to her to destroy everything. Trash the stalls, throw things over the railing to the City below, get the hell out of here…

Last call was made by the bot that handed out bounties and Guardians swarmed around, trying to pick something up before the storm put them all on lockdown. That's it. That's what she needed.

Being in the City was driving her mad. She saw Beorn everywhere. In her nightmares, in the corner of her eye in dark rooms, in the face of every Exo with yellow eyes. She stared at the door for hours expecting him to come through and admit it was all a cruel joke.

She needed to escape. One bounty on Mars later she was back in the courtyard with her bag loaded with supplies. Rain poured down in sheets, but she pulled up her hood and ignored it. Thirty minutes and she'd be prevented from leaving and the only thing she hadn't considered until now was how she was going to get past Cayde to leave.

Her hand found the grip of her Better Devils which she'd picked up from Banshee before grabbing her armor and supplies. She hadn't held it since the replication chamber. Honestly, she'd been afraid of it but now… now she looked at it and saw potential.

Perhaps that should have been terrifying as well.

The silver spade glittered in a flash of lightning and she knew what she had to do. A few good jerks and the chain snapped.

"Wren," Kiran said. "Don't do this."

"I don't want to be found," she said, then threw the spade off the Tower. "And don't you dare send messages to Sisre, or Rorick, or anyone. And I fucking mean it Kiran."

He shrank away from her. "O-okay."

Wren started out across the courtyard when she caught sight of Cayde coming from the hanger. She jumped behind a pillar and hid, easing around slowly until he disappeared into command.

Lightning struck, illuminating the sky and thunder followed. Only, it didn't stop. It kept going, growing, getting louder. Wren looked toward the highest point of the Tower and instant before an explosion knocked her to her knees. Her helmet clattered across the floor and over the side of the Tower. Missiles blazed through the building, some passing the Tower to crash into the City.

The courtyard erupted with screams and sirens. Cabal warships flew overhead, toward the Traveler.

"Cayde," she whispered as they roared overhead. The attack, it was on command and he… he'd just gone down there!

Wren scrambled to her feet and sprinted toward the stairs when an explosion from within erupted fire and smoke. She crossed her arms in front of her face for protection but she could feel the intense heat on her face. She had to flee; to run from the blaze but Cayde she… she had to get to him.

"Kiran, reach out to Sundance!"

"It's chaos," Kiran said, panic in his voice. "Oh Traveler… she's okay. They survived!"

"Wren!"

Banshee called to her from his stall and she sprinted to him, sliding in right before Cabal landed in the courtyard. Guardians engaged them, some without armor, and the courtyard erupted into battle.

"Wren, have you seen Cayde?" Banshee asked, putting his hand on the back of her neck and pushing her toward the floor to protect her from debris.

"He was in command but Kiran says he can reach Sundance."

"Barely," Kiran corrected. "I know she's out there but with all this chaos, she isn't responding directly."

"You have to get him this." Banshee handed over the Ace of Spades and Wren's heart dropped. He was unarmed?

"What about you?"

"I got this. You get outta here."

"Be careful, Banshee." She ran from cover toward the center of the courtyard where hoards of Cabal flooded in from every doorway. Where were they all coming from? "Kiran, reach out to Sisre, Rorick and… and Franz. Make sure they're safe and tell them the Tower is overrun!"

"What about us?"

"We're gonna find Cayde and get the hell out of here."

She clutched Ace to her chest as she fought against the Cabal, her plans for finding Cayde immediately stopped as a group of Guardians tried to herd civilians toward the hanger for escape.

"Wren!"

"Rorick? What are you doing here? Where's Sisre and Franz?"

"Sisre is forming an evac team. We were headed for command. Zavala called us as an emergency team to see why comms outside the Walls were going down."

"And Franz?"

"Not sure. Last I heard he was in the archives but comms are a mess right now and we haven't been able to reach him. I just came here to see if I could find you. Come with us."

"I can't." She showed him the Ace of Spades. "I have to find him."

"Be careful," he said, stopping shooting long enough to give her a quick hug. "Catch up with us as soon as you can."

"Rorick," she said as he ran away. "Take care of them!"

"Always!"

"What is that?" Kiran asked.

Wren looked up to see some strange device flying slowly overhead, great arms opening as it neared the Traveler. She didn't have time to see any more. Fire and debris rained down from the top of the Tower which had been struck by another rocket.

Civilians ran toward the hanger, a Psion hot on their heels. Wren sprinted toward it but the Better Devils was empty from her assault on the other Cabal. She holstered it as she ran then leapt at it, her elbow colliding with the Psion's head, sending it reeling. She jumped on top of it, plunging her blade deep into its skull. The snake entwined blade that had been gifted to her was wickedly sharp and slender enough she could remove it from muscle and bone with relative ease.

She tucked it away, still covered in gore, and snapped a new clip into the Better Devils. The motion was clunky as she was trying to keep the Ace of Spades close. Keep it safe.

Legionaries took shots at fleeing civilians and the Guardians protecting them were overrun. Damn! Would she ever make it past the courtyard? Ships were still flying in overhead and the sky had turned from ominous gray to a deep red, the clouds reflecting the fires that had been set all over the City. Columns of black smoke billowed into the sky and though lightning flashed, the thunder was drown out by the chaos.

Wren drew up the Better Devils and opened fire on the Legionaries, dropping them with headshots when she could manage. One in the rear spotted her and fired, the bullet ripping through her armor and burying itself deep in her thigh. She cried out and dropped to her knees, white hot pain searing through her bones.

"Wren!"

Kiran appeared over her shoulder and Wren's eyes went wide.

"What are you doing?" she yelled but it was too late.

A Legionary had come up behind her and backhanded Kiran who tumbled away. Wren rolled to her back and fired up at the Legionary who had raised its weapon high to slam it into her head. The Cabal's blood spewed over her and it fell, killed by a Guardian who now offered her a hand up.

"My Ghost!" she cried. "Kiran? Where are you?"

Cayde ducked out of the way of a Legionary, dodging bullets as he closed the distance to lodge a dagger in the brute's eye. It dropped dead with a groan but Cayde didn't stop. The blade slid free in a gush of liquid from deep within the skull but there was no time to stop and clean it. He had to find Wren. It had been everything Ikora could do to keep him in Zavala's bubble during the initial attack.

Wren was out there. Somewhere. He had to hope.

Zavala and Ikora had split, finding their way out with civilians. They had so many people to try to help and the Speaker would need protecting too.

He fought his way through the rubble and debris, killing Cabal as he went until at last he reached the hall that led up to the courtyard. Guardians actively fought the Cabal but a few of their own lay dead in the halls, Ghosts shattered and strewn about.

"Keep your head down," he warned Sundance.

"I'm putting out distress signals, trying to find Kiran but it's… it's too much."

Cayde got to the courtyard which was overrun with refugees to the point that it was difficult to move by the doors where they were being funneled toward the hanger to escape. He circled around and found Banshee, holding his own at his booth while giving out weapons to as many Guardians as he could.

"Where's the Ace?" he asked.

"Wren has it," Banshee said. "Vault's gone. I don't have much left and we're in big trouble."

"Keep it up, big guy. I gotta find Wren."

"She's here somewhere. I don't think anyone can get outta this mess. She's gotta be here."

He pushed through the battle, killing as he went, dropping Cabal onto the bodies of his own. Civilian and Guardian alike, their bodies mingled together and he couldn't tell one from the other.

Then he caught sight of her, Ace clutched tight to her chest as she tried to fend of the circle of Cabal that was forming around her and a couple of other Hunters with Blacktalons cloaks. He let loose his Golden Gun, letting the fiery rounds rip through Legionaries that blocked his path to her.

She saw him and her eyes flashed with relief.

"Toss it here!" he yelled as he ran toward her.

Wren drew back to throw him the Ace an instant before an energy round ripped through her, exiting her neck with a spray of blood that coated the Ace and left her stunned and confused

Cayde threw a knife at the Psion that had shot her from behind. He caught Wren before she could hit the floor, blood gushing from a wound in her throat. She gasped for air, hands frantically grasping at him. The artery was destroyed and the cracks in the courtyard floor were filling with crimson. He clamped a hand over her throat but it was no good. He could feel every beat of her heart through the pulsing of blood between his fingers.

"I got…. Ace…" she managed.

"Shhh, you did damn good Sugarbird."

"Hurts," she whimpered.

"I know. Just let go. I'll protect you until Kiran rezzes you."

"Gone," she gasped.

"What?"

"Cayde, I can't sense Kiran. He… he's not here I can't find him!" Sundance said.

Cayde's eyes scanned the immediate area but there were so many shards of Ghosts that he couldn't tell if any of them were Kiran.

"Gone," Wren repeated.

"Hey, forget what I said. Fight it. Stay with me and I'll get you outta here." He holstered Ace and picked her up to ran for the hanger. "Just stay with me."

Blood soaked the leather of his armor and he knew he was running out of time. He struggled to carry her and fight, the crowds so thick he could hardly move. They were sitting ducks.

An explosion launched him forward, down the last flight of stairs to the hanger. People started screaming and crying, many dead from the blast. Metal grating from overhead swung down, sparking from cables that had been ripped from the ceiling.

Wren let out a strange gurgling sound when he landed on her and he quickly sat up and pulled her close. He tucked her into his chest and pushed back on his heels, away from the main walkway which was being overrun with people pushing and shoving to escape.

She was slipping. He could feel it and all he could do was be with her when it happened.

Weight settled on him and he enveloped her, wrapping around her as much as he could manage. He closed his eyes and thought about waking up with her in his arms and was taken back to that quiet, calm place where the whole world consisted of her gentle breathing and the pattering of rain on the window.

"I'm sorry," he whispered. "I failed you."

She exhaled and went still.

"Forgive me."

"Cayde?" Sundance said. "We… we have to go."

"She needed me," he said, pulling away to get one last look at her face. She was staring back at him with a blank expression and half-closed lids. He closed them and kissed her forehead, lingering, knowing this warmth would fade forever.

"These people need us now."

Cayde drew his thumb across Wren's cheek and gently lay her by the wall, out of the way of passersby. "I'll come back for you," he promised as he took her cloak. "Where's the Better Devils?"

"It's gone. Forget it, we have to get out!"

A civilian family passed, carrying their children but one was lagging behind, threatening to be lost in the crowd. He forced himself to his feet, feeling the weight of the world settling into his chest as he lifted the small girl and escorted the family to the escape ships.

This was it. His life. Vanguard.

Hot air and smoke burned Wren's lungs when she gasped her first breath. Her eyes snapped open, and she sat up so quickly she almost hit her head on the bench Cayde had tucked her under.

"Cayde?" she coughed, rubbing her throat as she rolled from under the bench.

The hall was still flooded with people trying to escape. Kiran hovered in front of her. She immediately grabbed him and held him close to her chest.

"Kiran, I thought you were gone."

"I'm sorry, I got knocked pretty far and when I came back to the courtyard, you were gone. What happened?"

"I got shot. Cayde pulled me here and I… dammit, I died."

"Your cloak is gone."

"He thinks I'm actually dead. I have to find him again."

Kiran disappeared. "Zavala is in the courtyard trying to defend against the Cabal. Maybe he's gone that way. Hey, the Better Devils is in the hall. I saw it on my way to you. Kicked under some crates I think."

Wren pushed through the hoards of civilians and found her gun where Kiran say it. She slammed a new clip in before running toward the courtyard. Outside, rain came down in sheets, drenching her before she could reach the Commander's barricade.

"Wren!" he called as she neared, though he didn't look at her. His focus was on the Cabal who tried in waves to defeat those holding their positions. Wren fell in with them and faced the onslaught. "Where is your helmet?"

"Got knocked off in the first blast," she said.

"Take this," he said, side kicking a helmet toward her. Part of it was scorched but she put it on anyway, almost afraid to ask where its owner was. "I need you for something."

"Have you seen Cayde?"

"No. I'm unsure of his location. You must go to the Speaker and unsure his safety."

"Yessir."

"Zavala?!" Ikora's voice crackled over comms. "They're attacking the Traveler!"

"The Traveler waits!" the Commander replied. "Our people come first. Now get out of here Wren! Find the Speaker."

Wren nodded and ran. She hardly took two steps when Ikora stated that she too was going back for the Speaker. Zavala told her that Wren was on the way. Maybe Ikora knew where Cayde had gone.

She cut across the courtyard, through fire and smoke and corpses she dared not look at until she came to the blast door that cut off the North Tower from here. The hall here was oddly quiet. Dark. A lonely Sweeper Bot tended to the hall, broom tapping a dead Cabal's face as it attempted in vain to clean the mess created by its blood. The bot didn't give her a sideways glance as she passed, the sounds of battle seeming so very far away despite there being only a few yards from the heat of it all.

The doors slid open in a cascade of sparks and Wren raced past it. She turned the corner and slid to a stop, raising the Better Devils to some Cabal farther along what should have been a corridor but was now a gaping hole that overlooked the burning City. Before she could shoot an explosion crumpled them and Ikora landed in their place.

"The Speaker is gone," she said, turning to Wren who approached her.

"I'll keep searching. Cayde. Where's Cayde?"

Ikora was furious, her body crackling with energy. She shook her head and turned to the Cabal ship that had dropped to hover nearby.

"Red Legion!" she shouted over the roar of flames and the engines of the ship. "You will take no more from us!"

With that she launched herself toward the ship, striking a wing with an energy blast before landing atop it. The craft rocked violently and fell away, out of sight in a plume of smoke and embers.

"Ikora!" Wren yelled, running to the edge of the floor where it crumbled to the City below. The ship that Ikora attacked was nowhere to be seen.

"Don't worry about her," Zavala demanded. "Let her try to find the Speaker. Head farther into the North Tower and meet with Holliday. She'll pick you up and take you to that command ship. We need to take its shields down immediately."

Wren's heart leapt into her throat. "But Commander I—"

"You don't have time. Go!"

Wren swallowed her fear and pushed farther into the North Tower, past neon signs to businesses that had long burned to the ground, through Cabal who stood in her way. There was no time to consider what all this meant. Home was gone, but it didn't seem real, despite the destruction she now raced through.

Back out into the rain she went, sliding across cracked stone floors as Holliday's white and black ship rose from beyond the balcony. Wren holstered her weapon as Kiran transmatted her into the cargo hold.

"Heard you needed a ride," Holliday said. Wren could tell that despite it all, she was excited to show off her skills as a pilot.

"I guess I'm headed to the command ship."

"Woah, Wren?"

"Yeah. Have you seen Cayde?"

"Not since the hanger. He said you were dead."

"It's a long story."

She chuckled. "I bet. You can tell me all about it once we're outta this mess. You hold on back there. This isn't gonna be a smooth ride."

Wren plopped down between some crates and held on to the straps that bound them to the floor as Holliday wove them between ships and explosions. She couldn't see what was going on out there, but she could feel the shockwaves through the hull of the ship.

"Alright Wren, time to kick em' where it hurts!"

The ship slowed and Wren was transmatted back into the storm, boots down on the command ship, high above the City.

"Tell him I'm alive!" Wren called out as Holliday's ship dove off the side and toward the lights below.

"You got it!"

Wren ran up the ramp that was ejecting Cabal drop pods, one racing past her to plummet to Earth. She wished she could take them out as she went, but it wasn't an option. All she could do was grit her teeth and hope that taking the shield down would allow Zavala enough time to shoot it down. With command down, maybe it would stagger the invasion.

She knew her mission.

"Cayde?" she tried through comms. "Can you hear me?"

Static.

The room at the top of the ramp held only a few Cabal, manning the operations for the pods. Likely there was a room below where the Cabal were loading in before being launched. To the right there was a bright orange hologram of the command ship that Kiran insisted she give him a moment to scan. Only took a split second to realize that she couldn't get any farther anyway. The far wall should have been open to the rest of the ship but was blocked by a shield that shimmered orange and yellow.

"Just hurry up," she said, killing the few Cabal that stood guard.

"Be patient. You won't get past that shield anyway and without knowing where the generator is for the main shields, we won't get very far."

Paranoia gripped Wren and she became antsy, readjusting her grip on the Better Devils which was now missing the spade she'd clung to as a lifeline. She regretted throwing it away and now more than ever, she felt alone. Cut off even from Cayde. With any luck Holliday could tell him she was alive and where she was and if something happened…

"Let's move!" Kiran said. "I'm updating you with coordinates. Let's get to that generator and take this thing down."

Wren pushed through Cabal, dropping them where they stood. She wound through doors, running so fast she would be hopelessly lost if not for Kiran's direction. Around her the ship rocked and moved, still taking fire though it did no damage to the hull.

Blast doors opened and she found herself outside again, in an open area where ships flea overhead toward the Traveler. Bits and pieces of a conversation between Cayde and Zavala came through and Wren's heart skipped a beat.

"Cayde! Can you hear me?"

"Wren, you gotta focus," Kiran said as energy rounds from Legionaries grazed Wren's shoulder.

"Why can't they hear me?"

"I don't know. Look, I know you want to get back to him, but we have to do this first! I wanna see Sundance again too, ya know, so focus!"

Fighting the Cabal was bad enough but up here the rain and wind were so fierce that she had to push against it with all her might to move across the open area. Her boots slid as the wind pushed her back and it wasn't until she was able to clear out a small room and gain her bearings that she realized a knife from a Dreg was lodged deep in the skull at her hip. She dislodged it and tucked it into her belt in case she needed it later.

She was running low on ammo and there were still so many Cabal. They were looking for her. She didn't need to understand their tongue to understand that much. She ducked low and crawled away from the room, using the darkness and shadows to help her get around a majority of them until she found the tunnel to let her back inside.

It was large enough for a tank to pass through but most of the Cabal that manned the area ran out to aid the others in finding the Guardian who as infiltrated the ship. Wren waiting until they were gone before bolting down the corridor, keeping close to the wall despite knowing she was completely in the open down. Hopefully there were no more coming up to help.

She dropped down a few floors to land in front of a blast door. It slid open and on the other side was a Cabal with a flame thrower, fuel tanks strapped to its back. It stepped back, not expecting to see her there, but before it could raise its weapon Wren threw the Dreg's dagger into a fuel tank and ducked.

The explosion shot fire, flesh, bone, and metal in all directions. Wren didn't wait for the flames to settle, she merely ran through them.

"The shield generator is just ahead," Kiran urged.

A few more Cabal guarded the area and Wren did what she could to conserve ammo, which was now dangerously low. Just a few more shots left and if not for Solar daggers, she'd be in a lot of trouble. Her actual supply of daggers was down to just a couple and she was beginning to wonder if she'd make it out.

The shield generator was a massive turbine that filled a cylindrical room. A column rose from the center below, to the ceiling and was bright white with energy. Wren blinked and looked down, here the turbine itself spun. She dropped down between two electrically charged arms that spun slower than the blades of the turbine, but still fast enough that they could be a problem.

"Shoot it," Kiran said.

Wren unloaded the Better Devils until the hammer only clicked and nothing more. She put it away and cursed under her breath. She'd done damage, but this wasn't the only place she had to destroy. Overhead, one of the arms passed and she jumped up and ran, staying between the arms to drop into the next section where she threw in her daggers, hoping to lodge them in places that would cause the most harm.

The first one only clattered between the blades but the second caught and the force tore through the metal. Sparks flew and for a moment she wondered if the turbine would spit the dagger back out again and tear through her on accident. A little more damage with Solar daggers and Kiran said this area was handled well enough.

"Heat levels are rising," Kiran said, though he didn't need to tell Wren that. The turbine had switched from bright blue white, to red and she could feel the heat become sweltering, even though her armor.

Up and over to the last section where Golden Gun shredded the blades of the turbine with ease. But that meant she was spent. She had nothing now but her bare hands until the Solar daggers were ready again and that might take some time.

The turbine crackled, hummed, then slowed. Wren jumped out of the pit and toward the exit.

"Zavala, the shields are down!" Kiran said.

The comms crackled but there was no reply.

The ship beyond was on fire. Wren raced through the empty halls toward the top of the ship while Kiran tried and failed to contact anyone on the outside. Even Holliday was unresponsive.

Outside the rain had stopped. The air was thick with smoke from the City below. Wren ran toward the edge of the ship where she could see the Traveler with the device she'd spotted earlier wrapped around it.

"What are you doing?" Wren said as Kiran appeared over her shoulder. "Get out of here. I'll… I'll jump if I have to."

"How do we come back from this?" Kiran asked.

"You don't," a gravelly voice from behind them replied.

Wren spun around to see a Cabal in shining white armor approach with two guards. He was massive, regal. The leader.

"Welcome to a world without Light," he said, looking past her and raising a hand toward the Traveler.

She looked over her shoulder to see golden light spread from the device that held the Traveler, coating the surface and something in her… changed.

It was as if she could feel a snap deep in her bones. Like her soul ripped from her body and suddenly she was in intense pain. Her joints and muscles ached, her lungs burned, her heart threatened to beat out of her chest. She hit her knees, gasping for air, wishing she could rip her helmet off but knowing the thick smoke wouldn't help.

"Wren?" Kiran's voice crackled. "Something's wrong."

He clattered to the floor beside her.

The Cabal neared and Wren reached for Kiran, pulling him close to her but lacking the strength to lift him. No matter what, this beast wouldn't lay a hand on Kiran. She glared up at the Cabal through the helmet's faceplate as he neared and rage flashed across his face.

"Do not look at me!" he demanded. "Pathetic creature."

A swift kick to Wren's side sent her rolling toward the edge of the ship. Wren coughed as she forced herself to her knees, Kiran clutched tight. The metallic taste of blood filled her mouth and stars swam in her vision.

"You are weak," the Cabal said. "Undisciplined. You hide; cowering behind your walls. You are not brave. You've merely forgotten the fear of death."

He said that as if she'd never known loss. She blinked and say the light fade from Beorn's eyes. She stood on trembling legs and stared up at the Cabal.

"Fuck you," she muttered, her throat raw.

"What did you say?" he said, drawing closer.

"Fuck you!"

He backhanded her and she felt her ribs crack with the force. She slid toward the edge, drawing ever closer. Kiran slid from her grasp and over the edge of the ship to the flames below.

"Kiran," she croaked, reaching for him.

This was it. It was over now. Maybe… maybe Cayde made it out. She closed her eyes.

"Your kind never deserved the power you were given," the Cabal said.

Eyes still closed, trying to grasp at any good memory. Of the time before Beorn fell. Of when they were happy. All of them.

The Dawning. On the rooftop with the fireworks. The laughter of her fireteam, the warmth of Cayde by her side… she turned to the Cabal. He might knock her around, but she had more to lose than him. He didn't understand that. She tried again to stand but her wouldn't allow it.

"I am Ghaul," he said. "And you Light…. Is mine."

He placed a foot to her helmet and pushed her off the edge.