Redacted

Exposed

I apologize for the late update! Life got to me this week and as such, I didn't have the time to finish the chapter as much as I would have liked...plus, after I was done, I realized just how long it was, and as such, I had to make some changes and cut the chapter in half (that's how long it was people). But don't worry, to make up for the late update, I am going to post a double update! The next chapter should be ready in a couple of hours so be ready! :D

Thanks to Mantic64, DisobeyedBowl6, TidalKiller, zantilis, and The Great Wolf 117 for the reviews!

"To think, her first excursion into the City and immediately she gets kidnapped."

"Children are primary targets," Pluto turned his crimson optics towards Cordelia, listening to the female Warlock continue, "So it is not too surprising that she was snatched out of the streets."

"But why target her?" It was Polaris, the male Defender turning his yellow optics towards the streets below them as he added, "There are plenty of other children in the City but somehow, Hush was picked out amongst them all?"

"It is because they believe her to be an Awoken." Pluto watched as the two young Guardians snapped their gaze towards him, "True, children are targeted when it comes to kidnappings but Awoken are seen as a bigger 'prize' than their human counterparts."

The Exo Hunter then saw the look of bewilderment flash over the Warlock and Titan's optics, causing Cordelia to lean in and ask, "What do you mean?"

It was then it clicked within Pluto's mind of their innocence and age; when mentoring the young Exo, he ensured that they were 'tolerant' of everyone, despite race and gender. The realization that they were naïve of the darker side of the City made the Exo Guardian let out a sigh, shaking his head as he sensed the puzzled stares of his pupils, "The Awoken are 'different' as you can understand. Unlike us Exo, who were, 'created', by the hands of man, the Awoken were 'changed'. No one can explain what had happened to them on the outer edges of the darkness and light where they were born."

"What does this have to do with the reason that they are more likely to be taken than the humans?"

Pluto hesitated at Cordelia's question, locking onto the female Warlock's neon green lights, "You have heard the term 'Exotics' before, right?"

When he saw the bewildered looks flash over the young Exos optics once more, the Exo Hunter simply shook his head, "Never mind, all I am going to say that is the Awoken are considered to have more 'value' than the humans, especially 'outside'."

Pluto then heard Polaris let out a sputter in response, "What do they do with them anyway? Sell them outside of the walls?"

Instead of immediately responding to the young Exo's question, Pluto opted to remain silent and instead, turned his focus onto the streets from his perch, easily sensing the uneasiness emit from the young Titan.

"Do they?" It was Cordelia who asked the question but once again, he remained silent, "What do they do to them once they're outside of the Walls?"

Remaining silent, Pluto then pushed himself onto his feet as his crimson optics spied the roofs of the buildings around them, "I don't think our target is here." He focused his attention back onto the two young Exo, "Let's expand our search."

Sensing Cordelia and Polaris give each other a nervous glance, all Pluto did in response was raise a hand, holding out his palm to summon Nix's familiar viridian form, "Quinn? You there?"

"Roger."

"Nothing on our side of the sector, found any clues on yours?"

A hum can be heard emitted from Nix's core, "I spotted a couple of suspicious individuals but, nothing really out of hand. Want me to keep an eye on them?"

"Anything is better than nothing." Hearing a sound of confirmation from the other side of the line, Pluto took it as a signal to lower his hand, signaling to Nix to recompose himself and enclose his parts back around his core. The Hunter then turned his attention towards the younger Guardians, "Let's head back to the Tower, maybe our brothers and sisters back there will have better news."

Seeing the two nod, Pluto took it as a sign to leap down from the roof before concentrating his light beneath his feet, feeling a sensation of something solid form beneath him before pushing against it, giving him the appearance of leaping once in the air before landing in the alley. No sooner had he done this when he heard the familiar 'flush' of air of Cordelia landing next to him, followed by the resounding 'crack' of Polaris landing on his knees, causing the Exo Hunter to jump.

"You still need to work on your landing." Seeing Polaris smile sheepishly at the female Warlock's words, Pluto simply raised his hand to motion for the others to follow before exiting the alleyway and down the streets of the City, making their way back towards the Tower.

Xxxxx

Ace never had seen Ianos in such a mess, at least, not since the Moon Incident. Hush's kidnapping struck a cord within the Warlock and it didn't help that a simple revolver was enough to kill and incapacitate the Veteran Guardian long enough for her captor to get away. When the black and orange Ghost absorbed his light to resurrect Ianos, they can easily feel the sense of anxiety and rage emitting from the Warlock, to the point where Ace thought it best to bring the Guardian back to the Tower to bring him back. And they were glad they did so.

The screams of anger and regret rang through Ianos' quarters as void light twirled around him, and the Warlock immediately set about to search for the missing child Guardian. Luckily, Pluto had been there to put a stop to it, at least, until placed his emotions back under control. Still, Ace can sense the anxiety and irritation when Ianos stalked the streets of the City, wisps of void light lingering between his fingertips. Although concerned for the stability of their Guardian, the Ghost was just relieved that it wasn't arc light that he currently was attuned to; otherwise damage to his surroundings would have been inevitable.

"Ianos, parading around in full gear isn't going to help us find Hush." Ace heard the Warlock let out a grunt in response, causing the Ghost to heave out a sigh as they followed the sight align with their Guardian's visor, "you do realize that if they see a Soldier of Light walking in the streets that Hush's kidnappers aren't going to make themselves known?"

This seemingly pacified the Awoken Guardian, Ace watching as the passing stalls came to a sudden halt, signaling to the Ghost that Ianos had paused in his steps, "I understand that you are worried of her safety, but letting your rage consume you like this, it is not going to help us find her."

Hearing nothing but silence between the two of them, Ace also opted to say nothing as Ianos resumed walking however this time, the Awoken Warlock side stepped into an alley, coming to a pause once more as they made it to a dead end.

"I wasn't there for him you know." Bewilderment permeated throughout the black and orange Ghost's core only for it to click seconds later; he was talking about Zakai, "after Ari died, I couldn't bear the thought of being around him. I thought, I thought he would blame me. If it wasn't for that damn fight that Ari and I had before the Great Disaster he wouldn't have split off from our troupe, he wouldn't have been close to Crota when that bastard appeared, he wouldn't have…" It was then Ace watched Ianos lean his shoulder against the wall, hearing their Guardian continue, "I left him alone when he needed me most, Ace. And look what happened. He dwelled into the Darkness and it got him killed."

Taking in the words of their Guardian, Ace pondered back to the past; the Ghost recalls the reason of the pairs argument. The cause was a recent assignment that they had received; in an attempt to bring back codes that would help the City take a leap forward to their former glory, Ianos had made the call to abandon the other half of their team, the latter of which complied willingly in order to give Fireteam Trinity the escape. Ahamari-34 didn't take the sacrifice well and as such, took out his frustrations on Ianos, leaving a gap between the two afterwards. Originally, the Warlock had planned to make amends; as fate would have it, all available Guardians were deployed to the moon and many lost their lives during the Great Disaster, Ari being amongst the many casualties.

Ace then recalls the drift between the two; Zakai obsessing over finding a way to bring back the third member of their team back while Ianos distanced himself to silently grief over their loss. It was this lack of attention that the natural born Stormcaller dwelled too deep and was killed by the very thing he sought out. Despite the fact that there was nothing they could have done, Ianos blamed himself for the death of his lovers and to this day, the passing of Ari and Zakai loomed over his shoulders.

"Ianos, that wasn't your fault."

Ace received a disheartened snort in response, "There are times when I look at Hush, that I see Zakai in her. His laugh. His smile. His innocence." The Ghost then heard his Guardian pause, seeing his gaze lift slightly, "I cannot repeat the same mistake. I cannot leave her alone. Not like with Zakai. I can't leave her when I know she needs my help."

At first doubtful of the similarities, Ace still took the time of the momentary silence to take in their Guardian's words into consideration, and it was only then he understood the resemblance. The way she would laugh at the simplest of things, when her eyes would light up whenever a book was placed into her lap, and the warm smile she would give the others whenever they would spend time with her. Ace can see Zakai in every action the child Guardian performs and this caused a small lingering amount of grief to form in the back of their core; the pair had failed to protect the two that they had cared for most in the world they currently live in and now, they cannot do the same to Hush.

"I understand your concerns, Ianos." Ace started, "However, acting rashly isn't going to help us find her." They then sighed, "Come, let us find a place to properly 'blend in'."

At first, receiving nothing in response, a sense of ease oozed out of the Ghost when they saw their vision shift up and down; a sign of a nod. Seeing Ianos push himself away from the wall, Ace waited patiently as the Warlock took steps back into the streets, his strides now less strained and relaxed.

Xxxxx

More than anything Hush wanted Crystalline's familiar star shaped form over her shoulders, whispering words of comfort into her ears as she huddled against the musky wall. But the child Guardian knows better; if the female Ghost were to reveal herself in front of her captors, then Hush's status as a Soldier of the Light would have been brought to the surface, and she doesn't want to know what happens if they were ever to figure out her identity.

As such, the reason she simply hugged her knees with her back pressed against the wall, doing her best to bled in amongst the other victims of her kidnappers; mostly children, but she had seen several adults and some Exo amongst their group. She doesn't see any humans with the exception of her captors, much to her relief.

She had been brought to what it seems like to be an abandoned warehouse, if the crusted crates and boxes elude to that. Although seemingly having a large amount of space, this doesn't stop her captors from pressing all the victims against one corner of the building, most likely in an attempt to keep an eye on them all. There were three of them, the ones who were responsible behind this 'operation'; all of them human. From what Hush can understand, they were planning to bring them to the outer edges of the Wall where they will be 'sold'. To who, the child Guardian doesn't know but knowing that both she and the group that she has been stuck with being treated as 'property' is horrifying enough to her.

Wiping the tears from the edges of her eyes with the back of her hand, Hush did her best to keep the cloth and hood over her features; she already knows the repercussions of being an Awoken, she doesn't want to know what would happen if they know of her bloodlines.

"What do you mean another one escaped!?"

Jumping in her seat, Hush lifted her yellow eyes up past the shoulders of those around her, easily seeing two of their captors march in front of the group before one – a tall, broad black haired male – turned to the other – a leaner but equivalent in height brunette – and jabbed a finger into the latter's chest, "We are already behind in quota but yet you lost another potential glimmer bag?"

"What else am I supposed to do?" The other snarled back, "Hold out my gun against a Guardian and fire? Or have you forgotten that those 'Soldiers of the Light' have shields that make our weapons nothing more than simple wooden pellets? I was lucky even to make it out with my life!"

A groan of frustration can be heard from the black-haired man, "That shit stain have been giving us troubles for 'months'. I thought Guardians weren't supposed to be armed out in the streets of the City."

"Supposedly, but that doesn't mean all of them have to follow the 'rules'."

Seeing the black-haired human throw his arms into the air out of irritation, Hush couldn't help but bring her knees closer to her chest when he suddenly pointed a finger at her group, "Just help me load them up. The least we can do is get some glimmer out of this group of filth."

Hearing the brunette let out a grunt, the child Guardian's heart beat wildly in her chest as the man complied, approaching the group before reaching over and locked his arms with one of the children – another Awoken – the latter of which let out a cry as the man started dragging him away. This included the child digging his heels to the ground and to Hush's amazement, the child nearly made himself stick to the floor, halting the mans' footsteps. However, no sooner had the child done this when the man suddenly releases his grip and twirled around, Hush's eyes going wide as he used the back of his hand to slap the child, sending the latter to the floor.

"What are you doing?! Are you trying to damage the merchandise!?"

Glancing her eyes to the side of the room, Hush froze as the familiar form of the human who kidnapped her waltzed into the room, his azure hues narrowing behind his blonde strands, "Some of our buyers actually want them 'unscathed'."

A snort was all he received as a response, "So what? After our 'customers' are done with them, it won't matter if they're bruised or not." The brunette then turned his brown eyes towards the group, "That's how they're going to end up anyway."

"Not before the sale." The blonde snarled, earning a roll of the eyes from the brunette before the latter reluctantly leaned down to pick up the sobbing Awoken child.

"Mom!" The child cried as he was forced onto his feet, "Mom! Help me! Help!"

A tug on the arm was all the Awoken child received, "Shut up! Or do you want me to tape your mouth shut!?"

Seeing the brunette tug on the child once more, sympathy rose in the child Guardian's chest as the Awoken let out a shrill cry, collapsing to the floor as he let himself being drug across the hearth.

"Come here!" She let out a scream as she felt her arm easily bend under the grip, shedding tears as pain resounding from the appendage. In response to the 'crack' ringing through the air, her fellow drifter released their grasp, obviously surprised by her fragility. It was then she heard footsteps quickly approach and before she can lift her gaze to see who was fast approaching, she heard her assailant let out a surprised yelp as they were easily lifted off the ground, and it was only then, she saw the familiar garbed form of her father, anger clear in his eyes, "How dare you touch my child!"

Letting the fog of the memory fade from her mind, Hush focused her attention back onto the child's crying form, tears fresh in her eyes; even back when she was alive amongst her clan, her father would always keep an eye out for her, even if it means going up against those who were obviously broader in height and size. But the child in front of her, the one crying for his mother, he was alone amongst the frightened victims and something in the back of Hush's mind couldn't let that stay. As such, before she can fully comprehend her own movements, the child Guardian jumped to her feet, easily ran past the fearful forms around her, and locked onto the brunette; from the way his brown hues widen at her fast approaching form, she can easily guess he wasn't expecting one of his victims to retaliate.

Using her shoulder to broadside him, Hush let out a scream as it let out a 'crack' but, the satisfying sound of the brunette letting out a cry of alarm from the attack was satisfying enough. Letting the haze of the pain fade from her senses, the child Guardian took the opportunity to reach over and grab the crying Awoken with her free hand and tugged, easily feeling being freed from the brunette's grasp. Seeing the boy scramble back to the group, a sense of victory filled up the back of Hush's mind, but it quickly faded as she felt rough hands grab her by the shoulders, causing her to let out a yelp as her broken shoulder spiked in pain in retaliation, only for her yellow hues to lock onto furious brown, "Who the fuck do you think you –"

It was then he paused, Hush seeing the anger in his eyes being replaced with one of bewilderment and shock, causing her to reel back from the sudden change in emotion. Then she reached up to her hood and, froze. The cloth had fallen from her attack alongside with the scarf around her lips, Hush easily seeing the small wispy patterns of her Awoken lineage in the eyes of her captor. She was exposed.

Xxxxx

I was created to kill.

To destroy.

To take life.

They expected me to follow without question.

And that I have.

Does not mean I like taking lives.

Killing.

Violence.

A weapon.

Everything that I am

I despise

That is why I created you.

You are everything that I am not.

And yet

I am still here.

Am I still cursed to live out this life?

To live out my remaining years as a slave?

As a machine?

I guess that is my fate

As such, 'my brother'

If there comes a time when death is needed

Then instead of dirtying your hands of blood

I shall be the one to rain down punishment on the unjust

To cleanse the sinners amongst the innocents

If we are to find the guilty

Their lives are forfeit.

Xxxxx

"Knight!"

The Exo Warlock took in a shuddering breath, his white optics wide as his gaze wildly scanned his surroundings. Immediately, he was taken back; instead of the numerous apartments and small shops of the denizens of the Last City, Knight instead found himself staring into what seemed to be rings, slowly crossing each other as the familiar holographic form of the Traveler flickered within. Reeling back from the sudden change in his surroundings, Knight glanced over his shoulder, his gaze locking onto the worried optic of Day.

"Knight, are you alright? Wait no, are you Knight?"

The Exo Guardian reeled back at his Ghost's question, "What in the hell is that supposed to mean?"

"You're Knight," Scrunching his metallic features together as the nervous look in Day's optic soften, the young Guardian couldn't help but ask, "Day, what's going on?" He then shifted his gaze to his surroundings once more, spotting pedestals balancing similar designs of the construct in front of him, "And how did I get here?"

When he turned his optics back towards Day, he can easily see the worry reappear in his Ghost's optics, "You still don't remember?"

"What do you mean still?" Seeing Day press their parts against their core, the Exo Warlock just let out a sigh as he rubbed the back of his neck, pausing as his fingers pressed against familiar robes and lining of his helmet; when did he dress in his armor? Letting his hands fall back onto his side, Knight turned and gave Day a blank look behind his visor, knowing fully well any pressing won't gain him any answers. After all, this wasn't the first of his 'black outs'. The first Knight can recall was when he found himself in the front doors of the Tower, dressed in his armor and weapons drawn. Obviously, he was confused, and had asked Day for answers and more specifically, recordings of the time when he was unaware. However, to his surprise, the white shelled Ghost refused to give any answers, let alone recordings, and as each black out passes, Knight gave up on trying to gain any. If Day wasn't going to give him the answers straight up, the Exo Warlock will just find another way. Somehow.

"Echo, if you are here to ask about the Traveler's condition, I have to say the answer has been the same the past few weeks: they are stable and on their way of healing –"

Hearing the unfamiliar voice pause, Knight reeled back before fixing his gaze upwards, his optics following the trail of steps before fixating onto a white garbed figure, the latter of which push himself away from his desk and slowly descending down the stairs. Although a white mask seemingly puzzled together hid most of his features, the way the man's shoulders slightly lift and the way he had stopped mid-sentence earlier gave away his surprise, "My apologies, your light is very similar to a specific Titan. How may I help you, Guardian?"

"Shining Knight." The Exo Warlock corrected, "Or Knight. And you are…"

"I am merely called the Speaker here." Knight blinked at the name, "I am guessing that you are a newborn, Knight?"

"A little over half a year, but yes, how did you know?"

Instead of an immediate answer, the Exo Warlock watched as the Speaker simply turned and ascended the stairs followed by a simple wave of the hand; a sign for the young Guardian to follow. Turning his attention to Day to give the Ghost a nervous glance, Knight shoved his concerns aside and followed the Speaker up the steps, coming to a pause as he watched the robed figure walk over to his desk.

"I know every face, every name." Knight remained quiet at his answer, "To remember those who leave for the field and back. And for those who do not return." Flinching at the notion, the Exo Warlock then jumped as the Speaker turned his gaze towards him, "You were an unfamiliar face, Knight. I just simply put the pieces together to come to an answer." He then watched the Speaker turn his attention towards the spire, causing a momentary silence to permeate between the two of them before he added, "But, I can tell from your light that you have questions, questions that you want answers for."

"Wait, how did you-" He paused as the Speaker raised a hand, "My light is 'in tune' to others around me." Knight blinked at the reply, "Your light seemed conflicted, confused. A usual sign of one wanting answers." He then watched as the garbed figure turned to fully face him, his arms crossed behind his back, "Is there any way I can help calm the light within?"

That's when the Exo Warlock hesitated, his white optics flashing over the unreadable mind of the Speaker; can he trust him? Honestly, Knight had 'heard' of the Speaker, he had heard snitches and snatches of the 'figurehead' of the Guardians when wandering around the Tower but not once had it occurred to him that the Speaker himself makes his home with the Soldiers of the Light. To Knight, if the Speaker was such an important figure, why not stay away in an area that is away from danger or at least, in a place where no harm can come to him. But then again, when the Exo Warlock saw the familiar star shaped form of a Ghost hover near the Speaker's shoulders, what if he is strong enough to defend himself? To the point where he does not fear of the thought of a possible coup d'état from the Guardians around him? This made Knight wonder just how powerful the Speaker is. But does that relate to trust?

Processing his thoughts, Knight slowly came to a decision, "You said earlier that my light was very similar to another? Echo, correct? What do you mean by that?"

No sooner had he asked his question when a soft hum emitted from the Speaker, his eyes unreadable behind his mask, "If that is your question, then I am to guess that you are an Exo, Knight?"

The young Guardian reeled back at the question, "Yes, but how is that prevalent to my question at hand?"

Instead of an immediate answer, Knight was surprised to see the Speaker approach him, slowly closing the distance until at least an arm's length away. Then, he placed a hand onto his chest. At first, confused at the gesture, Knight parted his lips to protest however, paused as a comforting warmth spread throughout his body, causing him to let his shoulders relax and a fog to enter his mind. However, just as it occurred, it dispersed, causing Knight to reel back as he saw the Speaker lower his hand, "I have heard reports of self-memory wipes but not once had I encountered a Guardian who had done it to himself." The Exo then watched the Speaker slowly make his way back to his desk, "However, if you want answers, then I can say this: speak to Echo. He will give you all the answers you seek."

Hearing the name of the Titan, Knight couldn't help but let his shoulders sag in a mix of fear and relief; relief that he can finally find answers to his questions but fear thanks to the past experiences with his fellow Exo, "I do not mean to be rude Speaker, but why Echo? Can you not simply answer my question? Why is my Light similar to his?"

It was then he saw the Speaker pause, watching the robed figure slowly turn his head to fixate his hidden gaze upon his, "Because 'I' do not have all the answers but, Echo 'does'." He then turned his attention back towards the spire located in the middle of the room, "He is an enigma to those around him Guardian, however, he gave me enough answers to know why your light is similar to his and as such, had put in a simple request." Dread filled up within Knight's chest as the Speaker's gaze focused on him once more, "He requested that any Exo with a light similar to his is to go to 'him' for answers. No alternatives, just to redirect them to him."

Fidgeting in place, Knight couldn't help but wring his hands together, his optics glancing around in worry, "Have, have there been others before me?"

"No, you are the first." The Exo Warlock's gaze snapped back onto the Speaker's, "He had put in the request back during the years when the City was nothing more than a small settlement however, had yet to gain a result." It was then he sensed a wave of comfort, helping him suppress the worry and fear building up in Knight's chest, "Whatever concern you have with him, Knight, do not fret. If you go to him willingly, he will not be a threat. He instead, will be happy to have a friend."

"What? What do you mean?" Instead of an answer, frustration built up within the back of Knight's mind as the Speaker simply turned and resumed his work on whatever was on his desk, "Speaker, please, I need to understand what is-"

"Knight!" The Exo Warlock turned to his Ghost, seeing Day spread their parts out erratically as they stated, "It's Quinn! Quinn sent out a frequency."

"Frequency? What frequency?"

Seeing the Ghost's optics widen at his question, it took Knight only moments to realize why; the start of his memory gap, back when he had received the news that Hush had been taken. Feeling his chest heat up from the thought, the Exo Warlock gulped as he asked, "What did he say?"

"He said he found the base!" Knight's optics widen, "He found where the kidnappers are based!"

No sooner had he taken in the Ghost's words when relief flooded his senses followed by worry; it was of good news that the base of the kidnappers has been found but what of Hush? Is she based there? And if she were, was she unharmed? Will she even be alive?

Murderers!

A wave of rage suddenly surged throughout Knight's body, causing the Exo Warlock to let out a choke, stumbling back as a snarl suddenly left his lips; this was not him. This was not his anger that was being released.

Where are they?! Where are the filth hiding Little One?!

Feeling the fury build up in his mind, Knight suddenly felt his feet fly out underneath him, his surroundings suddenly turning black as he felt himself falling. Then, darkness.

Quinn belongs to AQY

AQY - I know Quinn didn't get much screen time in this chapter but don't worry, he got a lot more before I had to cut the chapter in half lol. So, next chapter C:

And that's the end of this chapter! Expect the next update to pop up in a couple of hours! But don't expect much, it's going to be a tad bit shorter than this one.