Chapter 21

10 Hygiea

"You're really going back?" Cody exclaimed at the news Tobias had shared with him and Trisha. The announcement had gone out the day before to the Guardians that they would be returning to Earth. Oryx had left the Earth for reasons the Vanguard was unable to determine, but nevertheless, now was the time to act. They were going to take their home back.

"Yup." Tobias replied with a nod.

"But isn't it dangerous there?" Cody continued tentatively.

"That's true, but I have to." Tobias stated. "Someone has to go and fix everything right?"

"Mhmm."

"That's what the rest of the Guardians and I are going to do. And when the Earth is all fixed up, you can come back too." Tobias said as ruffled Cody's hair. "I'll be there waiting for you."

"Awesome, I can't wait to go back." Cody said before looking toward his mother. "Right mom?"

"That's right sweetie." She said, giving him a warm smile. "Now why don't you get washed up for bed."

"Okay." Cody said as he hopped off the sofa and dashed off into one of the corridors, heading for the bathroom. There was short silence now that the two of them were alone, which was unusual for them.

Tobias had been coming by to visit them almost daily since they had arrived on 10 Hygiea, helping them with anything they needed whether it was small shopping trips or a little help around the house. He was attached to them now, and when it was announced that they were going back to Earth, Tobias realized he wouldn't be able to see them for quite some time.

"So when do you think you'll be back?" Trisha asked him.

"I really don't know. The Vanguard hasn't briefed us entirely yet. They just announced that we're going back." Tobias replied, much to Trisha's dismay as she looked at him with concern.

"No details or anything?"

"No." Tobias stated, shaking his head.

"Well then, I guess the only thing I can do is wish you luck." She said as she moved closer to him on the sofa, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Please come back in one piece for us."

Looking directly into her concern filled eyes, Tobias could only that wish that time could freeze so that he could stare at her forever. He still couldn't figure out what it was about her that drove him crazy, whether it was her eyes, or her smile. It felt so familiar, as if she had been by his side for years. But that wasn't possible…right?

"Don't you worry, I'll be just fine. And once the Earth is clear again, I'll be waiting for the two of you there." Tobias stated, giving her a small grin of confidence. "Once they build a concert hall down there, I'm going to make sure that you're on that stage one day so that everyone can hear you play."

"Don't get ahead of yourself now." Trisha said as she put her hands up in defense now.

"I don't understand why you're being so reserved. The point is the share your music with everyone, not keep it to yourself." Tobias pointed out as the tension in the room dispersed.

"I'll share it when I'm ready." She retorted through pursed lips, folding her arms in front of her chest.

"Yeah but I'll die of old age before that." Tobias said under his breath, earning a laugh from Trisha.

"What was that?" She said as she gave him a small push.

"I'm sure you heard me." Tobias responded as his Ghost took shape beside him.

"Tobias, don't forget that you have people waiting on you." His Ghost reminded him before disappearing once again.

"Hmm, well I guess that my cue to leave." Tobias noted as he rose up from the sofa.

"I'll see you out then." Trisha said as she joined him in heading toward the front door.

"You're leaving already?" Cody exclaimed as came back just in time to see that Tobias was stepping out the front door.

"Sorry kiddo, duty calls." He said as Trisha picked up Cody.

"Good luck Tobias." Trisha said as Cody gave him a nod of agreement.

The three of them shared a quick hug, and embrace that Tobias would never forget. Once they separated, Tobias said one last good bye to them, earning a wave in response as he began walking down the corridor. Trisha and Cody said a silent pray, hoping that Tobias would make it through his next battle safely. Rounding a corner, Tobias spotted the elevator that would take him down to the ground floor.

"Aww, that was adorable Tobias." A voice said, causing Tobias to jump out of his skin. Whirling around, he turned just in time to see Niko become visible behind him with a toothy grin on his face.

"Were you eavesdropping?" Tobias exclaimed at him.

"Heh, I wouldn't know." Niko said playfully. "I think it's cute that you have your own little family though."

"My own, family?" Tobias repeated as they proceeded to the elevator.

"Yeah. You were saying good bye to them like you were heading off to war, although that's kind of what's happening." Niko noted as they entered the elevator and began traveling down to the ground floor.

Tobias had never given it much thought, but he could see what Niko was talking about. He did treat them like they were his family. The small memory he had of his wife and son resurfaced, causing Tobias' head to swirl as he replaced the two of them Trisha and Cody. Was he allowed to do that? Shaking his head a bit, Tobias shook off the thoughts as he decided to focus on the task at hand.

They were going back to Earth to eliminate the threat of Oryx's armies. The Vanguard had called for all of the Guardians to gather for a full briefing on the situation on Earth.

The Guardians had gathered in large hall, similar to Consensus Hall back in the Last City. It was nowhere near as extravagant and well designed as Consensus Hall, but it was large enough for all of the Guardians to attend for this briefing.

There was a large stage toward the front of the auditorium where everyone could see that Vanguard Mentors were standing; double checking to make sure that everyone was present. Soon enough they called for everyone's attention, putting an end to the chatter that had filled the room.

"Guardians, I'm sure you all have heard that we will be returning to Earth later this week." Zavala began. "But I'm sure many of you have a list of questions concerning how we're going to carry out this operation."

And this was true. There was an endless of things that everyone had been discussing since the announcement the day before. What was the condition of the Last City? What were they going to use as base to launch this campaign against the Taken? Since they had been gone for nearly five months now, what had Oryx's forces done to their home? The list went on and on.

"So I think we'll start with the most obvious one. What does Earth look like right now." Zavala declared as his Ghost took shape beside him, projecting an image of the Earth for the audience. The Earth rotated for a few moments before it came to a stop with the eastern hemisphere facing the crowd, although compared to the western side of the planet, the east had gone dark. "These are images of what the Taken have done since arriving on the Earth."

Several screenshots were blown up for all to see. Most of the shots were dark, the sky hazy and within each shot there were dozens of Taken Blights in each picture, sucking the life out of everything within their radius.

"The entire eastern hemisphere has been lost the Taken." Zavala revealed to them all. "They have yet to advance beyond that, which is why we are going to take the initiative and launch a campaign to eliminate them before they can take what's left of our home."

"Did you see how many of those Blights there were?"

"We could barely defend ourselves in the Last City, how are we going to fight that many of them at once?"

Whispers flew around the room, but they were put to rest as Ikora called for their attention.

"You all have been preparing for this battle since we left Earth." Ikora began. "There's no reason to start doubting yourselves now. The other Mentors and I have seen the progress that all of you have made with your new sub-classes, and as Guardians. We wouldn't be launching this campaign if we didn't have the utmost confidence in you."

This put many of their doubts to rest as many of them realized that they were indeed much stronger than when they had left the City. Patrolling areas, aiding the citizens and watching over the walls of the Last City took away time Guardians could use to hone their skills. But they didn't have any of these duties during the last few months, giving them an abundance of time to better themselves. And that was exactly what they had done. There was no reason for doubt.

"Now it's still going to be a tough fight, so be prepared to scrap if you have to." Cayde warned them. "Fortunately, you weren't the only ones preparing the for the day that we would go back to Earth. Our weapon foundries have been developing a number of new weapons for us to take into battle."

"Dang man, the Taken won't even know what hit them!"

"You got that right!"

They were itching to get into battle now, eager to see their improvement, and anxious to reclaim the Earth.

The Speaker then stepped out onto the stage, joining the Vanguard Mentors in front of the audience of Guardians.

"The Traveler will remain in the Reef until this campaign is complete. Once the Earth has been liberated, the Traveler and all of mankind will return." The Speaker declared, pumping up the Guardians even more.

Tobias had a small smirk on his face at the thought of going down into the battlefield that Earth had become. Closing his hands into tight fists, he couldn't wait as well. He was just as determined as everyone else.

"I'm amazed that Reginald is still looking out for me, even when my physical form is dormant." The Traveler said, causing Tobias to look up in confusion.

'Reginald?' Tobias repeated. 'Who the heck is that?'

"The man in white down there."

'You know who he is?' Tobias exclaimed.

"Yes, he spent a great deal of time studying me during the Golden Age. In fact he's one of the few humans to meld his mind with my own." The Traveler explained. "I'm shocked you don't remember any of this Tobias."

'Why would I?'

"You were there with him."

'What are you talking about?'

"I'm saying that during the Golden Age, you and Reginald studied me together. You were very close back then, but I guess after losing your memory he decided not to fuss over too many of the details about the two of you."

"No, I guess he didn't." Tobias said to himself as he gave the Speaker a narrow stare. He had no idea that the two of them even had a relationship beforehand. That was an interesting bit of information.

Hanger Bay

Undaunted had gathered together on Diana's ship now that they had been cleared for departure. And all of them had a lot to share with each other. They had all gone running around from one weapon manufacturer to another, collecting the new weapons that had been produced, eager to test them out for themselves.

"Dude, this thing is kick ass!" Niko exclaimed as he showed the group the new sniper rifle he had received from Banshee. It had been dubbed the Stillpiercer by Banshee-44 and specially made for Hunters that were expert marksman.

"Big whoop, check out this!" Carmen hollered in return as she waved her new hand cannon. It was known as the Ace of Spades, a hand cannon that had been mass produced by Tex Mechanica that rewarded agility under fire.

"Tobias, did you receive one of these?" Diana asked as she displayed the new fusion rifle she had received from Ikora, the Susanoo. Ikora had shared with Diana that this fusion rifle was capable of altering its elemental damaged based on what type of Light the Guardian using it was channeling.

"Uh yeah." Tobias replied, recalling that he had received one as well. But that wasn't the only weapon had been given to him by Ikora. While he was visiting the Omolon weapon foundry he ran into Ikora who had actually been looking for him. She took him in to meet with some of the engineers that work for Omolon who had just finished another weapon that they wanted him to field test.

They called it the Tlaloc. But even though they said it was finished, the scout rifle still looked incomplete in his eyes; although they told him it's supposed to look that way. They explained to him that they had developed this weapon to feed off the excess energy that builds up within Guardians as they look for opportunities to use their supers, improving its performance as the Guardians were at their strongest as well.

"Whoa, where did you get that?" Diana exclaimed, prompting Tobias to share how he had received it from Omolon.

"Wait, why would they pick you to field test a weapon like that? You use your super constantly so I don't know how you'd make a good test subject when the point is to be conservative with it." Carmen pointed out.

"Actually Carmen, Tobias is the best test subject available." Tobias' Ghost interjected as it appeared in front of her, causing the small Hunter to jump from its sudden appearance. "Unlike the rest of you who have to build up energy to use your super or gather Orbs of Light, Tobias' seems to recharge instantly, which is why he is able to use them so haphazardly. While it's fair to say he always uses his super, it's because he always has it. That alone makes him the perfect test subject for the Tlaloc."

"Wow, thanks Ghost." Tobias said to his small partner who gave him a nod before disappearing once again. He had thought that the drone would be giving him the silent treatment or something similar after their little scuffle over the subject of Titus. But perhaps not, which was fine for Tobias.

"Attention all Guardians, we've received clearance from the Vestian Outpost to begin our trip to Earth. You may depart as soon as you're ready!" Zavala's voice boomed over the comms, reminding them that it was time to commence their mission.

"Well guys, are you ready?" Tobias asked as he each of them in the eyes, from Diana to Carmen and then to Niko.

"I was born ready!" Carmen stated in response as she pumped her fist.

"Ditto." Diana added, not even bothering to match Carmen's enthusiasm.

"I don't even think you need to ask me." Niko said as he put his hand out, waiting for the rest of them to put theirs on top of his own. One by one they placed their hands on top his, then they raised them together. "Let's go kick some ass."

Earth

North America

"Wait, wait, wait…repeat that for me." Niko said as he motioned for his Ghost to halt their briefing. They were still inside the cabin of Diana's ship, eagerly awaiting to arrive at their destination. During the trip to Earth, everyone's Ghosts had received all the information concerning the rendezvous point on Earth, information that had previously been kept secret from just about everyone.

"For about two decades now, the Vanguard has been constructing a new sanctuary in North America." His Ghost repeated for the team who was still just as dumbfounded even after hearing this a second time.

"So they've been building…another city?" Diana asked for clarification.

"It was in response to the Battle of Twilight Gap. Our highest priority is protecting mankind and the Traveler, and at the Battle of Twilight Gap, we had nowhere that we could go, we were stuck with our enemies encamped around us." Niko's Ghost went on. "The Vanguard said that they wouldn't allow that to happen again, and so they selected a location in North America, the remains of a city known as Chicago, and construction began."

"So they've been building this city for twenty years and none of us knew?" Diana asked, shocked that something like this flew under everyone's radar for so long.

"Believe me, when the Vanguard wants to keep a secret, no one is going to know." Ghost stated, causing most of them to raise an eyebrow at this.

"So what's this new city like?" Carmen asked curiously.

"It was modeled after the Last City, so I imagine that it will feel familiar to you all when we arrive." Ghost explained. "But the Vanguard still wants all to be more familiar with the city since it will be acting as our new base. So when we arrive, each of you will be joining the Guardians that watch over this city and assisting them with their duties."

"So basically it's like we're still in the Last City, just on the other side of the planet?" Niko clarified, earning a small nod from his Ghost.

"We'll be arriving shortly, so if you all come to the cockpit you can get your first look at Neo Chicago." Niko's Ghost explained as it invited them all to go into the cockpit. Bunching into the rather small area within the ship, the group could see out of the windows in front of them. They were flying above water, approaching a long and expansive cityscape that grew larger on the horizon.

In a matter of seconds they were flying over this city, Neo Chicago. The cockpit became filled with 'oohs' and 'awws' as the Guardians gawked at the city. It was practically sparkling as they flew over it. Compared to the Last City, the skyscrapers were taller, the roads were cleaner, the city itself was better, but the walls surrounding the city were still small. Clearly there were still some issues to be addressed, but it was clear to them that this place could definitely be the home for humanity and the Traveler.

"This is amazing!" Carmen exclaimed, eager to get closer look.

"We'll be arriving at the base in just a few moments." Niko's Ghost informed them. "I think you'll find it refreshingly familiar."

Landing on their feet after being warped out of their ship, Undaunted could agree that this was indeed a sight they had seen before. This courtyard was modeled after the Tower as well. There were numerous small details missing, like Banshee in his little corner, and the Xander the bounty tracker, but the courtyard they stood in right now was just like the Tower.

It was amazing to think that the Vanguard had been constructing this in secret for so long. It was hard to believe that this had been waiting for them all this time.

"Does this place have a name?" Carmen asked curiously, causing her own Ghost to form beside her.

"It was named recently actually, by the Speaker. He called it, the Mulligan." Her Ghost revealed, earning some confused glances from the rest of the group.

"The Mulligan?"

"Another shot, so to speak." Her Ghost clarified, causing all of them to look up at the banners that were flapping in the wind.

Another shot…

They had lost their first sanctuary, but this was an extra shot or attempt to keep humanity on Earth. They weren't going to let this one slip through their fingers.

"Come on, the bounty tracker has been moved down in the Hall of Guardians. You all have to go there to see what tasks you'll be tending to until we determine when we'll launch the campaign against the Taken." Carmen's Ghost said as it zipped away, heading to the heart of the plaza where the entrance to the Hall of Guardians was waiting for them.

Heading down into the tunnel, they discovered that it had been redecorated compared to how it looked in the Tower. Shaxx was nowhere to be found along with his assistant Arcite 99-40. In their place though was the Xander the bounty tracker who's board was significantly larger, spanning the entire length of the small area that belonged to the drone. Opposite of Xander was Banshee who was still setting up his stand and weapon displays in preparation for the Guardians that would likely be coming to him to prepare for the upcoming battle.

It was strange seeing these down in the Hall of Guardians for Diana and Niko. For years they had always visited these two out in the plaza, but it was nothing they wouldn't get used to after some time.

"Xander, long time no see." Niko said as he greeted the drone who turned slowly to face them.

"Indeed it has. Are you ready to get to work Guardian?" Xander asked in return, motioning to the board that was littered with tasks for them to tackle. "Unlike the Last City, the Guardians that had been stationed here have been stretched thin between constructing and patrolling. If you all wouldn't mind splitting into pairs to take on a few extra duties, it would be much appreciated."

"Yeah, of course Xander." Diana replied.

"I call Niko!" Carmen jumped in immediately, calling dibs on the tallest member of the team.

"Hunters unite!" Niko exclaimed as they gave each other a high five.

"Can you believe those two?" Diana asked Tobias as he stuck his tongue out at the two of them.

"I know, all flash and no substance." Tobias jeered.

"I seem to remember you digging these cloaks when we back to Twilight Gap Tobias." Niko pointed out with a sly grin, causing Tobias to chuckle nervously.

"Ahem." Xander said, earning their attention.

"So what do you have for us Xander?" Carmen inquired.

"For the first team, they'll be joining a number of fireteams beyond the perimeter of Neo Chicago. The Hive and Fallen have been kept at bay for years now, but with so many Guardians arriving, we've decided to press the offensive and begin clearing them out to make sure that this is a true sanctuary when the Traveler returns." Xander explained.

"We'll take it!" Carmen said eagerly as her Ghost appeared to collect the information from the board.

"And the second team will be joining the communications division below the base. There are dozens of scouting teams in the eastern hemisphere that need to be updated on the movements of the Taken from our satellites. A few extra eyes and ears could go a long way." Xander said after turning to Diana and Tobias.

Tobias shrugged, a bit disappointed that Niko and Carmen were heading out to the front lines while he was being tucked away beneath the base.

"We're on it." Diana said with a salute before slapping Tobias' back.

"What was that for?" He asked.

"Move with some pep, we're on duty now." Diana said to him with a small grin as she motioned for him to follow as her Ghost collected what they needed from the bounty board.

Tobias was astonished to say the least as he stepped out the elevator. The base above ground was just like the Tower back in the Last City, but there was a whole new world underneath it. There were multiple levels, barracks for the Guardians to rest, a cafeteria floor, bathrooms and showers, but as they went further now, they began to find the floors where Guardians were hard at work.

They could see a room with about six people studying a hologram, likely discussing different strategies to fight the Taken. It was very chaotic as it seemed as though everyone was rushing to finalize any plans for the campaign.

The floor they had arrived on was incredibly decorated, with prizes claimed from various battlefields mounted on the walls. But as they ventured through the halls, the decorations began to change from items collected in battle to relics from the Golden Age.

"You'll have to forgive them, the communications division shares their floor with some of the scientists that have been studying objects from the Golden Age." Diana's Ghost explained as they stopped by a funny looking statue. It was made of bronze of a man that seemed to be leaping through the air with his legs split far apart, one arm outstretched holding a sphere.

"Does he have to use the bathroom?" Diana asked, wondering why this man was in such an awkward pose. Tobias cracked up at this though.

"He's playing basketball Diana." Tobias stated.

"What's that?"

"It's a game that was really popular back in the Golden Age."

"Oh, so this guy is a basketball player?" Diana asked, getting a nod from Tobias. "Do you know who he is?"

"No, I don't think I ever seen him before." Tobias replied with a shrug.

"Don't get distracted you two. There are people waiting on you." Tobias' Ghost reminded them.

"Right, right, let's keep moving." Tobias said as he kept moving. Diana took one last look at the statue with a frown before following Tobias as they ventured down a long corridor before arriving at the entrance to the communications division.

The doors separated, allowing them to peer into the massive room. It was loaded with teams of operators working in pairs as they closely examined the projected maps in front of them, sorting through any information they were receiving from the scouting teams. Out of all the places they had seen so far, this room held the most chaos and confusion to anyone that happened to be passing by as operators were barking out orders and passing along information.

"Hey!" A voice boomed at them over the ruckus. A both Diana and Tobias' surprise, such a big voice came from a rather small man. "Are you two the temps they sent us?!"

"Yeah!" Diana shouted in return.

"Good, put these on!" He said, tossing each of them a headset that silenced all of the shouting that filled the room. "Can you hear me now?"

"Much better." Tobias noted.

"Good. This is going to be your line of communication with the team you'll be escorting. Your hub is set up over here." The man explained as he motioned for them to follow him through the crowded area.

"Escorting?"

"Yeah, you'll be acting as guides for a scouting team. They're returning to the Russian Cosmodrome, and area that has a heavy Taken presence. You two are responsible for keeping them informed on the movements of the enemy." He explained as they arrived at their hub. "I'm going to leave the two of you here, and thanks for your assistance today."

Without even introducing himself the man disconnected himself from their line and disappeared into the crowd once again, leaving the two of them by their hub which lit up as they were then connected with the team they were working with.

"Hello?" A voice called out curiously.

"Hey." Diana said in return as their map took shape above the hub, showing them an area that Diana and Tobias were very familiar with. The Forgotten Shore.

"This is fireteam Dustdrift calling in. We're ready to land on the Forgotten Shore, do we have clearance?" A male voice asked. Tobias and Diana's eyes darted all over the map, scanning it for anything of not. The area seemed to be empty for the most part, but as they examined an abandoned building on top of a hill, they noticed a number of Taken Blights around its entrance.

"The Taken presence is low. You're clear to land." Diana replied.

"Awesome, we're going in then."

"What are you guys checking in this area anyway?" Tobias asked curiously as their ship appeared on the map, heading down to the shoreline where it dropped a trio of small circles that were labeled with the first name of each Guardian. Hank, Amelia and Audrey.

"The last team that came through this area reported that they were picking up a strange signal. But at the team the Taken presence was heavy here, so they were forced to leave. We were sent back to investigate now." Amelia explained for them.

"Let me guess, the signal is coming from that building at the top of the hill in between the two wrecked ships." Tobias said.

"Yup." They replied. Figures that it would be the only place that the Taken seemed to be.

"Well it looks like you guys are in for a fight." Diana noted as zoomed in on the map, focusing on the entrance to the building. There were three Blights outside of it with a number of Taken opponents gathered around each of them.

"That's nothing new for us. We've been scouting this side of the planet for weeks now so we've gotten into our fair share of scuffles with these guys." Hank replied confidently. "We can hold our own."

"Alright, approach once you're ready." Diana said as they completed their final prep before summoning their sparrows. The team approached quickly, hopping off their sparrows about halfway up the hill as they approached the first Blight. Tobias grinned a bit as they stormed through the enemies, eliminating the Blight from the map he was looking it as they proceeded onto the next one.

In no time at all they had torn through the enemies and now stood before the entrance to the broken down building. Venturing inside, Diana then zoomed in on the building and raised the map, giving them an inside view of the building. But the images they had were outdated and come a stop after a few flights of stairs.

"We don't have any recent imaging of this building so you all have to give us a live feed." Diana said.

"Sure thing." Audrey replied as they began to descend down a staircase. Tobias watched in amazement as the team continued forward as the map adjusted, updating its imagery to the current appearance of the building. And it was mess in comparison. There was a black ooze splattered all over the walls and ceiling that was clearly unnerving the trio of Guardians as they proceeded further down.

"What the heck is this stuff?" Amelia asked.

"Some kind of extraterrestrial goop." Hank said in reply.

"There are enemies on the floor beneath us." Audrey pointed out as they readied their weapons.

"Be careful, we don't have any information on what's taking place down there." Diana warned them.

"Don't worry, this is nothing we haven't handled before." Hank replied. "Are you girls ready?"

Tobias could only assume that they give him a nod before they moved in, heading into an area that wasn't displayed on the map. The end of their staircase led down into a small room with numerous diamond shaped entrances protruding from the walls.

Gunfire filled the comms as they three of them battled with the enemies that filled the room.

"Watch the Knight!" Hank shouted. "Keep track of your position now, there's fire everywhere!"

"The Vandals are hiding in their bubble, focus on the Knight first and we'll take care of them next!" Amelia called out.

"The Knight's down, let's wrap this up!" Audrey added as they three of them then rushed the remaining enemies, cleaning them up with ease.

"Nice work guys." Diana commented before eyeing Tobias who was drumming his fingers on the side of the hub. She could tell he wanted to be in the action as well.

"What's in there?" Tobias asked as he leaned in, trying to get a closer look at the room that was updating now that they could freely examine it.

"One of these tunnels, they're open." Audrey noted.

"And there's a ton of this goo all over the place in there." Amelia added.

"What about the signal you're tracking?" Diana asked.

"It's still going, and it's even louder down here." Hank replied, clearly irritated that not even his helmet could drown it out.

"Can your Ghosts transmit the signal to us?' Diana inquired, causing their Ghosts to go to work. Soon enough, Diana and Tobias could hear what their team was hearing down in this bunker. "Oh, yikes."

Whatever she was listening to, it was a jumbled mess. But Tobias seemed to freeze as he listened to the notes. This wasn't just some signal. This was a song, a song that he had definitely heard before. But where?

Tobias sat on a small bench with Trisha on his right, their hands raised as the metronome in front of them ticked back and forth.

"Go." Trisha mouthed to him and their hands dropped down onto the keys of the piano. Things were slow for them at first as Tobias played the harmony, but soon they arrived at the meaty part, where the melody began. Trisha right hand raced up and down the higher notes, stringing together a breath taking sound that simply amazed Tobias.

"I've heard this song before." Tobias stated suddenly as he snapped out of his thoughts. To his surprise though, he had missed quite a bit. The team on the Forgotten Shore had advanced further below the building, revealing an incredibly developed bunker had been hidden beneath the abandoned building above. "What is all of this?"

"It's some kind of bunker. It was probably sealed but the Taken managed to get in." Diana explained for him. "Now what were you saying?"

"Oh right, this signal. Well, I mean, it's not just a signal. It's a song." He explained.

"Does that mean anything though?" Hank asked him as they proceeded down a long corridor.

"I don't know, I've just heard it before." Tobias said as he shrugged his shoulders.

"Well how about we stay focused on what's going on down here." Hank suggested, getting a nod from Tobias.

"It's a mess, but there's no Taken in here." Audrey informed them.

"Well that's good. I've been tracking the source of the signal, it's coming from a room father down." Diana explained. "If you keep going you'll see a staircase on your right, it'll take you up to the entrance to the room."

"We're on our way." Hank stated as the group began to jog, heading straight for the destination since there was no opposition in sight. Heading up to the entrance, the discovered a set of large windows that allowed them to peer into the room. It was large and circular, with a structure at the heart of the room that traveled up into the ceiling with dozens of enormous wires hanging down.

"What is that?" Tobias exclaimed as the images came up on the live feed. Diana though decided that it was high time they called over one of the commanding officers. This mission was clearly starting to veer off the course anyone had imagined it would take.

"I have no idea." Hank replied to Tobias.

"The doors on both sides are sealed, there must be another way in." Amelia called out after having checked both doors.

"No, I don't think so. There's a hub over here, maybe it needs some kind of code." Audrey suggested.

"Probably." Tobias said as a pair of Guardians now approached him and Diana to see the progress their team had made. The new duo needed a moment as they changed the channel of their headset until they were linked this this team now.

"Alright, what's the situation?" The commander asked as he bent over to examine the map, furrowing his brow as he failed to identify this location.

"We were tracing a signal coming from the Forgotten Shore in the Russian Comsodrome. We followed it down into a bunker that the Taken have clearly been inside of, but we've reached a point where we can't go any further." Diana explained.

"And it looks like the Taken couldn't go any further either." Amelia pointed out.

"Should we proceed?" Diana asked as she looked toward the two commanding officers.

"Have you been able to determine what the source of this signal is?" The commander asked now as he stroked his chin.

"It's coming from some kind of computer. But its sealed off in another room."

"A computer?" The two officers shared a glance at each other as a possibility sprung up in their heads. "You don't think it could be…?"

"Rasputin?"

"It's worth a shot."

"Do you have any way of unsealing the doors?" The commander asked the fireteam in the bunker.

"We could always blow them open." Hank pointed out, and all of them could imagine him raising a rocket launcher with a grin.

"No, don't do that. If that really is Rasputin he might take that as an attack and retaliate. Is there a hub that you can use to access his system?"

"Yeah, my Ghost just finished examining it." Audrey interjected.

"Any luck?"

"I don't think so. The encryption on this is unlike anything I've ever seen before. The coding is layered almost a thousand times over with firewalls everywhere. Cracking this could take days." Her Ghost explained. "The keys on this hub each cover a small piece of the coding when pressed, but if the commands aren't entered fast enough you'll have to start again, and a mistake will result in the same thing."

"Yikes, that won't get us anywhere." The commander noted.

"Wait, let me see the hub." Tobias said suddenly. Within a few moments there was an image of the hub in the bunker for Tobias to see, and it was just as he thought. These were piano keys. "I think I get it."

"What do you mean?" The commander asked as all eyes were on Tobias.

"The signal this Rasputin guy is broadcasting, it's a song. The hub to access this chamber is a piano. I don't think it's a coincidence. If we play that song, this will probably open the doors." Tobias explained, surprising everyone that could hear him. That was last thing any of them would have expected.

The key to unlocking an AI Warmind, was to play the piano…

"Well, anything is worth a shot." The commander said with a shrug. "Can any of you play the piano?"

"Uhh…no." Was the response from the fireteam present within the bunker, much to the dismay of those working with them over the comms.

"Alright then…what about you hotshot?" The commander said as he turned to Tobias.

"I played the piano before, but I won't make you any promises." Tobias replied.

"Well you're the best shot we got, so we're sending you in." The commander declared. "Head up to the hanger, I'll send word to the shipwright that you have clearance to head out."

Old Russia

Cosmodrome

Forgotten Shore

The time it took Tobias to actually get to the Cosmodrome was a fraction of the time it took him to actually get a ship back in Neo Chicago. Even though the commander in the communication division had sent word to the hanger to prep a ship for Tobias, it still took him about a half an hour to depart.

All of the Guardians arriving from the Reef seemed to clog everything in the Hanger, so Tobias had to wait for a bit before his Ghost could retrieve a ship for him. Although this was time well spent by Tobias. His Ghost had save a recording of the song that was playing in the bunker for him, and he used this time to listen to it closely, trying to imagine himself playing the notes. It was difficult, but he had to at least have an idea before he gave this a try. His Ghost had said that will all of these layers in the coding and the firewalls, he would have to be on point since none of them would have no idea how Rasputin would respond to them pushing his buttons, so to speak.

Dropping down onto the Forgotten Shore, Tobias felt a sense of nostalgia as he looked around at the area. He still didn't know how he ended up here, but returning to this place once again, he knew that he had progressed quite a bit since the last time he had been here. Shaking these thoughts out his head, Tobias focused on the task at hand. Getting to the bunker was his top priority.

"Alright, I made it." Tobias said as he waved to the fireteam Dustdrift now that he was finally meeting them in person.

"The hub is right over here." Amelia said as she led him over to keyboard. Tobias approached it slowly, taking a few long breaths as he studied it. He had fought the Fallen in total darkness. He had faced off with a Kell and fought it to a standstill. He had taken on Oryx's personal army…and yet, he had never been more nervous than he was now. And all he had to do was play the piano.

"Just take a deep breath, and put your fingers on the keys, and just…let go." Trisha said to him as stood over him, her hands on top of his own as she guided his hands up and down the piano keys.

"Just, let go." Tobias whispered to himself as he placed his hands on the keys. Tobias stated slowly, using only his left hand as he played a few notes, almost as if he was warming up. The song that was being broadcast stopped immediately, instead now amplifying the notes that Tobias was playing for everyone to hear. The Guardians present with him looked around in bewilderment at first before their gaze settled on Tobias as he continued.

Things were quiet as his notes were soft. Then he went silent for just a moment, causing them to look at him in confusion. But this quickly became shock as Tobias' right hand began to dart all over the keys, playing with a sharpness that caught everyone off guard. They had chills as Tobias continued, captivating them as he expertly played.

It was incredible listening to him as he rattled off these notes. The intensity picked up as the melody became higher, the pace increasing. They didn't think he could play any faster than he had been playing already, but Tobias kicked it up another notch.

'I remember.' Tobias said to himself as he shut his eyes.

His beautiful wife was seated next to him on the small bench in front of a grand piano. They were on a stage together, in front of thousands of people playing the piano. Taking a quick peak at the woman beside him, Tobias was awestruck by her beauty once again.

She sparkled underneath the lights that were aimed down at them. She was mesmerizing as she played, the embodiment of intensity and passion. His breath was stolen from him with just the small glance.

Eventually their song came to an end and the crowd showered them with applause. Tobias rose from the bench first and then offered his wife a hand, helping her rise to her feet as well. Once they stood at the front of the stage, they raised one hand together and then took a bow underneath the spotlights.

'This was my life in the Golden Age.' Tobias said to himself. He was performer. He and his wife. That's why this felt so natural to him, to play the piano. Tobias felt a smile creep up on his face as he envisioned himself playing countless songs with his wife. The thought made his heart skip a beat, and the excitement showed as he raced to the end of the song.

Everyone was awestruck as Tobias' fingers went up and back down the keys as he arrived at the conclusion of the song, ending it on a powerful note. It took a moment for them to realize that the song was over while Tobias smiled to himself, pleased with how he had done. Hitting his chest twice, Tobias gave himself nod of approval before his attention was drawn to the inside of the room something was taking place.

One of the black diamond shaped tunnels split, opening up to reveal that was housing a body within it. It was resting on a steel gurney with dozens of wires connected to it. Suddenly a plume of smoke was released from the body as all of the wires were released. Then it began to move, rising up from the bed it had been resting on.

"It's an Exo." Tobias said as everyone was finally able to focus on the mission that was still taking place. The Exo approached glanced at them before jumping off the gurney and heading to the back of the room where a small station awaited it. Unfortunately for the Guardians, they could see the Exo since it had disappeared behind the structure at the middle of the room.

"What's it doing?" Amelia whispered before the doors beside them hissed before sliding upward to give them access to the room.

"You can come in!" A voice hollered over the intercom. The Guardians took a moment to look at each other, readying their weapons for anything unexpected.

"Wait, one of us should stay outside." Hank pointed out. "Just in case."

Audrey remained in the connecting room to the vault while the rest of the them entered. They rounded the perimeter of the room slowly, raising their weapons as they approached the Exo who was waiting for them.

"You can put your weapons down." An almost child like voice stated. It was the Exo. "I'm not gonna hurt cha."

"Then who are you?" Hank demanded, his finger wrapped around the trigger of his assault rifle.

"My name is Gale, well actually, my whole name is Nightingale-1. But I like Gale better." He replied, giving them an odd little smile.

"Alright then, and can you tell us your purpose?" Hank pressed as they all lowered their weapons. Their Ghosts had already confirmed that Gale had no weapons on him, so there wasn't much he would be able to do had he decided to attack.

"My purpose? Umm, I was supposed to wake up Rasputin." He responded after thinking about it for a moment.

"Wait, we really found Rasputin?" Audrey asked incredulously from the other room.

"Yeah!" Gale said, giving them a nod.

"Wait, wait, so you're telling me that you were supposed to reactivate Rasputin, but you're only doing that now? We needed his help ages ago!" Hank exclaimed, causing Gale to jump in surprise before he he dove behind the console to hide.

"Hey, calm down." Amelia whispered to him. "He sounds like a kid."

Tobias hadn't given it much thought, but Gale did indeed seem like a kid. Tobias had thought all Exo's were built to be adults, but the Gale's size and stature disproved that. He was clearly designed to be a kid.

"Don't worry about that guy." Amelia said to Gale, motioning to Hank. Gale stepped out from behind the console at Amelia's beckoning, becoming calm once again. "He's just got a big mouth. But can you tell us why Rasputin has been offline for so long?"

"Well, I don't really know. But I know someone who does." Gale replied as he turned to the console, punching in a quick command before it lit up, projecting an image for the group. It was of a young dark skinned man who was well dressed as he adjusted the camera on himself. "This is my creator."

Everyone remained silent after Gale had revealed who this person was, eager to learn the truth behind Rasputin. Once the young man was set and comfortable, he took a deep breath before starting.

"This is Tyrone Kolton, and I doubt anyone is going to see this for at least a few years. Hopefully someone will find the Seraphim Vault soon so that Rasputin can be reawakened." He began. "By now I'm sure everyone must know that Rasputin went dark during the Collapse due to one of the protocols in his programming known as MIDNIGHT EXIGENT. Basically he conceded in the battle against these aliens because he couldn't stop the invasion, not that anyone could really blame him for that. Everyone thought it was over, but then the Traveler made one last stand against their leader and sent these monsters packing. The problem though is that by issuing MIDNIGHT EXIGENT, Rasputin placed himself in a state of suspended animation, like he's in a coma. So that's why I've designed Nightingale-1, or just Gale for short."

He moved the camera a bit to show the face of the Exo who was standing behind him in the recording.

"Gale, give the camera a wave." He said, motioning for the Exo to give it a greeting. Gale did so obediently. "I'm sealing Gale into the Seraphim Vault with Rasputin. I've been studying Rasputin since he went dark, so I've been exploring his protocols. I was able to place a subroutine in his coding known as IKELOS. This subroutine will allow Gale to override MIDNIGHT EXIGENT, but in addition to that, it will allow Gale to tap into network of weapons Rasputin has around the system. In a sense it will arm Gale to fight these creatures as well. I'm hoping that the next time Rasputin is awakened, he'll be in a position to join the fight against these enemies that have come to Earth."

The Guardians were astonished to say the least. For decades they had been chasing leads in hope of reactivating this Warmind. Now it was finally coming to fruition.

"My original plan was to awaken Rasputin myself, and it worked for just a few minutes. But I guess after getting an understanding of the situation, he reissued MIDNIGHT EXIGENT. So I'm leaving Gale to awaken Rasputin when the time is right because I can't remain in the Cosmodrome any longer. The aliens have been advancing toward this area. There's this hero that appeared right after the Traveler's last stand, and he's been holding down an area beneath the Traveler for the last few months. I was hoping he would be able to come here to hold them off, but people are starting to gather beneath the Traveler. There's no way he can abandon them to come here." Tyrone continued. "There weren't too many people there to witness the Traveler's final stand, but I was there..."

Tyrone trailed off for a moment as he took in a deep breath, looking away from the camera.

"I've never felt more powerless in my life. Watching that huge alien with wings fight the Traveler. All of us watching were so insignificant comparison, yet the Traveler was fighting for us. Even though the Traveler was victorious, it was dying. But there was this one guy, I don't whether to call him brave, stupid or crazy...but he ran in as the Traveler was dying, and he sacrificed himself to carry its power. He became some kind of superhero, and its just...amazing to see all of things he can do now."

Tobias' eyes became wide as he looked up at the image of the young man, now realizing that he was talking about him! He was relating the events that took place right after the Collapse!

"I don't even know his name, but he's been fighting the rest of the aliens by himself, protecting everyone he can. There's survivors all over the world that think that the human race has been all but wiped out. But I'm sure they'll start to hear about a hero that's standing beneath the Traveler, giving them them hope of safety. He's amazing alright, but I don't know if he can't do everything by himself, so I wanted to do something to help." Tyrone explained as he looked around the Vault around him. "Whether or not I make it to safety doesn't matter to me. I just pray that Gale will be able to assist that man in his fight against these aliens."

Tobias' mouth hung open as the recording came to a sudden end, disappointment clearly shown on his face. He wanted to know more about what happened after the Collapse. But for the other Guardians in the room, there was more pressing matters.

"Well what are you waiting for, wake up Rasputin for us!" Hank hollered, receiving a nod from Gale as it raised one hand and placed it onto a scanner. Five small holes opened up on the scanner, allowing Gale to place his fingertips into them. There was a moment of silence before the whole hub lit up in green, followed by a low hum filling the room. The large tubes that hung from the structure at the center of the room began to hiss before white smoke was spat out from various parts of it, signalling the Warmind was awakening from his slumber. After a few moments, Gale looked up at the Guardians, his face completely expressionless.

"Rasputin is back online."

A/N

Alright, so there was a lot in this chapter to take in, especially all of the stuff I had about Rasputin. If you haven't read the lore surrounding Rasputin, I definitely recommend it, its a great read. Rasputin is one of the most interesting characters in Destiny at the moment because there's so much speculation surrounding his actions. Some think he launched an attack on the Traveler during the Collapse to prevent it from abandoning Earth. Some people think he has something to do with the Black Garden and now he's tied to SIVA as well. There's a lot surrounding Rasputin that I really hope Bungie will delve into in later installments of Destiny.

For now though, IKELOS is something I want to talk about. This was the directive for Rasputin to weaponize mankind or the Guardians with special weapons, such as the Sleeper Simulant. I made a little twist on it in that this is now a subroutine to override MIDNIGHT EXIGENT through Nightingale-1 who would then be weaponized by Rasputin. Just some clarification. I know some people argue that he didn't actually use MIDNIGHT EXIGENT during the Collapse, so I'll straighten this out right now. In this fic, he did.

And I tossed in a little reference about Chicago for you basketball fans, hopefully it didn't fly over your heads hehe.

As always though, thanks for reading and your support everyone! :D