A/N: Another semi-CF canon oneshot set after the events of Requiem for the Departed.
Of all the ways Shin Malphur could be spending his time, spectating Gambit matches wasn't the ideal.
Sure, he had a stake in the operation, but the Drifter didn't need him in the monitor room with him. He was ninety percent sure that the other man was just messing with him at this point. The Drifter enjoyed pushing buttons.
Shin had already seen Gambit, both from the outside and inside. He was familiar with how it worked, how it was structured to draw out anyone that might lean too far into the dark. The Drifter oversaw day-to-day operations while Shin dealt with the... after-hours stuff. His main concern was with what these Gambit players did once they'd gotten a taste of the darkness and how to stop them if they took things too far.
Gambit was far enough out of its trial phase at the moment that Shin was comfortable in knowing the Drifter didn't need anyone to help him run it. Which was why he was puzzled by the fact that there wasn't just one but two other people in the monitor room.
The Drifter was front and center as always, hands at the controls and eyes on the screens. But another figure stood off to the side. A figure that Shin recognized.
Harley Hayden.
Hayden was something of an interesting case. Interesting in the way that Shin had been hunting him not so long ago. Interesting in the way that the Drifter seemed to have taken a shine to him.
He'd gotten into trouble with the Praxic Order a month or so back when someone had planted a Weapon of Sorrow in his clan's apartment. Shin had ended up letting the Hunter off the hook, which put him in rare company, especially since he had recognized Shin during the confrontation.
Shin wasn't a fan of people knowing his face. The Drifter probably did, though Shin wasn't sure if the man had put all of the pieces together yet. Hayden, however, not only knew his face but also knew the name that belonged to it. This made him a liability, yet Shin continued to let him roam around freely.
He knew it was dangerous, but at the same time, the Hunter didn't really have anywhere to go or anyone to tell, so Shin's identity was safe enough. And from the look of things, Hayden had decided to throw his lot in with the Drifter, which conveniently placed him under Shin's watchful eye.
Currently, the other Hunter was studying the screens in front of the Drifter, watching the two Gambit teams kill enemies and bank motes.
Shin wanted to ask why he was there but decided against it. He didn't want the Drifter thinking he'd somehow managed to get under his skin by having Hayden there.
Evidently, the Drifter sensed Shin's thoughts anyway, because he jerked his head in Hayden's direction. "He's here to see how Gambit works… Gonna be helpin' me scout new locations for it."
Shin frowned. "Didn't know you needed more locations."
The Drifter shrugged. "You know how Guardians are. They can get real pissy if you don't throw 'em a new map once in a while."
Shin nodded even though he knew the Drifter couldn't see him from where he stood. It was true enough. He shot another look at Hayden. Still, it was interesting that the other Hunter hadn't seen a Gambit match before, given how much he'd been hanging around the Drifter.
"It's impressive," Hayden admitted, "…Kind of reminds me of the Crucible."
The Drifter scoffed. "Trust me, brother, this is a lot more interesting." He nodded at the screens. "Especially this next part."
Shin moved forward to get a closer look. One of the teams was about to summon their primeval. He muffled a snort. "Interesting" was certainly one way to put it. He'd nearly shot the Drifter upon seeing the massive Taken for the first time.
Sure enough, the team banked the remaining motes and the bank sank into the floor as a swirling mass of Taken energy appeared in the center of the arena. As the Primeval appeared - a massive Taken Ogre — it unleashed a roar that thundered through the screens. Even through the 2D surface, Shin could feel the dark power and anger emanating from the creature.
He noticed that Hayden was silent and turned to see his reaction.
At first glance, the other Hunter displayed no noticeable reaction, remaining in the same position with a seemingly neutral expression on his face. But something made Shin stop and take a closer look. Hayden's stance was no longer casual. Instead, it appeared as though he was bolted to the floor, every muscle rigid with tension. And his neutral expression didn't hold up under scrutiny either. His face was blank but oddly stiff.
Once Shin had noticed those clues, it became impossible not to notice the other abnormal behavior the Hunter was displaying. His hands were clenched and his chest was rising and falling rapidly. Now that he was paying attention, he could hear Hayden's ragged breathing.
Shin knew a panic attack when he saw one — a product of his… eventful childhood and his many decades of experience as a Guardian. What caught him off-guard was seeing it in Hayden now. He glanced at the Drifter, but the man was too absorbed in the match to notice, which meant that he would have to do something. Otherwise, Hayden would make himself pass out, or worse.
Shin crossed over to the Hunter, whose signs of panic were even more visible up close. Now that he was closer, he could see a vacant look in Hayden's eyes. Whatever the Hunter was seeing, it wasn't the same thing that he and Drifter were.
He only hesitated for a moment before closing the remaining distance and grabbing Hayden's arms. The Hunter flinched and tried to pull away, but Shin wouldn't let him, maintaining a firm grip in an attempt to snap him out of it.
"No no no!" Hayden yelled, frantically trying to break free, "Let me go!"
The Drifter turned, his look of puzzlement rapidly transforming into alarm when he saw Shin grappling with Hayden. "What the hell is going on?!" he demanded.
"He's having a panic attack," Shin snapped, "Help me restrain him before he hurts himself. Or one of us." He knew panicked Guardians could still harness the Light and wasn't keen to meet the wrong end of a handful of fiery knives or whatever else the kid had up his sleeve.
Surprisingly, the Drifter didn't argue, moving forward to grab one of Hayden's arms so Shin could focus on the other. The Hunter thrashed in their grip, eyes wild and desperate.
"No PLEASE!" he screamed, "I don't want to serve the Darkness!"
Shin grabbed Hayden's chin, forcefully turning the Hunter's face towards him. "Hayden, you're having a panic attack." He spoke calmly yet forcefully. "You're on the Derelict right now. Whatever you're seeing isn't real."
Hayden continued to fight him. "No! Stop! Stop I won't let you Take me!"
His skin was near burning to the touch — Shin could feel the heat radiating through his jumpsuit. He knew they had to put an end to the attack quickly or they'd be looking at a pair of rezzes in the near future.
"Whoa, cool it, brother," said the Drifter. He was obviously trying to mimic Shin's calm tone, but the slight waver in his voice gave him away. Still, he persisted, grabbing the Hunter's shoulder with one hand while maintaining his grip on Hayden's other wrist. "Oryx is dead. You and your friends killed him, remember? He's nothin' but an old husk floatin' over Saturn. Got it? Ace?"
To Shin's surprise, the Hunter seemed to calm a bit at the Drifter's words, his struggle growing less frantic.
The Drifter frowned, eyebrows furrowed. "You hearin' me Ace?" he asked, using Hayden's nickname again. "Oryx can't hurt you anymore. He ain't here." He glanced at Shin. "You're with me and my friend on the Derelict, remember? You're alright, kid."
Suddenly, Hayden gasped, his eyes finally focusing. He stared into the Drifter's face. "...The Dreadnaught…"
The Drifter seemed taken aback that his words had reached the Hunter but he didn't let it deter him. "The Dreadnaught's ancient news, kid," he said, "And you're not on it. You're on my ship. Way cooler, right?"
Hayden frowned, looking confused. "The Taken? I saw Taken. Oryx is going to come for me." But he didn't sound as certain.
The Drifter shook his head. "No way. He's dead as dirt, remember?"
The remaining fight left the Hunter's body. He seemed suddenly tired, his shoulders slumping and his arms hanging limply in their grasp. "I'm sorry," he muttered.
The Drifter patted him on the shoulder. "You're fine, kid. S'my fault anyway. I shoulda warned you about the Primeval ahead of time." He gestured to the exit. "Why don'tcha go get some rest? You can watch a different match later. I'll tell ya about the Primevals then."
Hayden just nodded. Shin released his grip as the Hunter turned to leave, looking dead on his feet. He was caught off-guard by the Drifter's caring attitude. It was a side of the man that was rarely displayed, and almost never in front of Shin.
He waited until Hayden was out of earshot before turning to face the Drifter. "Care to explain what all that was about?" he demanded.
The Drifter scoffed. "You know what it was. Probably know from experience." There was a slightly defensive note in his voice.
Shin narrowed his eyes. "I'm not asking what it was, I'm asking why it happened."
The Drifter sighed, gaze trailing in the direction Hayden had gone. "He hasn't had a very pretty life," he said finally, "He was one of the ones sent to Phobos when the Taken first arrived. Somehow Oryx got ahold of him."
Suddenly, a number of things were made clear. Shin knew that Hayden had a bad run-in with the Darkness in the past due to the comments the Hunter had made about Gambit's capacity for teaching Guardians how to overcome it, but he didn't know it was something that dramatic.
"How'd they fix that?" he asked, unable to suppress the note of genuine curiosity. It could be useful knowledge.
The Drifter shrugged. "Hell if I know. Somethin' involvin' a buncha Ghosts is what I heard. Either way, messed him up real good."
Shin grunted in acknowledgment. "How did you know how to bring him out of it?"
"I didn't. All I know for sure is what everyone says. Remind 'em they're safe and all that... Nickname seemed to help a bit. It's what his friends call him."
Shin just nodded. He wasn't exactly sure why he cared. Probably just so he'd know what to do if it happened again. After all, they needed to focus on Gambit. They couldn't afford to spend all their time worrying about some kid Hunter.
Light knew it wasn't because the kid meant anything to him. Because he didn't. Not even a little bit.
A/N: You can't tell me that either Shin or the Drifter know what they're doing when it comes to emotions. The only reason they were able to stop the situation from escalating is due to how much trauma they've had to deal with in their own lives.
Slight nod to the time in The Final Shape when Harley almost harnessed the Light against civilians in the City when he panicked during an outing with his friends.
Also this is the last oneshot in the series! Many thanks to everyone who read them :3