Chapter 2
House, Not a Home
As he looked down from the airship to the broken land below, the man felt numb, and even the gaping wound in his shoulder didn't hurt nearly as much as it should have. He didn't know if it was because he was in shock, or if the ghost was doing something to numb the pain, nor did he really care. As he looked out, he saw something much more damaging than his shoulder: his world was gone. From the air, he could see that truly everything was destroyed. Every bridge, every building, every road, every stop sign. Gone, to say nothing of the people.
He suddenly felt constricted by his fractured. helmet, and reached to take it off. After a few moments of searching for a release, he realized that the piece of armor was ruined anyway, and simply put his thumbs on either side of the helmet and gently pulled it apart. He breathed a tired sigh as he felt the cool, dank air hit his bare skin, and allowed the broken pieces of the helmet to fall onto the bare floor. The entire compartment reeked of rot, mildew, and rusted metal, but he barely noticed.
Everything was gone.
He was shaken out of his thoughts when the red ghost popped up in front of him.
"Thank you so very much, Guardian!" She said ecstatically, whizzing around his head. "If you hadn't shown up when you did, I don't want to think about what would have happened."
"Always here to help, Ruby." His ghost replied, phasing out of the man's armor excitedly. After a moment, it flew up to the pilot seat to greet the woman sitting there. "Hello Helana. Happy to help."
"It's good to see you 15." Helana replied, her voice distorted from the helmet she wore. "Good to see that you finally found a guardian. Did you just res him?"
"Oh yes, my apologies. Ruby, Helana, this is…" The ghost started to say, but stopped when he realized that he hadn't even learned the man's name. "I'm sorry, guardian, but I haven't even asked you if you remember your name."
"Grant." He replied, not seeing any reason to hide who he was. Not like he could endanger his loved ones.
"Well hello Grant." Ruby said, sounding like a southern bell from the old movies that he used to watch. "Thank you so very much again for saving us."
'Yeah, thanks. Been awhile since I got in over my head." Helana said from the front. "Name's Helana. Hunter, and officially in your debt. You handled yourself pretty well out there, especially for someone who was just resed."
"For all it was worth." He replied coldly, looking out on the destroyed earth around him. "What were those things?"
"Fallen." She said nonchalantly. "Aliens, hell bent on killing us and taking the Traveler. Of all the alien races, I think they have been the ones to give us the most trouble over the last few centuries. We got lucky though. That was one of their archon's that was showing up when we left. Would have ripped us apart. And now we know just where he is."
"Lucky us." He deadpanned. He shifted in his seat and heard a squelch as he separated his bloody shoulder from the leather. It felt as if it was getting better, and made sure to note that he needed to ask how the healing worked at some point. However, something more important needed to be asked. "So, what killed my world?"
"That is an incredibly long, six-hundred-year story." Helana replied, looking at the console in front of her, trying to pick her words carefully, knowing that Grant was in a pretty delicate mental position. "Earth was attacked, and nearly destroyed, but the Traveler saved what was left of us with the last of its power, created the ghosts to resurrect people, turning them into the guardians of humanity. Someone will go over the rest with you when we get to the tower."
"The Tower?"
"Last mostly safe place in the world." She replied quickly. She figured that she would have to field more questions from him, and was surprised when he said nothing. Looking back, she saw he was staring out the window again, looking at the world in a way that only somebody who had lost absolutely everything could. He was a strange one, for sure. As she looked at his square face for a moment, she saw that much of it was covered in blood from his face mask shattering. She realized it must have been quite painful, but he acted like he couldn't feel a thing. She chalked it up to shock, and would radio ahead that he needed medical attention as soon as they got to the tower.
"How are you doing, by the way?" The ghost asked, turning to his new master, perhaps picking up on Helana's thoughts.
The man didn't even know how to begin to think about explaining how he was doing. So instead, just muttered, "I'm fine."
"Grant, you're in shock." Helana said back, annoyed. "You just came back from the dead to an alien army trying to kill you, including an archon priest. You're not fine."
"Believe it or not, I'm used to things trying to kill me." The man replied, looking out the window.
"Huh. Sounds like you must not have been dead long." She said, before realizing that something didn't seem right. If he hadn't been dead long, and the ghost had resed him, then he should have known what the Tower was. Confused, she asked, "So when did you die again?"
"Not something I want to talk about." He replied, shooting a glare at her.
"I get that, but I have to send a report to the Tower, so we can figure out what you need." She said quickly, covering her tracks. She began to think he may have been older than she first anticipated. "Look, I'm trying to help you here."
"Fine, but I don't know how much help I can be. I'm pretty sure I died in the first hour they attacked. Last thing I remember is seeing some strange… thing, like a mix between an insect and an ogre. Didn't even kill me, just looked at me and walked away while I bled out." He was surprised by her stunned silence. "What?"
"Do you remember your life before?" She asked, her voice dropping a few octaves. This earned her a confused and wary look from Grant, and for a moment, no one spoke.
"Yeah." He said carefully, confused. "Is that normal?"
"No."
That was the last thing she said the entire trip, which suited him fine. He needed time to think, anyway.
Meanwhile, in the front seat, the woman turned off her external speakers before radioing into the tower, and informed the dispatcher that she needed an immediate meeting with the Vanguard, and a security detail for a possibly dangerous new guardian.
…..
He saw the City long before they arrived. Of course, the first thing he saw was the Traveler, hanging over the city like a sun. The wall was the next thing that came into view. It was a massive slab of patchwork metal that had been ripped apart and pieced back together more than once. As they passed over it, he saw numerous armed guards far below him patrolling the walkway on top, and instantly grew a bit nervous.
As soon as they passed the wall, the buildings began, and he saw building upon building stacked upon each other, crammed together to create as much living space as possible using whatever metal they had available. Throughout the city, he saw massive roads and highways leading to the enormous waterway or large, foundry-like buildings that billowed smoke out in droves. He could see waves of people walking on the roads, going too or from work. Men, women, and even children, from what he could see.
It all looked so desperate. It shocked him for a moment, then he felt a wave of depression come over him. This is what his world had been reduced to. This one lonely city.
"This is…" He started, then stopped, not knowing what to say.
"Yeah." Helana said from the front, picking up on what he was feeling. "This is all that's left. What we fight for, every minute of every day. What you'll fight for now. Welcome home."
This isn't my home. He thought quietly to himself, looking at the city with a mixture of depression and disgust. His home had been a shining monument to humanity. This was a pile of rubble.
In fact, the one thing that looked even slightly like something he was used to was the Tower. It was massive, stretching high enough in the sky to dwarf anything that came into view. Unlike nearly everything else he saw, the Tower itself looked well-made and maintained, giving it an air of importance. It seemed to lord itself over the city, and was the last show of power that humanity could muster now.
After a few minutes of flying and trying to get clearance to land, they finally got permission to dock, and carefully flew into the massive tower's ship bay. As soon as they touched down, the ship was clamped in place and the hatch opened, allowing them to hop out onto the docking bay.
As soon as his feet touched the ground, Grant found himself in the presence of two armed and very serious looking guards. Immediately his hand fell near his revolver, but froze as soon as the men raised their rifles at him. His brain went into action mode, and he was about to try and leap for cover when he heard Helana yell from the ship.
"Hey, HEY!" She yelled, jumping out of the ship and in front of Grant. Facing the soldiers, she started to tear into them, "I said I needed security, not a firing squad! Weapons. DOWN."
They all quickly complied, though some still seemed on edge, turning to Grant, she shook her head and said apologetically, "Sorry, but with the newly risen guardians, sometimes they react…badly."
"It's…Fine." He said slowly, after surveying the troops in front of him. They were security, for sure, which meant that she was telling the truth, at least partially. After a moment, he stood up, relaxed and slowly moved his hand away from his gun.
"Thanks for understanding." Helana said, sounding more than a little relieved, and more than a little surprised. Clearing her throat, she walked forward and gestured for him to follow. As he did, the two guards fell into step behind him. "We're going to meet with the Vanguard right now so we can get them briefed on you and on Riksis. On the way, I'll show you around a bit. Afterwards, you should be put through a physical test to determine what light you possess and what class you will belong to."
"Full day." He replied, following her and taking in everything around him. He saw various Frames moving around the hangar, working on ships of various makes and models, and doing everything from fixing holes to adding rocket pods. As he walked, a woman caught his attention: blond, covered in grease, and swearing up a storm at an uncooperative engine. Considering she was the only human on site, he assumed she was the boss of the hanger, and made a note to talk to her about his ship later.
As he left the hanger, he found himself entering a massive, bustling courtyard. Everywhere he looked, he saw people and robots running in all directions, doing a host of different things.
"This, obviously, is the main courtyard." Helana said as she walked forward, pausing to let Grant get his bearings. "That main building in the middle is for mail and packages. I'd suggest visiting it pretty regularly, you'd be shocked how quick it fills up. And that red tent right in front of us is where Rahool works. He's a cryptarch, pretty much a historian who decodes engrams. You'll learn about those, don't worry."
"He's blue." Grant stated simply, looking at the bored, bald, and more importantly blue man.
"Yeah. Don't worry, he's fine. It'll all be explained after we speak with the Vanguard." She said dismissively as she led him along the side of the courtyard, away from the crowds of armored guardians walking through. As they circled around, Grant watched the field of guardians in front of him, awestruck at the weaponry and armor they wielded.
"Over there is the gunsmith, Banshee. Quiet guy, but he knows guns better than anyone." She pointed over to a kiosk that had an array of weapons on a table and hanging on metal siding all around. There were enough around for a small army, but strangely, there was no one there. Helana realized this immediately and said quizzically, "Huh. Guess he's not there. Probably picking up an order from the hangar."
They quickly moved on, eventually coming to a set of stairs that led underground.
"Hold on a second." She said, stopping and pulling down her hood. As he watched, Helana pressed a few buttons and releases, and her helmet popped open, and she took it off quickly. "Sorry, gets kinda stuffy in there, and the Vanguard prefers it when guardians don't wear their helmets."
"I'd imagine." Grant replied, studying her. Her black hair was surprisingly long, down to her shoulder, with some streaks of grey in it. She was older than he had initially thought she'd be, with weathered, somewhat wrinkled brown skin. Her eyes were dark brown, almost black, and he immediately placed her as Arabic in origin. She was quite attractive, though he didn't really see her in that light. There was far too much on his plate for that.
"Down there is the War Room and Crucible handler. Just relax. And whatever you do, when you see Shaxx, don't look scared."
Helana didn't even pause for him to ask anything as she started to descend underground, expecting Grant to follow. After a brief moment of doubt, he slowly followed, his hand never straying too far from the revolver on his leg.
They entered a massive atrium that led to two massive, closed doors. However, that wasn't what caught Grant's attention. That belonged to the massive human being standing to his right. The man was easily seven and a half feet tall and wore huge, thick, plate armor and a helmet that had a literal horn, with the other snapped off. Not to mention, on his back, was the largest sword that Grant had ever seen, easily six feet long and looked as if it could slice through the ship he had come in on like butter.
"Well. Who do we have here?" The man asked, slowly walking towards them, massive booted feet echoing in the hall. "Helana bringing in another stray?"
"Better be careful Shaxx. This stray wasn't up five minutes before he was tearing through Fallen like paper, pulled my butt out of the fire, even took down a Captain." Helana replied, her smile radiating. As soon as Shaxx got within reach, she gave him a friendly hug, which he returned readily with one arm, nearly blocking her completely from view. "Good to see you safe Hel."
"Wouldn't be, except for him." She replied, breaking the embrace. Turning to Grant she put her hand on his shoulder and introduced him. "This is Grant. You'll like him."
"Hmph. We'll see." He replied, now stepping in front of Grant. Grant was not a small man, by any means, and the fact that he had to crane his neck to look Shaxx in the face, or mask as it were, was not lost on him. Not only was he taller, but he was at least a foot wider on each side than he was. In other words, the man looked like he could literally eat him, and have room for seconds. "You. Boy. You don't look like much."
"Don't call me boy." As soon as he said it, his stomach dropped, and he knew he had likely just signed his death warrant. It just came out. Looking up at the man, he did his best to not show fear, and to be ready for whatever Shaxx was going to throw at him. What he wasn't ready for was the man's bombastic laugh.
"You're right Helana, I do like this one, he has some steel to him!" He boomed, slapping him on the back. "You'll go far, Guardian. I can't wait to watch you in the Crucible."
"Crucible?"
"Take a look." Shaxx gestured to a set of monitors where he had been standing, showing multiple battles. in the short time he watched, Grant saw people smashed, ripped, and shot dead. "If you're as good as Helana says, you'll do great."
"Umm, Thanks." He replied, relief flooding him as he watched the large man turn back to the area he had been in before, shouting at another terrified looking guardian. He tried to accept that these people watched each other be ripped apart for fun, and realised he might be in a lot more danger than he had realized.
"Well look at that. I think you made a friend." Helana laughed sarcastically. Clapping him on the shoulder, she pushed him further down the chamber to the closed doors. She seemed confused that they wouldn't open when they approached. Addressing the robot frame, she asked tersely, "What the hell 44, we have a meeting."
"Sorry, the Vanguard are currently having a meeting with the city council. They apologize for any inconvenience."
"God damn it Cayde." She said quietly to herself.
"What did you just say?" Grant asked suddenly, getting her attention.
"Oh, I was just talking about one of the Vanguard leaders, Cayde-6. He's a friend, and was supposed to get this meeting finished up before we got here." She said nonchalantly, turning to the frame beside her. She started to have a very heated conversation with it, and didn't notice Grant go pale beside her.
"So you're telling me that the Exo units were reactivated?" He asked darkly. As soon as she heard the words, Helana froze. His voice was full of fear, and when she turned to him, she saw his face was as well.
"Yes." She said slowly, trying to be gentle. "When everything happened, the Traveler reactivated them. Gave them full intelligence, and made some of them guardians. You don't need to worry, they're on our side."
"I don't buy it." He replied, his voice steeling over. His hand drifted closer to his revolver, and would stay there for the foreseeable future.
"Ms. Helana, they're ready for you." Frame 44 said before pressing a few buttons, causing the doors to open.
"Just trust me, alright?" Helana asked, looking into Grant's face. Looking at her, he saw the hope in her withered face, and felt himself melt a little bit.
"Fine." He replied simply, earning a nod from Helana. He followed her inside, and found himself in a large, beautifully decorated atrium. The walls were covered in trophies and old weapons, denoting past victories and warriors, while the center of the room was dominated by a massive table. As they walked in, he saw a blue flash in the middle of the table as a hologram disappeared. Around it were three people: a massive, blue man in thick plate armor, and a dark skinned woman in robes with a shotgun on her back, and a condescending stare that could make anybody wither. But Grant wasn't focused on them. Instead, his eyes went straight to the last one. Cayde-6.
"Sorry about that Helana, but you know just how hilarious the City Council can be." Cayde joked as they walked to the table. He spoke in an easy, laid back manner, and Grant was taken aback. This wasn't what he remembered at all. He looked like the Cayde he knew, right down to the facial pieces and the alternating blue-white of the metal. Even the damn horn was there.. "Hope you weren't waiting too long."
"Not at all, Cayde." Hellana replied easily as she walked to the table. "Ikora, Zavalla." She greeted, somewhat less enthusiastically
"Helana." They said in unison, much more professionally. Zavalla, the big, blue-skinned titan then continued, "We assume this is about the reconnaissance mission that you requested. We understand there were… Complications."
"By that he means we heard you almost ended up very dead, and that you picked up a stray." Cayde surmised, grinning a little bit when Zavalla sighed slightly.
"More like he picked me up." Helana corrected before going on. "The area was more hostile than we originally thought. Ended up getting ambushed by a pretty large group of Fallen, then their dropships showed up. He distracted them, then I took them down, but was knocked out when I hit the ground. He found me, carried me to a hangar, and held off the army of Fallen while the Ghosts repaired the ship. Even killed a captain."
"How?" This coming from the woman, Ikora. "He should have barely been able to think, let alone handle the Fallen. How did he…"
"The 'He's' name is Grant, and 'He' is right here." Grant said, causing the Vanguard leaders to look at him for the first time. Zavalla looked surprised, Ikora annoyed, and Cayde had to stop himself from giggling. Grant felt Helana turn to him, but didn't look, focusing on the individuals in front of him.
"Ahh yes. My apologies guardian…"
"Grant."
"Aren't we a brave one." Cayde jumped in, thoroughly enjoying the new guy. He stopped, however, when Grant sent him a quick look of unbridled loathing that caught him unawares. It wasn't just the hate and venom that that surprised Cayde though. There was something else there. Something he couldn't quite place.
"I was promised answers. The last thing I remember was the sky darkening, my ship going down, and watching something that looked like nightmare fuel walk away from me while I died. Now: What happened?"
"Mind your tone guardian." Zavalla interjected, obviously getting irritated at the upstart. He was about to go on about how it wasn't his place to talk to them in this way, and that he should be honored to be here among the elite, but was stopped when Grant spoke again.
"I was dead for over 700 years, I wake up and see my world is a hellscape and am immediately attacked by something out of a science fiction movie, nearly die a dozen times over, and you want me to watch my tone?" He was seething now. He didn't see Helana's head go down as she sighed and glanced up at Cayde, who was looking at Grant with a mixture of shock and wonder.
"You mean to tell us that you are from pre-collapse?" Ikora asked for the rest of the Vanguard, her normally calm and cool demeanor wilting under the news that they may be looking at a living Golden Age relic.
"Yes. I was a Sergeant in SRDC. That's how I know how to fight. Now, about my questions…"
"Hold on." Ikora said, raising a finger to him as she searched a holo display, looking for something. "SRDC, as in System Reconnaissance and Defense Corps?"
"Yes." He breathed, growing more and more irritated.
"You were a soldier?" This time it was Zavalla, speaking up for the first time in a while, sounding somewhat out of breath.
"Along with being a pilot and explorer, yes."
"Who did you fight?" Ikora asked, looking at him with curiosity.
"Uh-uh." He replied, shaking his head. "First, I want to know what happened, and I mean everything."
"In time." Ikora stated, turning to Zavalla. "I want to run some tests on him. Physiological, psychological, blood, light level, everything."
"I'm not a lab rat."
"No, you're a once in a lifetime glimpse into the past. No harm will come to you." Ikora reassured.
"And I'm supposed to believe you?" Grant asked, making his distrust known. Turning to Helana, he looked at her hard and asked, "Did you know this was going to happen?"
"No, but you can trust them." Helana said quickly, trying to reason with him.
"They want to dissect me Helana." He replied quickly, his hand noticeably near his revolver.
"Maybe we can all take it down a notch?" Cayde suggested, trying to break the tension, concern breaking into his voice and showing on his metallic face. "Look, how about we let the man get some sleep before we do anything. He's had a helluva day."
"For once, we agree." Zavalla replied, earning a shocked look from Ikora and Cayde both. He turned to Grant and spoke, retaking control of the room, "Guardian… Grant, you will be escorted by two guardians to your sleeping quarters. In the morning, we will get you and bring you to Ikora and her Warlocks for testing. All perfectly safe. No… Disection. Afterwards, you will be briefed by someone on current events, then you will be tested to see which order you belong to."
"It doesn't sound like I have much choice." Grant deadpanned back as the doors opened and the two guards from the shipyard stepped in. He looked to Helana, and he could tell that she felt sympathetic for him, for all the good it did. She was the one who got him into this. "You coming?"
"No." Zavalla answered for her. "She has to give us her report on her mission. You will be perfectly safe with the two guards."
"Fine." He knew that there was nothing more he could do. As he turned to leave, he caught Cayde's eye and stared into it. Searching for something that he knew must be in there. However, all he saw was metal in the shape of a concerned and curious look.
As the doors closed, cutting him off from view, Cayde said quietly, "That guy worries me."
…..
Grant walked with the guards slowly, observing everything around him, waiting for his moment.
"Well that could have gone better." He heard inside his head, and realized it was his ghost. "Sorry I was so quiet back there, I was a little nervous."
"It's fine." He thought, and was about to actually say it when he had a thought. "Wait, can you hear my thoughts?"
"Only if you actually want me to hear them." His ghost replied. "I don't understand how exactly it works, but it does. With every guardian and their ghost."
"Good. Can you go get the ship started?" He asked, and he could almost feel the ghost's shock. Or maybe he actually COULD feel it.
"Why? What are you planning?"
"Like I said in there, I'm not a lab rat, and I won't be experimented on by people who I don't know anything about. By people who watch each other get ripped apart for fun. So I'm leaving. And while you're at it, search whatever you use as a database for where we can find a warp drive."
"Ok, but how are you going to get to the ship? It has to be disengaged manually from the dock, and I doubt the guards will just allow you to go."
"I'll worry about that. Get going." Grant commanded softly, and felt the ghost's presence leave him. That just left him and the guards. Both armed with assault rifles. Both armored except for their heads. It was going to be a challenge for sure, but he had the advantage that they were commanded to simply escort him and not kill him. And, of course, they assumed that he was harmless.
He waited until they were in the stairway to make his move. He went down to a knee, faking an injury. As soon as one of the guards bent over him to see what was the matter, he launched upward, smashing the top of his head into the guard's face and sending him backwards. Spinning around, he grabbed the other guard's rifle and jammed it into the man's shoulder, sending him back into a wall before smashing his face with his forehead and shoving his forearm into the man's throat, quickly strangling him until he fell unconscious. After checking that the other guard was dazed, he started to run, knowing that they wouldn't be down for long. Luckily for him, night had fallen by the time he had finished with the Vanguard, and the courtyard was much less busy than it had been previously. Sprinting across it, he saw the blue man, Rahool, looking at him like he had a second head. It wasn't until he was nearly through the hangar door that he heard the first shout coming from the guards. He tore through the hallway and actually jumped the entire flight of stairs landing in the hangar with a roll.
As he rose to his feet, he saw the blonde woman from earlier flying over the control booth of the hanger, trying to figure out why there was a ship cycling up for takeoff. Out of the corner of her eye she saw him, and recognized him as the ship's owner.
"Thank the Traveler! I don't know what's going on but your shi…"
"I'm leaving. How do I disengage the clamps?" He asked simply as he briskly approached her. For her part, she looked surprised, then grew furious.
"What's gotten into you? You can't just take off without clearance!" she yelled as he finally reached her, staring up at him and trying to not look scared.
"Fine. Sorry about this." He said quietly. A flash of confusion crossed her face before he seized her, pulling her in, turning her around and putting her in a choke hold.
"Don't worry, you're alright." He said softly, not looking at her as she struggled in his grasp. He didn't want to do this, but knew he didn't have a choice, and thus tried to minimize her fear. "Just putting you to sleep. Just let go."
And, after a few moments, her eyes rolled back in her head and she went limp. Grant gently laid her to the ground. He did legitimately feel bad about what he had just done to her, but reasoned that she was in the wrong place, wrong time.
"Ghost, tell me you know how to do this." He yelled in his mind as he ran to the control panel.
"Please." He heard his ghost say sarcastically. After guiding him through the necessary button combinations and lever pulls, he heard the clamps disengage, and was immediately phased into the cockpit of his ship, just as the guards that he had knocked out burst into the hanger.
"Punch it!" he yelled as bullets started pinging off the hull. Immediately his ship shifted beneath him, and suddenly they were out of the hangar, zooming over the city towards the wall. Taking over the controls, he yanked the joystick backwards, gaining altitude and avoiding the anti-air fire. The radio buzzed, saying that he was in a no fly zone and would be shot down immediately if he didn't ground himself. That just spurred him on. As the explosions rocked his ship, he went as fast as he could go, zooming over the city and over the wall itself. As soon as he cleared it, the explosions stopped, and he climbed higher and higher until he was in sub-orbit.
He kept himself on edge for the next thirty minutes, waiting for something to come after him.
"Well, that was fun." His ghost said from the speakers of the ship.
"Not even a little." Grant replied, letting his head crash against his seat. He'd be lying if he had said that he had much of a plan. All he had known was that he couldn't have stayed there. "Any luck finding that warp drive?"
"I didn't find any in any salvage reports, and the Fallen are pretty set on scavenging as many as they can." The Ghost replied. "I've plotted a course to a downed guardian ship that might have one."
"Good. Wake me when we get there." Grant replied, pleased that they had something of a plan. Afterwards, he'd have to try and leave Earth. To see if there was anything still out there. Maybe he could even get to Titan and see if there was anything left of Outer Heaven.