Hey guys! Sorry it took so long, but I've been sick lately! Here's chapter 2!

Chapter 2: A Step Back

20,031 years before the death of Platinum-10

"Uranium, where ya goin'?" Questioned Cayde-6. "Going on patrol on the Dreadnaught. Flushing out some Taken." I responded. "God, I wish I could come with you." Begged Cayde. "You know..." Torrent-2 spoke up," I can tell Zavala and Ikora that you're dealing with something in the Tower. Go have fun." "Torrent, I was kidding." "Then don't take your long-awaited chance to kill some shit. Up to you." "Fine, I'll go. If they end up mad at me, it's on you." "Yeah right." "You know what? I'll bet 20,000 Glimmer we won't find jack-shit on that dreadnaught." "You're on!" "Cayde, are we going?" I butt in. "Yeah. Let's do this."

On the ship to the dreadnaught

Alex and Cyclone-2, both part of the team that killed Oryx were with Cayde-6 and I. We were getting close to the landing port on the dreadnaught. Alex had been talking with Cayde pretty much the whole way there, and didn't stop. "Alright guys," I announce. "We're here. Unload and reload. Sweep out." We get out, and see nothing at first glance. "Looks pretty barren. You guys did a great job out here." "Thanks." Alex spoke up. "The Taken had a combat edge." "I would bet." After exploring for a little while, we find something never seen on the dreadnaught. Vex. Huh? What were the Vex doing here? And... Atheon? The conflux of time itself stood in front of us, as we just stared at it. With a sudden snap, their heads jerk right towards us. "We've been seen, let's go." I say. That's when it happened.

Time seemed to slow down for about 30 seconds, as we saw everything growing around us. Time wasn't being slowed down, it was being sped up! When it stopped, Alex and Cyclone were gone. "Alex? Cyclone? Where are you guys?!" "Come on, Uranium. We have to go now!" We start running, and see him. Oryx. Wasn't he dead? We couldn't run, we couldn't hide, we couldn't do jack shit. We were cornered. "Go, Uranium! I'll get his attention!" A ship flew up where we landed, and Cayde started to shoot at him. "It has a crash course set for the Tower! Just go!" He shouts at me. I start running around Oryx while his attention was drawn to Cayde. I get to the ship, and wait for Cayde. "Come on, Cayde! Let's get a move on!" Oryx's fist rose up, and smashed down on Cayde before he had time to react to the horde surrounding him. I was an Exo, so the entire fiasco was recorded on a video file. "CAYDE!" The ship blasted off, and the controls were fried. I was heading straight for the Tower.

At the Tower

As I'm flying in, someone comes in over the radio. "You've entered the airspace of The Last City. State your business, or you will be shot down!" The voice was incredibly hostile. "This is Uranium-3 returning from a patrol on the dreadnaught." The other side was silent for a while, then said, "Please enter." There wasn't a human or awoken in sight. It was all Exos. As I exited my ship, I was greeted by three Exos. "We're the Vanguard roster of the New Order. Do you realize how long you've been on that Dreadnaught?" "N-no I don't." The three Exos look at each other, and the Hunter says. "Twenty thousand years." I laugh, because that's obviously a joke. "Why are you laughing? Do you see anybody else laughing?" I stop to realize he was being dead fucking serious. I deadpanned, then stuttered, "But- I was just-" The three look at me like I have something growing on my head. "Cayde is gone. Oryx killed him." It rolls off my speech generator. The three are shocked. (Heh, shocked.) "Was anyone else with you?" "Alex, a human Hunter, and Cyclone-2, a Titan." "Do you know what happened to them?" I shake my head no. "Well, there's something you should know, Guardian. Nothing is the same. We've entered a time of chaos and rebellion. The City fell into chaos, and there's nothing we can do." I'm speechless.

In the Guardian Living Quarters

I attempted to summon Ghost, but he was missing. I go outside to ask where my Ghost went. "Are you joking? Ghosts have been dead for millennia." That statement shook me. "Oh, sorry to bother you." He keeps walking. Ghost was gone. I didn't even realize it. Does this mean he was just a tool? Not even a friend? Just something to get me through doors, draw out enemies, and hack computers. The last thing I ever said to him was, "Fuck you, Ghost." I wasn't joking around at the time. I was genuinely angry. I didn't even respect him. I hated myself. Then I realized. If Cayde were to let himself die for me, I'm valuable in some way. He sacrificed himself, for me. He died with his hand on his heart, and his mind on the future. I had no idea that this was the start of a tragedy. I had no idea what was going on, no idea who I was around, and no idea of what my future would be. Everything just descended into hell, and I haven't even scratched the surface. Cayde will be missed, but to be completely honest, he owes Torrent-2 20,000 Glimmer. Torrent is still waiting. Waiting for his best friend to come back. Waiting for his mentor to return. Waiting for Cayde-6, a dead Vanguard, to come back to his side.

That's it for today. We took a small step back in time, then a great big bound right back to 20,000 years in the future! GREAT SCOTT! (I don't own that reference.) See you all next time!