S1-109
A Garden World

12:52 PM
08/09/3272

Planet Mercury - Fields of Glass
The Lighthouse

Music
Destiny 2 - Fields of Glass

"OK. We're here." Michael was the first to speak as the Shadow turned to face them.

The Taken King greeted the Fireteam. "Welcome back."

"This is our only chance. We use the Infinite Forest against the Vex or... we prepare for the end." Ikora transmitted.

"{I'm calculating where to send us. The place is easy. Finding a simulation of the right time is a little tricky.}"

It was then that a familiar Exo came on the comms. "Alright. Find the algorithm that produced the Forest. That will lead you to Panoptes."

"Mark, what are you doing here?!" Samus questioned.

"More specifically, what am I doing in Mercury's orbit? I'm coming in to help out. Don't worry." As a squad of Cabal faced the group, the Order Theory flew overhead, raining down a bombing barrage on the Red Legion.

Once the coast was clear, Mark-18 appeared on the ground as his ship flew off. "The Shadow. It's an honor to be in the presence of a more intelligent, capable, and understanding Taken King."

"We have a mission to do, and Osiris's Ghost seems to have overlapped Michael's." The Shadow reported.

"{As I said, we're sharing. Anyway, I'm Sagira, Osiris's Ghost.}"

The group then entered the Infinite Forest, closing in on a Vex simulation.

Planet Mercury - Fields of Glass
Infinite Forest

Music
Destiny 2 - The Infinite Forest

"Anything to tell us, Sagira?" Samus asked.

"{The Vex will know they're at their most vulnerable here. This simulation will be well defended. The point in history where you invent a reality engine? There's nothing more important.}"

"Mark, this is your first time in the Infinite Forest. Why don't you do this section?" Michael stood aside.

Mark-18 jumped in, then looked over the area. A simulation of a battle between the Fallen and the Vex was up ahead. The Exo Warlock initiated a Stormtrance and cleared out all the Vex and simulated Fallen. Further ahead, Mark-18 'krusched' a Hydra, then proceeded to shoot down any surrounding Vex. In the next section, he fired away any simulated Fallen with the Khvostov 7G-0X. At the end of the section was a Cyclops, and Jenny managed to snipe it with the Golden Gun. "Nice shot!"

"Thanks."

The rest of the group caught up with the Exo, entering a simulation of Mercury as the garden world it once was. "{The Vex have been two steps ahead of us so far, but you and Ikora have given us a chance to actually surprise them. That's impressive. So... I guess what I'm saying it, when this is all over, I might actually miss being your Ghost... just a little.}"

"Don't hold your breath, Sagira. I still have my own Ghost." Michael wasn't going to miss Sagira.

Planet Mercury - Fields of Glass
Simulant Past

"{Alright, we have to get to the top of that tower, and download the algorithm before the Vex create the Infinite Forest.}"

There were a lot of past Vex in the area, which actually fit since they were in a simulation of the past. In a matter of time, they were destroyed. "{Remember how I said the Vex anticipate everything? They have automated intruder countermeasures here. They'll react and block whatever we do. Just like I thought, they're ready for us. All we can do is fight our way in. Be unpredictable.}"

There was a spherical structure nearby, and Jenny jumped onto it, being launched to another giant platform of the simulation. The rest of the group followed her, then took on and defeated any Vex in sight, including a Hydra.

Another Vex cube was floating nearby, blocking a second propulsion sphere. The cube was destroyed, and the group headed to another platform.

Past Vex appeared, and there was a giant shielded Minotaur. A Vex cube was nearby, giving it the shield, and a second cube was blocking the way forward. Once the Vex were destroyed, and the Minotaur was de-shielded and killed, the group headed into a subterranean cavern.

"This place is crazy."

"And we're in a sort of time freeze. So long as we stay in here, time out there is paused." The Shadow added.

After clearing out the Vex, there was another cube sustaining a blockade. Mark-18 removed the cube, thus removing the blockade.

Back outside they went, encountering another giant Minotaur surrounded in a protective shield. The shield's power source was easily located and destroyed, leaving the Minotaur open to attack.

Up ahead was another propulsion sphere, and it sent them up into the tower. "{We're in! Let's get to the top and find that algorithm.}"

Planet Mercury - Fields of Glass
Gardener's Spire

"Protocol 2: Uphold the Mission." Michael stated.

"{Uh... What?}"

"Things have changed since Osiris has been exiled from the City." Mark-18 stated.

Samus spoke up. "There's a lot of things you and Osiris most likely don't know about."

"{I'll have to talk to the Vanguard about this some time.}"

"They're known as the Counsel of Guardians now. What you knew as Titans are now known as Golems. A lot of things are different." Mark-18 replied.

"The Hive god known as Oryx has been dethroned, Crota is dead, and we're taking back Earth. Not only that, but a dense zone of habitable planets, known as the Frontier, is open for the civilians to move to. The planetary defenses there will completely obliterate anything they fire upon. Guardians are becoming more combat-advanced soldiers known as Pilots. A lot of things are changing for the better." Michael explained.

It was then that Vex began to appear, only to be cleared out.

A propulsion sphere was up ahead, sending them to an upper level.

More Vex, then more dead Vex.

A Vex tech cube floated overhead, but was quickly shot down, removing the shield from another Minotaur. Further up, more Vex, accompanied by a Hydra. They all met the same fate: Samus's Seeker Missiles.

The group was then propelled to a little platform outside the tower, which had another propulsion sphere on it, sending them very close to the top of the structure.

There was a giant Cyclops nearby, but it didn't exactly seem to be... active. Michael's helmet got an ID.

SCANNING...
NEW ENTRIES

1: Dendron
Root Mind

Music
Destiny 2 - Dendron, Root Mind

Samus destroyed the nearby cube, causing the Mind to show more activity.

"{Let's shut this machine down.}"

Michael projected a Ward of Dawn, defending the group from a strong blast as multiple Vex appeared.

More shielded Minotaurs stood in the area, gunning down the group. Samus blasted the cubes that sustained the shields, then Jenny cleared them out with her advanced weaponry.

Once the Ward of Dawn went down, Michael formed the Andromeda Cannons, and the Mind reacted with pure surprise before being absolutely disintegrated.

Michael [Andromeda Cannon] Dendron, Root Mind (Sol Collective)

Music
none

"{OH WOW!}"

For a second, the simulation around them fluctuated, momentarily becoming unstable.

"What just happened?"

"I'm guessing my Andromeda Cannons temporarily disrupted the simulation. Let's hope that didn't corrupt the algorithm."

A few platforms appeared nearby, with a propulsion sphere sending them right to the top.
There was an odd terminal up there.

"{Bingo.}" Sagira then went to the terminal and began the analysis. "{Scanning... Isolating Panoptes' patterns... Overlaying onto the map... Aaannnd... got him! Panoptes always ends up in the same coordinates. It's over. This is how we beat the Vex.}"

What looked like a web of timelines appeared in front of them, and there was a small pulsing light in it. One of Osiris's Reflections appeared to look over it. "I've detected a change. A new future. I will inform Osiris."

The Reflection vanished, but something started happening. "{Wait. A defensive subroutine? New reality branches forming... No. No!}" Panoptes appeared, and somehow captured Sagira! "{AaaaAAAHHH! IT'S GOT ME! AAAAAHHHHH!}"

Just then, everything went white.

12:57 PM
08/09/3272

Planet Mercury - Fields of Glass
The Lighthouse

Michael woke up, seeing that everyone was now outside the Infinite Forest... and his Ghost was back! "{Where are we? Mercury? How did we get back here?}"

"We flew here." Michael stated, popping his spine back into place.

"{The last thing I remember, we were in the EDZ, we found that device and then... WHAM! Oh I feel so strange... like someone's rearranged all the furniture in the house, except the house is my brain.}"

"Like that makes any sense." The Shadow replied.

"{Alright, look, I never thought I'd have to ask this, but... who else has been inside my head? Ugh... Accessing memory core.}"

"This is actually pretty strange, even in relation to everything we've been through." Samus wasn't wrong on that note.

"{Huh, you've been busy. Correction: You've been busy without me. ...I don't know how I feel about that.}"

"Rocco, you're weird."

"{What'd you just call me?}" The Ghost was surprised and confused at Michael's words.

"Sagira is the name of Osiris's Ghost, so I thought about giving you a name. Rocco."

"{That's the same name the Exo Stranger called me! Hmm... Her rifle had parts that shouldn't exist yet, so it would stand to reason that she came from the future. By that logic, she knew my name before it was even given to me. Rocco it is!}"

It was then that Michael tried to get back into the Infinite Forest, but the force field was back, keeping him out.

"{Wait a minute. There's something else in here with me. Encoded holoimages, big ones, definitely Vex.}"

"I can't get back into the Infinite Forest. Panoptes must have locked it back up again."

"{Look, I can't decrypt those files, or open the gate. We need backup. We need Ikora. Good idea, right?}"

"Great idea." Michael commended.

"{You're welcome.}" Everyone turned to look at the recently named Ghost. "{Wait. Why did I just say that?}"

"I think Sagira left a bit of an impression." Samus stated.

"She better not have." Michael was... mad.

Michael's Ghost is back in the action, and now has a name.

See you in the next chapter.