During the time that Skylar had been away on the Tangled Shore, she'd asked Z to look into the mystery that was the Drifter. After a few days had passed since Skylar had moved to the Temple, she made her way down a flight of stairs off a side street in the Tower. According to Z, the 'Rogue Lightbearer' was running some kind of unsanctioned game without Shaxx knowing about it. Curiosity pulled her down the stairs, past empty rooms to the last one that was lit by the bare minimum. She paused at the entrance, watching the man speak to a Titan about something. He was laughing, the sound confident and steady as he patted the bigger man on the shoulder.

"You did well brother, banked all sorts of motes. Make sure to come back soon for another round, yeah? And bring your teammates." There was that family endearment used again. It was weird.

The Guardian turned and paused for a second upon seeing her – recognizing her, no doubt – before he nodded to the Drifter and made his way out, passing her without making eye contact. She knew what he was thinking: he felt sorry for her. It seemed like that was just the natural state of being for most right now. It wasn't like it had been a secret that she and Cayde had been an item. Skylar tried to ignore it.

"Was wondering when you'd show up, hero," the gruff tone drew her attention back quickly to the man. "Your friend sure hung around a lot. What was his name? Z? Just one letter for a name, like he didn't want to choose one to begin with. Guy asked a lot of questions, but wouldn't play any games. Got your clan under a pretty tight leash, don't you?"

Skylar scowled at him, finally entering the dark room and eyeing the tank of swirling black and white liquid that reminded her of Taken residue.

"I don't order my clan to do anything except on missions." Not that she'd done it much yet, since her first run as leader had been to kill Riven. "I asked him to look around, what he did after that was up to him." Most non-group mission decisions that were made were either personal to the individual, or made as a whole by the founders with other clan members' input. The last thing Skylar wanted was to rule over her friends. The Drifter gave a sharp hum in reply.

"Whatever you say sister... Heard you took out the prince, good on you." Well, that was something different. There weren't many who would openly congratulate her on killing Uldern, not when it affected their relationship with the Queen of the Reef. A lot of Hunters didn't seem to mind though. "I suppose you wanna know what's going on down here in my cheery abode?"

Good god the guy was confident, he even put Cayde to shame. It was kind of disarming, honestly. She wasn't sure if that confidence was a veil to hide something else or if he was just that sure of himself. It would take her a bit of time to discern that and Skylar wasn't quite sure if she wanted to know. Either way, the last thing she wanted to do was give him an opening, so it was best to act in much the same way – be unreadable.

"That was the plan," she answered, letting her curious tone bleed in. That would work - curiosity was a normal trait for a Hunter - as long as she kept it cool. Kept on her toes.

He chuckled.

"Good. I'd think if anyone should know, it would be the lover of the guy that knew about this from the very beginning."

Wait… what?

He shattered her mask instantly and she probably would have been angry if his words hadn't left her reeling. What in the Nine was he talking about?

"You're saying Cayde knew what you were doing, knew you'd end up here doing… something?" She winced internally, pain clattering through her. Talking about him brought up all the emotional responses to his name that she'd tried to stamp down for this meeting. How was it that just saying his name could hurt so much? The Drifter raised a brow at her, letting out a short, one beat laugh.

"Didn't tell you about me, did he?" he mused. "We used to run together a bit back in the day. Lucky guy - always winning at cards - but luck always runs out. Yeah, he knew, and he thought it was a good idea. Never thought I'd end up having a Vanguard leader on my side, even if I never met face to face with him while he was one. It's interesting though, that someone like him would be willing to work with something so steeped in Darkness, don't you think?"

Skylar swallowed. Yeah, that was a bit of a surprise, but not as much as it would have been if it was Ikora or Zavala.

Skylar honestly didn't know a whole lot about who Cayde had been before becoming a Vanguard leader, not as a whole. She knew some things, of course - he'd always had stories, but he'd always picked and chosen from them. It hadn't really bothered her; everyone had things they didn't want to talk about. Maybe she should have asked more questions but Skylar had always thought she'd have time to ask them. The idea of him running with a guy like this…she wasn't as surprised as she could have been - as other people might have been.

"Cayde always did what he thought was right, no matter how It might look to others, and no matter how dangerous it might be, it only mattered if it worked or not." Her promise to him back in that tomb, it was partly because of that. She'd always worried about pushing too hard, but now all bets were off. She'd do what she had to, just like Cayde always had. She glanced back at the container. "So does it?"

"Oh, it does more than work." He flipped a coin in the air, catching it right back in his hand and restarting the motion without pause.

"Then why don't you give me the rundown?"

Another coin flip as he hummed.

"Can't do it here sister, too sensitive of a topic. Too many ears always listening. You should know, being one of the Hidden after all... We'll have to talk back on my ship. That work for you?"

True enough. The Tower was never a good place to talk about something you didn't want overheard, at least not in open areas like this. The Vanguard leader's rooms and the one meant for the Speaker, there was a reason they were soundproof.

She just wasn't sure she trusted him enough to board his ship. In fact, she didn't trust him at all. Best to get a feel for him quickly, then.

"Why do you refer to everyone as siblings?" she asked instead. He chuckled again, crossing his arms, clearly amused. He flicked his coin in the air one more time before chaining the angle and flicking it right at her. Skylar caught in on reflex, glancing down at the long, green coin with the symbol of two snakes on it. Snakes, like the universal symbol for Hunters. She wondered if that meant the Drifter was one, or if it was a message for Cayde, or something else entirely.

"We were all born under the same power, weren't we? If that doesn't make us linked in some way, then I don't know what would. Does it make you uncomfortable, hero?"

"No," she snapped, not sure if it did or not. His expression didn't change, and she tugged at the end of her hood, glancing at the coin. She didn't really have much of a choice in the end, did she? "If you were working with Cayde I'm sure the Vanguard would at least hear you out. Why are you slinking around them instead?"

He chuckled, the sound dark and almost bitter as he eyed her.

"And I thought your loyalty to them would be dampened after the events that took place."

"This had nothing to do with me, or my opinion of them."

"Oh, but it does. As I said, you are the perfect candidate for what I'm planning, could use your help if I'm honest. The Vanguard has far too much trouble with its Hunter gone. Old Zavala is just that – old. You know better than I that he is unmoving in his choices, He proved that during the battle of Twilight Gap, choosing to leave those people behind. He is tired and I don't need someone like him." He arched a brow as if waiting for her to defend him.

She didn't.

Why would she when she thought much the same?

"As for your boss…" he went on. "Ikora is a smart one, but the fact that she lets Zavala rule all their decisions is a problem. I can understand that she doesn't want to make conflict, it is the best outcome for now given how many are still grieving. It doesn't change the fact that she would likely turn from my plans if big blue does. I don't see any point in offering when it could get me into more trouble than I want."

He was right, as much as Skylar hated it, he was right. Bluntly and without tact, but he was right. His reasoning for her help was… odd, but maybe she shouldn't look too close, at least not now. A debriefing couldn't hurt right?

"Fine. We can talk on your ship. Where is it?"

Nodding his head, he glanced at the small, meek-looking ghost. "I'll send the coordinates and time to your ghost. Looking forward to it, Skylar, I have a feeling we're going to get along swimmingly."

Skylar frowned at him, rubbing the coin between her fingers as she eyed him. He was as unreadable as Shaxx was and he wasn't even wearing a helmet. That was a huge pain in the ass. Nodding her head, she moved to flick the coin back at him, only for him to hold his hand up, a smirk on his bearded face.

"You go ahead and keep that. It's the symbol for my little project, our little project if you join me, that is." Well, that was an even higher level of confidence than before. It almost made her wonder if he was insecure about something. He didn't seem the type. Glancing down at the coin again, a nugget of apprehension tickled her mind, but even larger than that was the telltale feeling of excitement. He'd caught her attention, even if she didn't want to admit it.

"What's this little project even called?"

He chuckled again, leaning onto the metal railing behind him, another coin suddenly in one hand.

"Can always count on you Hunters to sniff around no matter how many times you're told no." He caught her eyes again and she had to stop herself from flinching. "It's called 'Gambit.' You want to know anything else, you'll meet me on my ship... You'll show, won't you? Can't help but be curious, enough so to risk your own safety at that."

Clutching the coin in her hand Skylar found herself unable to disagree. Damn it. Damn him and this entire situation. He was right, she couldn't back out now. Whatever Cayde had thought was worth risking possible treason was on that ship. She could hardly turn away when it had to do with him, not when it was all she had left of him.

Traveler help her, she hoped he'd known what he was doing.

-Skylar-

Down in the City, one found all sorts of buildings - ranging from shops, to homes, to restaurants - but that wasn't everything. True enough maybe for the civilians that mostly covered it, but for Lightbearers? There was more. Clans were, in Skylar's opinion - which was a popular one at that - like family. They normally spent a great deal of time with each other both on and off the field of battle and while there were hangouts in the Tower, there certainly weren't enough places for everyone. Smaller clans could just use one of the larger rooms down on the community floors, but for larger clans or ones with high renown, the City was better to use. Small buildings dotting around different areas that were referred to as hubs where they could spend their downtime, chat, plan out group activities, and for some members, even live. It was a place where founders held meetings and spoke one-on-one with members in offices and could invite trusted guests for privacy.

Hidden Wings' Hub was a two-story building near the western exit of the City, stuck between a convenience store and a laundromat. A few streets down was where the nightlife of the City started, the booming basses of the main nightclub often reaching their ears.

It had been nearly three weeks since Skylar had been banned from the Tower, figuring it would be a good idea to stay away from the City for a time. Her friends had been in and out, reporting that any knowledge of the events on Europa seemed to be sparse and nearly nonexistent down among the masses. None of the people they were protecting were looking at them or her any differently as she'd made her way to the hub.

At least that was one bright spot in all of this.

Adjusting the strap for her rifle on habit, she opened a panel on the side of the door, punching in her nine-digit code with quick fingers and after a moment, she heard the lock release and entered the building. The inside wasn't much like what the word 'hub' called to mind, instead, it looked like something akin to a bar mixed with a lounge. At least on the first floor. To her left was a fully stocked bar with stools, though there was no one behind the counter most of the time. To her right was a large open room, cluttered with all manner of sitting furniture from a couch to a pair of bean bags, to the odd hammock strung up in the corner. Tucked into the left side was a larger table, mostly used for poker or other games, but it was also used as a meeting spot for the founders.

The floor was also, as she looked about, nearly empty.

The sight of that left Skylar's chest to squeeze tight. Hidden Wings had never been a huge clan, not like some of them - such as Echoing Victory with its nearly one hundred members. Before Cayde had died, there had been twenty members and six founders. Two founders had died or gone missing within the years between. After Skylar had gone after and killed Uldern, they'd lost three members. Z had informed her a few days ago that since news had reached the Tower about what they'd all been doing, ten members had resigned, half of them stating they were too worried about what might happen to them if they stayed. With Guardians often away on missions and the sad state of their clan's numbers, she now understood just how bad it was.

There were a total of four people in the entire downstairs area. She spotted Noble first, who at her entrance, had stood up and moved to greet her. He came to her side, back to the rest of the room and placed a hand on her shoulder with ease, given he was taller than her. Not as tall as Haar, but still plenty tall. Titans. Bah.

"You alright?" As always, his voice was smooth and calming – when he wasn't yelling in Shaxx's games anyway – and Skylar appreciated it now more than ever. She hadn't seen him since leaving Europa, the state of their reputation probably bothering him the most, and seeing as he lived at the HUB.

"I've been better," she muttered quietly. "Things are all healed up at least, how's your arm?" Her mark had taken a long ass time to heal completely. The burns were unaffected by Ghost healing, so she'd had to deal with peeling eyelids for four days. Noble's marking was one of the largest she'd ever seen, spanning his entire left forearm almost like a half sleeve of ink. Brown eyes met her own and he gave her a half smile.

"Yeah, all better." Which really meant 'I'm healed but everything else is still one giant mess.' She nodded her head in understanding. "Was going to make a drink, you want something?"

"Is that really a question?"

He huffed and then chuckled, patting her shoulder before heading to the other side of the hall.

"Skylar?" The new voice drew her attention back towards the other three people in the room. She knew them all, of course - she knew everyone in her clan by name. Two Awoken and one Exo sat around a low sitting table, all of them looking at her with concern that made her bite back a sigh. The one who had spoken was Lilith, a pale, yellow-skinned Warlock with short blood red hair and glowing purple eyes. Her pale brows were raised and after a moment, she smiled.

"Welcome back." She nodded to the other seats around the table. "It's going to take Noble a few to get those drinks ready, he's not all that great at-"

"I can hear you!" the Titan snapped from across the way, making the Awoken's lips turn from a smile to a smirk. The purple-skinned Titan next to her snickered. Skylar shook her head and wandered over, sitting down on what was honestly just a pile of pillows with a few blankets holding things in place. She took a moment to look at them all again, her eyes sliding back to the Titan with pale blond hair named Tron and then to the quiet, small-framed Exo with a green and gold color scheme who went by the name Tali, which was short for Talihina-11. Both Lilith and Tron were old friends of Z, and Tali had been one of Skylar's partner's during team Hidden missions.

"I'm glad to see you all here," she said as a way of greeting, her shoulders relaxing slightly. "Honestly, I wasn't sure who would still be around." Skylar hadn't had the nerve to look at the names on the list Z had sent her. It would have hurt too much.

" We aren't going anywhere," Tron replied quickly, putting emphasis on the first word. "Anyone who didn't stay is a coward and not fit for our clan anyway. Family doesn't just cut ties without hearing the other side of a story."

"He's right," Tali agreed, the hum of her vocal systems higher than most Exos Skylar knew, a bluish light throbbing in her throat as she spoke. "We know you guys; we know you're not just going to go and do something like that without reason." Her eyes shifted out of the room and across the way. "We heard the story from Noble and Haar a few days ago."

Skylar waited a few moments, wondering if that was really all she was going to say.

"And?" she prompted, not really sure what she was hoping for.

"We're still here, aren't we?" Lilith mused, raising her martini glass up a bit in a gesture. "You're all reckless fools, but we knew that when we joined the clan. We also know how things really went down… at least for the most part." She gave Skylar a look that the Hunter just met with quiet steel. What had happened between her and Zavala wasn't something anyone needed to know. Shiro knew the most now and Z had probably guessed, but Skylar wasn't willing to talk about the event in detail. The Warlock looked away after a moment, letting the subject go. The other two nodded their heads in agreement as the sound of heavy footfalls came back into the room. Noble handed Skylar the blue drink in a tumbler as she stood back up.

"Ikora is waiting for you in your office," he said evenly, and Skylar nodded her head. It was why she'd come today after all. She had a meeting with her boss, one that she was sure wouldn't be very pleasant. She glanced at the three still sitting down, hesitating to leave after not answering or saying much of anything. Tron made a waving motion.

"We'll still be here, or at least me and Tali will be – we do live here after all."

"I'm not going anywhere either..." Lilith grumbled. "Z said he might be stopping by so…"

Skylar raised an eyebrow and she huffed looking away, the Awoken glow in her features lighting up across her face. "I swear to the Nine, Lilith," Skylar sighed. "If the two of you don't at least solve some of that sexual tension on your own, I'm going to lock the both of you up somewhere until you do."

"I've told you, it's not like that!"

"In a closet, Lilith – in a closet."

"You can't just… Skylar, get back here!"

"Realistically," Noble said as Skylar started up the stairs. "She's your leader and she could in fact order you both into a closet."

Tali and Tron's laughter was the last thing Skylar heard clearly as she made it to the second floor and started down the hall, smirking. The tripmine Hunter and the phoenix. She knew it was mostly just a joke, Z had already told her once that Lilith was someone he cared about but as far as she knew, he wasn't in love with her. She wasn't sure he ever had been - the guy liked bouncing bedrooms a bit too much to ever really settle down. Didn't stop from that physical tension they both had for each other. It might do them some good to just get it over with.

She and Corvan made it work…

Okay so maybe that wasn't the best example of a healthy relationship.

Taking a long sip of her drink, Skylar passed the four doors that led to Guardian rooms and then two large office rooms, both shared by two of the founding members. The Titans used theirs a lot more than Z and Corvan, but Hunters were Hunters for a reason. Her office was hardly used either but maybe with what had happened, that would be changing a bit. Being the leader did have its perks. Opening the door, she found the light on and before even looking around the room, she closed it behind her. Sterling blinked into existence, hovered by the door and sealed it shut with a lock only breached by Ghosts.

Her office wasn't all that fancy, large but empty in a lot of ways. Some boxes and other items were tucked away in a corner, a blanket half-covering them. She paused on it for a few moments, unable to really look away. Her eyes traced over the shape of an instrument before darting away. She really should just get rid of them but…

Don't get too distracted now Phantom, a familiar voice mused and her spine straightened. Damn it. She should have had Sterling put the gun away. Too late now. Looking away from the boxes - her eyes skating over the couch she'd slept on a few times - and then the desk at the other end of the room. A desk mind you, that was being used.

Ikora Rey was sitting in the chair behind the desk, a datapad in her hands as Skylar met her gaze. Behind her, Andal stood, peering over her shoulder and looking at whatever the Vanguard leader had been reading. Skylar ignored the spirit as she often did.

"You know that's my desk, right?" she grumbled, hand tightening on the glass just a bit. She wasn't sure what to expect. She couldn't imagine anything good, not after everything that had happened. Ikora hummed at her, setting the datapad down.

"We both know you hardly use it - not really your style to stand at the head of the group. You lead within the ranks, not above them, you always have." Her eyes looked Skylar over carefully, pausing on her marking and then continuing as if she'd seen nothing out of place. "It's why I tried to have you as a teammate." Words not heard for a long time. Skylar sighed looking into her drink.

"Let's not start that up again, Ikora."

"You would have been a g-"

"Doesn't matter, Zavala said 'no', remember?" She looked back at her friend, giving her what she knew was a tired look. "Too young, it wouldn't have worked. Let's just let it rest, okay? That's not why we're here."

So quick to push away memories of what might have been huh? Think about it, Phantom, maybe if you'd stood with them then, things would have changed for the better.

But they hadn't and continuing to think about how Skylar might have been a leader for more than just her clan would do nothing. It was in the past and it did no one any good, not now, not ever. Ikora pressed her lips together before finally nodding her head and glancing at the drink in Skylar's hand.

"Must you really have that now?" A witty line to break the tension, how very Hunter of her. Cayde had always done that when Vanguard meetings had been tiring and Ikora had always responded in kind, leaving their leader to look out of sorts. It seemed the Warlock had taken it upon herself to try and fill in the gaps.

After all, the Hunter Vanguard seat was still empty, even after two years. Skylar shrugged her shoulders.

"My hub, my rules," she mused, sitting down on the couch, the drink in her hand coming to rest on the arm of it via her elbow. She raised the glass slightly as if to clink her glass against an invisible one. Sterling complied by briefly tapping the edge of it with one fin before floating over to his spot at her shoulder. Her lips twitched up into a smirk at her partner's action as she looked back to her boss. "Bad news is easier to cope with when I'm not completely sober." It would at least dull the pain a bit. Ikora sighed, shaking her head, but Skylar caught the smallest of smiles on her face anyway.

"Always assuming the worst these days, I miss when you'd always think the opposite."

Frankly, Skylar did too.

"Guess Tevis rubbed off on me more than we thought, just took a while for it to really show up." It took Cayde dying for her to realize how right the Hunter had been. Taking another sip, she crossed her legs and frowned. "Are you trying to tell me I'm not fired or banned from the Hidden or whatever else could possibly go wrong, or are you just trying to be a bit more diplomatic than your teammate."

Maybe you shouldn't be so quick to judge.

Ikora's smile dropped and she clasped her hands on the desk.

"You should know by now that Zavala and I have quite a few different opinions on things, Skylar. I came here to talk, to see what you wanted to do."

Well, that was something at least.

"Talk about what?"

"Do I really have to say it?" The Warlock frowned at her. "Banning a Guardian is never something taken lightly, even more so for a decorated one like you. I had no idea what Zavala was planning, what the Consensus was demanding until it was too late. If I had known I would have tried to stop him, but you attacking him made that nearly impossible." She gave the Hunter a frustrated look, one that could only allude to how exasperated she was about the situation. "I couldn't oppose him and the Consensus has moved to label you as blacklisted." She sounded upset then, more than just agitated over Skylar's choices and Zavala's actions. Skylar found herself not totally shocked about that. She'd always seen Ikora as a friend, not just her boss but someone she could talk to. She'd helped her get through the aftermath with Crota once Cayde had pulled her out of her hole.

It was clear Ikora thought the same of her.

Skylar let out a quiet sigh, resting her drink on her knee as she is looking into the blue liquid once more. Oh, if only it would show her the answers to her problems. It hadn't done so before, she doubted it would now.

"My clan?" she asked finally. "Are they safe?"

Ikora didn't answer her for a while, long enough that Skylar looked back at her and found her friend staring at her, brows pulled together. She seemed… not confused, that wasn't it. Pensive? No. Skylar wasn't quite sure.

"You're just… going to accept it?" She asked quietly and the Hunter raised a single shoulder. "What's going on Skylar? You always – always fight back. There's no way you'd just accept this. You're letting them drag your name through the mud!" Her voice was getting louder and louder as she went on and behind her, Andal smirked, amused by all of it.

She seems more upset about it then you do, or maybe not. You were pretty upset at first, weren't you, Phantom? It's always interesting to see someone as level headed as Orisis' protégé raise their voice. He canted his head to look at her better. What would she say if she knew, I wonder?

Once again, Skylar ignored him, turning her attention back to her friend.

"There's not much that can really be done, Ikora, and you know that. I don't see the point in fighting it, not unless you tell me my clan isn't safe. That's what really matters to me." It was the only part of all of this that made it worth it. As long as her family was in the clear, Skylar could deal with the rest. Ikora continued to hold her gaze for another long few moments before finally nodding her head.

"I can't speak for how popular they'll be with other Guardians, but their actions on Europa have been deemed necessary - of that I made sure. As long as they never use Stasis against anyone outside of Shaxx's arena, they'll still be under the protection of the Vanguard. I hardly think many of your friends will need it anyway, but for the others, I promise they'll be safe."

Relief lightened Skylar's shoulders, if only just a bit, and she nodded her head, taking another sip of her drink. "Okay that's… good." She took a deep breath. "You never answered my question about being fired." If Skylar couldn't do her job for the Hidden anymore, her trips to the City would become far larger in gaps. Ikora's eyes narrowed, that pensive look back in her face, even as she answered.

"The Hidden work separately from the Vanguard, you know that," she pointed out. "Despite what you might have done, Zavala doesn't have any right to tell me who I have as an agent or not. Just answer me this," sitting up a bit straighter, she made sure Skylar was looking her in the eyes. "What was your end goal in all of this?"

Skylar blinked, brows raising.

No one had ever really asked her outright about her own goals. Everyone just assumed she did it for 'the right reasons', but Ikora wasn't one to just let something go unless she had a straight answer. Skylar could hear Andal humming, the edge of a chuckle in the sound. He thought her reasoning was overdramatic.

"In order to keep my promise to him," she said evenly, and by the slightly widening of the Warlock's eyes, Skylar knew she didn't need to say a name to know who she spoke of. "I promised him on his grave that would do whatever it took to finish what he started." There was more to it, but Skylar had no intention of ever sharing that part of her promise. That was personal, too personal.

Ikora paused, confusion flickering over her face for a moment, and Skylar knew what she would ask before she even spoke the words.

"What did he start? I'm not sure I understand."

That was because she wasn't meant to. Not even the leader of spies knew everything.

"Ikora, it-" A sharp beep cut her off and Skylar looked to the side to see Sterling floating away from her slightly to get a better view. Her Ghost had been quiet this entire time - he never butted into her conversations, not unless it was important, and seeing as a red light was now blinking on one of his fins, she knew it was. "What's up?"

"Ana Bray is on the line," he informed her. "She says it's urgent."

"Yes, well, with her that's not surprising." Wasn't like either of the Bray sisters called to just check in or talk. They were far too driven to just randomly make conversation. Glancing at Ikora, she raised an eyebrow and, after a moment of thought, the Warlock nodded her head. Skylar wasn't going to hide anything more from the only City leader she had left that trusted her. Well, okay, maybe Shaxx was on her side too, but she had no way of knowing for sure. Looking at her partner, she took another sip from her mostly empty glass.

"Let's see what she wants then."

The solid red light on his fin switched to a blinking on as a sharp click came over the com speaker.

"Skylar?" Ana's voice was clear and calm and yet… something was off. Something that didn't sound like the normal stressed or vital edge that came with the all too common 'shit had hit the fan' bad news she often had for clan Hidden Wings.

"Who else?" she mused, making sure to mask whatever emotions the conversation from before had been building up. There was a pause, a blip of static as the Hunter let out a breath. "Ana? What's up?"

"I'm sorry, I just, I'm not sure how to go about telling you this."

That was a first.

"Has something bad happened?"

"No, nothing bad… by all accounts, it's the opposite." There it was again, not worry - no, that tone was not worry. It sounded… nervous? Why would she ever be nervous? Glancing at Ikora again, she found her friend looking at her Ghost with interest. Andal had moved, Skylar noted. He was slowly walking around the room now, but he too was keeping an eye on her partner.

"Okay…" Skylar said, curiosity taking root. "Now I'm invested."

"We – Elsie and I – we found something, another underground Clovis building and lab."

"Oh? I take it you found something you weren't expecting?" It seemed like they'd found out more and more regarding anything Exo and Bray related that one could find – even a giant talking head of the asshole himself and that secret about Banshee of all people being... What else could there be?

Another long pause of silence that left a splinter of dread and worry to crack along her mind.

"Ana?"

"Skylar… We found him."

She blinked, tilting her head slightly.

"Found who?"

"The building we found, it's more like a storing facility and it's storing all of them - every single one ."

"You're not… Ana, come on, you're not making sense." What in the Nine was going on?

There was another buzz of sharp static and then a shuffle and a new voice came on the line.

"Skylar?" Elsie's voice rang out, surprising her - but it really shouldn't have, seeing as they'd apparently found something.

"What is going on? Is your sister okay? Cause I've never-"

"We found their bodies, Skylar," she cut in, making Skylar's mouth snap shut. "The bodies of every single Exo, and they are alive, just in cryosleep." Her statement causes a buzzing sensation to clutter Skylar's ears as those cracks of dread crept forward.

"I don't…"

"I think you know exactly what I mean," the Exo replied firmly. " Every Exo , Skylar – including Cayde. We found his human body, and I think, no, I know we can bring him back."

The cracks suddenly ripped into fissures, the sound in her ears turning into something like a muffled scream.

"…What?" Her voice came out in a muffled whisper that held no air in it.

She couldn't breathe - there was no air left in the room and the screaming was only getting louder.

"By the Nine..." Ikora whispered at the same time Andal let out a dry chuckle.

Well now, things just got a whole lot more interesting…

"Skylar?" Anna inquired, but it sounded like an echo - they all did - and all Skylar could do was stare at her Ghost as he shifted his pieces into a look of concern. This wasn't – no – she couldn't, wouldn't, CAN'T- her lungs weren't working. WHY? Why now after everything, after so much time and pain and-

The screaming was too loud. The cracks were too deep.

Her glass fell from her hand and shattered on the ground.

Then, just as suddenly as the screaming came, it stopped - as if the shattering glass had silenced it. Skylar didn't hear anything at all after that. She just stared at Sterling as her body turned numb and the fissures became so deep it was like a sheet of ice on Europa was breaking apart, just like the glass that lay in pieces on the ground.

That wasn't what was breaking.

Not at all.

N/A: I did an art trade with the lovely VALHALLEX over on Twitter a while back and they did this scene for me. Sadly, due to the formating of FF I can't show it to you here. But you can hop over to my Tumblr and find it in one of my newest post. I loved it.

Thanks for reading!