The Queen of Hearts

Chapter 7: Repercussions

"Irresponsible!" Talia shouted, standing over Cayde. "Irresponsible and reckless!"

The exo hunter sat on an old, rusted chair with a downward look of shame, unable to make eye contact with her.

Daydra put a hand on Talia's shoulder. "Careful Kestrel, the Fallen could hear-"

She suddenly whipped around to him, her eyes burning purple with anger. "You stay out of this!"

He squinted at her a moment, then shrugged and went to tend to the mobile heater that Shiro was setting up nearby. On the other side of the meltdown, Torres and Vespa sat silently on an industrial sized desk that had held up surprisingly well over the centuries. Torres paid the commotion no mind, drawing and writing frantically in his journal while mumbling to himself about Hive monsters and secret invasions. Vespa, on the other hand, seemed heavily invested in what was going on, watching intently as if it were a tv drama.

Talia turned back to Cayde, arms crossed. "What in the Traveler's name were you thinking?! I know you don't have any love for the Vanguard but keeping this from them? Stupid! And now we're trapped in this city with no way to contact the outside world thanks to a crazy advanced EMP field. Moronic!"

Cayde rested his remaining arm on his knee and rubbed his metallic forehead stressfully. "I didn't know-"

"What?! That it would be so dangerous?! When is it not? You're a fool if you thought this would be a cakewalk. We were ready to make our final stand down there on those streets!"

"Vespa and I had you covered-"

"Blind luck!" she shouted. "Light within, I'm so angry I may have a heart attack and die right here!"

Cayde snickered at that and immediately put a hand to his mouth, eyes widening.

Talia leaned in close to him, practically shaking. "Oh, you think that's funny huh?"

The exo shook his head, finally finding the courage to look up at her. "No, I-" he stopped as he saw her face, surprised to see that she was crying. Tears fell freely down her face as she glared at him, and he felt an enormous wave of guilt crash into him.

"You said you would be better," she said, softer now. "You said you would take this seriously. I thought you were going to put your team first. Well, I can think of nothing more selfish than risking the lives of five other people… for what? Your ego? To prove you don't need the Vanguard?" She sniffed loudly and wiped her nose and eyes, slowly standing up straight. "I wanted to believe you were changing. But perhaps… people can't change. Not really, no matter how many years go by."

"Talia…"

She held up her hand and shook her head. "I need some time to think. I'll be downstairs." With that, she left the crew behind, disappearing through a nearby doorway leading to the ancient building's warped staircase.

Cayde just sat silently, stunned.

Having watched Talia go, Vespa whistled approvingly. "Now that is a strong woman. Such raw emotion laid bare. I respect that."

With Daydra's help, Shiro finally managed to turn on the old heater which immediately began to emanate a soft, orange glow that filled the room with warmth. Satisfied, he dusted off his hands and walked over to Cayde, placing a hand on his friend's shoulder. "I'm sorry, I had to tell her the truth."

Cayde shook his head. "You got nothing to be sorry about. She was right, of course. Once again, my pride got the better of me."

Shiro patted his shoulder. "Me too," he admitted. "I thought that we could really stick it to the Vanguard, up there in the Tower on their high horses, but the truth is we should not have kept such vital intel from them. Now we are paying the price."

Cayde nodded slowly. "The rest of you knew the risks. Even Talia. But I promised her, Shiro. I promised her it was for a good cause with no ulterior motive. Why did I lie to her face like that?"

Shiro shrugged. "I've known you for a long time, pal. We've never had a good relationship with authority, but perhaps it's time we changed that. No more trying to have it both ways. It usually ends up like this, going terribly wrong and forcing us to fly by the seat of our pants. This is a real doozy of a situation we've gotten ourselves into."

"You got that right," Daydra chimed in, settling comfortably next to the heater. "I wish I was at home on my farm right now instead of this death trap."

Cayde raised a mechanical brow at him. "Then why did you come?"

Daydra sighed. "Because Talia asked nicely, and I owe my star pupil more than a few favors. She has a good heart." He looked up, making direct eye contact with Cayde. "So stop toying with it and go fix this mess."

The exo frowned, then nodded. The old veteran was right. He had to own up to his mistake personally, for her sake. He looked to Shiro, who returned an encouraging nod. Cayde gave his friend a thankful pat and then stood up, walking straight to the exit.

As Cayde disappeared after Talia, Vespa let out a long breath as if she were holding it the entire time. "Wow, that was heavy. I could tell from the beginning there was history with those two. Now I have to know what happened between them."

"That's their story to tell, not ours," said Shiro, returning to the heater and getting comfortable.

Daydra grunted approvingly at that statement.

Vespa groaned, hungry for the knowledge, but reluctantly kept any further questions to herself. She too stood up and dragged her hammer to the fire where she sat cross legged with the weapon across her lap. "Hey bookworm!" she called back to Torres. "You gonna join us or stay there and read until you freeze to death?"

Daydra shuddered, recalling a distant memory. "That is not a fun way to die, I assure you."

Torres made a frustrated grunt in response, but still picked himself off the desk and mosied his way over to the heater, never taking his eyes away from the journal if he could help it. As he sat down, he began to scribble again, making detailed notes.

Shiro eyed him curiously. "What are you working on there?"

Torres' head shot up from the journal, thrilled that someone would ask. "I can't stop thinking about the beast that stalked us today. It was ferocious; relentless. And its biology is perplexing. I have never seen a creature with such a powerful dark aura that never tires, and tanks our Light as if it's a mere inconvenience. What's more, it seemed to always know where we were right up until we baited the Fallen to attack it."

Shiro rubbed his chin, concerned. "Some kind of Lightstalker, huh? This is definitely something we should inform the Vanguard about if we ever get out of here."

Torres scribbled more in his journal. "Lightstalker… yes, an apt name."

Vespa leaned forward. "Wait, does that mean it's still hunting us now? Are we still in danger?"

Shiro looked to a hole that was blown open in the far wall, exposing that side of the room to the howling wind outside. "There's no way of knowing for sure. I think we are safe up here where its large form can't climb, but when we eventually leave here we must be weary of its presence. Even now I still feel the remnants of its darkness, like a weight on the edge of my mind."

"Yes, about that," Torres continued. "I do not know of any recorded foe that carries such an immense power in direct opposition to our light. I dare say it's as if this creature was made to kill Guardians. What's more, the army of minions that came with it seemed to move as if in sync, hence I have taken to calling them a Hive. I suspect they have more individuality than this implies, though. Each unit appears to have control over its own motor skills and decision making capabilities. But they are animalistic, and I theorize that they are getting their orders from elsewhere. It is not unlike a Thrall, directed by the mind of their master."

"The Lightstalker?" Vespa suggested.

"Perhaps, but I can't be certain. I'd be impressed if the creature could fight and direct so many hundreds of underlings at once."

"This is harrowing indeed," said Shiro. "It seems we are lucky you came along. Do you have any more information we should know about?"

"Plenty! Let me show you."

Torres began flipping through the journal, showing them sketches he made of their foes and notes that he made about their appearances and behaviors. As they discussed this new threat, Cayde-6 descended the rickety staircase towards the back of the building in search of Talia. It didn't take long to find her. A few flights down, the wall around the staircase had crumbled, exposing it to the outside and providing an impressive view of the rest of the city. It was there that Talia sat on the steps, arms wrapped around her legs which were tucked into her chest. She rested her head on her knees in silence.

Cayde stopped at the top of the flight directly above her, and his heart broke as he beheld what his actions had wrought. He took a moment to gather some courage, then slowly descended the steps.

Talia lifted her head and quickly wiped her eyes, "I really don't want to talk to you right now."

"I know, but there are some things I need to say to you. All you have to do is listen. Is that alright?"

"I don't know why I should." She looked back at him , "Seems every time I do, you end up stabbing me in the back."

He frowned. "Okay I deserved that, but…" He crouched down on the steps next to her. "It's the truth this time. All I need is a few minutes."

Her face scrunched with anger. "Oh, so you want to talk about the truth now, huh? Like how you were 'telling the truth' about this mission? Yeah, super truthful of you Cayde. Only the latest in a long string of 'truths', isn't it? I should have seen it when we met. I was so naive, thinking we had something. How about that night at the reef, Cayde? What about that truth?!"

He clenched his mechanical jaw and looked away, feeling overwhelming guilt and shame. "...I deserved that too," he said softly. He stood, then walked down the rest of the stairs towards the gaping hole in the wall. He stopped only inches away from the edge. Before him, the winds pulled at his cloak, threatening to suck him out over a thirty story drop. Despite this, he didn't seem the least bit phased. He just stood on the edge, looking up at the stars above. "The truth… the truth is that I'm sorry. I'm really, really sorry. For all of it." He put his only hand on his waist and lowered his gaze to the streets below, then closed his eyes. "And I know it's not enough. Nothing I say would be enough. Still, I regret what I've done to you today… and back on the Reef. I lied to you- led you on. And I'm sorry."

Talia pulled her knees closer to her chest and looked away from him, "What I don't understand is... why? What could I have possibly done to make you treat me this way when all I ever did was love you?"

Cayde's eyes shot open, and he gradually turned to face her in shock.

"And you know what?" she continued. "Despite all the lies and the pain you've caused me, I still love you. And I hate that I do."

His mouth hung open for a moment until he found the words to say. "Oh, Lightness. You… blamed yourself all this time?" He walked forward and stood before her, his cape flapping violently in the wind behind him. "I said I'd tell the truth, so here's the truth." He leaned down and looked her directly in the eyes, then took a deep breath. "It was never your fault. Not even a little. The real truth… is that I love you too. Always have, from the moment we met."

Talia scrunched her nose and looked to the ground. "...you have a funny way of showing it."

"I know. My actions said differently, but I mean it. I was smitten with you from the beginning and even now my feelings for you are as strong as ever."

"...then why?" Her voice cracked as she fought back tears. "Why leave me stranded in the Reef all those years ago, never to hear from you again until now? You gave me the best night of my life and then turned it into the worst. For what purpose?"

Cayde's brow furrowed in shame. "The answer… is very complicated. There's a lot you don't know about me, Talia. I have a lot of baggage, and…" His hand gravitated to his satchel, where he caressed the spine of a journal. "I'm not ready to share it just yet."

She let out a frustrated sigh.

"But," he continued, "I think I'm getting there. I guess what I'm trying to say is… I didn't want to leave you that night on the Reef."

Talia could sense where this was going. "...but?"

"But," he conceded, "it scared me. Made me feel things I didn't know how to process and sent me into an emotional spiral. Very unlike me, I know, but that's what happened."

"Because of your mystery baggage?"

He cracked a little smile at that. "...yeah.

She nodded slowly to herself. "I think I'm beginning to understand… but it still hurt Cayde. This isn't something I can just forgive overnight."

"I don't expect you to, but I will keep working hard until the day comes when I have earned that privilege. In the meantime, I just ask that you be patient with me as I figure things out."

She finally looked up at him then, getting a good look at his face. The expression of sorrow, guilt and shame. The way he stood defiantly against the wind, powerful for someone who she was learning to be so broken. He was strong. Anger for what he had done still stirred in the pit of her stomach, but now she was beginning to understand why the legendary Cayde-6 did what he did. She groaned and rubbed her forehead with her fingers. "What a mess. How did we get here?"

"I made a lot of mistakes," he said simply, "but I'm trying to make amends. I am truly sorry for what I put you through, and I promise you, I will do better. Not perfect, but... better."

She was silent for a long while as she mulled over his words in her hand, then spoke slowly. "Okay… Alright Cayde. I will give you one more chance. But understand that this comes at a very steep cost. Do not make me regret this."

"Thank you Talia. I promise you won't."

"I better not." She pointed an aggressive finger at him, then let out a heavy breath. "I just wish you would've told me all this before we got as far as we did. Could've saved us a lot of pain."

"You're right, and I'm sorry for that too. Although in my defense, you were my first since being resurrected, so it was all brand new territory for me. And… I know this is hard to believe, but I have not been with another since. You left quite the impression, Lightness."

Her eyes widened, both surprised about this news and that he even admitted such a thing about himself. She felt her cheeks run hot as the words soaked in. His first? His only? In a desperate attempt to alleviate her flustering, she turned to humor. "Sounds about right, I doubt anyone else could put up with your bullshit." She said lightheartedly, then realized how insensitive that might sound. She paused, and decided that his honesty should be rewarded with some of her own. "You deserve the truth too. Cayde, you were also my first, and I haven't been with anyone else either."

His face suddenly shifted. He seemed just as surprised to hear that as she was. Then he smiled and chuckled. "I guess I left a hell of an impression too."

She smiled. That was Cayde. Always positive. Always tickling your funny bone. She decided to match him with more banter. "Oh please, don't flatter yourself.. There just aren't any quality men in the tower these days"

He laughed. "Flatter you? Wouldn't dream of it," he said, moving around to sit next to her on the stairs. "You're right, of course. Most people prefer different company. Hard to find a good audience these days."

"You just come off strong, but some people like that." She paused for a moment, then grinned slightly. "And some people you wear down so much they just get used to you after a while."

"So that's why Shiro keeps sticking around!" he chuckled. "Thanks Talia." He breathed out a sigh, releasing some of the pent up stress he was holding in. "Can I ask you an enormous favor?"

"Mm… depends what it is."

"You'll laugh," he said, holding out his only hand. Suddenly an object transmatted there, and Talia gasped. He held his other arm, which had torn off in the crash. "I need someone to hold it in place while Sundance repairs it."

Talia shook her head in disbelief and carefully picked up the arm. "I don't understand how you can even operate without this," she said, lifting the arm into place.

"I know, exos are weird right? Thank you for this. Sundance, would you mind?"

A ghost with a red stripe down its center materialized between them and hovered over to the socket, then expanded into a ball of light. The expulsion of energy immediately began to repair the wiring and reattach the arm to Cayde's body.

The exo groaned. "This always feels a little unpleasant."

"This has happened before?"

"A few times. What, you've never lost a limb?"

Talia shook her head. "Daydra always says that immortal or not, your body is your sanctuary and your weapon. Do not compromise it, even in battle."

"He's a smart man. To be honest, I'm glad he came along. With the way things are going, I don't think we'd make it very far without him."

She nodded. "He's a good leader and mentor. We all have a lot to learn from him."

"We wouldn't have him without you."

She smiled, but something still gnawed on the back of her mind. "On that note… Why did you seek me out despite all this complicated stuff between us?"

Cayde beamed at her with a confident grin. "Because I meant what I said about you being the best shot with a bow this side of the Milky Way. We needed you for this mission; still do. Ultimately I decided that your skills were more important than my feelings, and I do not regret that."

She chuckled. "We're doing a lousy job of keeping this professional, aren't we?"

Cayde laughed. "Yeah, but that's okay." He placed his other hand on her arm. "To tell you the truth, which I promise to always do from now on, I knew this… thing between us might come up. Even still, I had to have you on this crew. That's how important you are, and I'm sincerely glad you are here."

"Me too," she said honestly. "I'm still angry with you, but… I think I see a path forward. We'll figure it out eventually. In the meantime, I will do all I can to help you complete this mission and get everyone home."

At last Sundance finished the healing process and disappeared back into Cayde's armor matrices. The exo rotated the arm and flexed his mechanical muscles as feeling returned to it. Then with both hands, he held Talia gently by the shoulders. "I appreciate that. Thank you, Talia. You're a big help."

She shrugged. "Can't have you facing Talsiks with only one arm. "

He laughed. "That would not be ideal." He stood up and held out a hand to help her up. "Come on, the others are waiting for us. We have a game plan to discuss."

"Alright," she said, taking his hand and standing up. "I hope it's better than your last plan."

"Oh, miles better. This plan blows that plan out of the water."

She laughed as they walked up the stairs together and back down the hall towards the others. "Looking forward to it."

Cayde burst into the room with Talia shortly behind. "Alright crew, listen up! I'm adding a target to our assault on the complex. We have an EMP field to eliminate."