Chapter Text
Seida stumbled out of her jumpship and into a small group of shrubs. Not her most elegant drop, but with all the interference in the area, it was the best she could do. She summoned Astrophel for the map, but that too was full of static and barely legible. Seida sighed and pulled out a paper version from her pouch. The way the floor sloped, the way the mountains jutted out around her formed a perfect radio dead zone. Whoever chose this spot to live didn’t want to be found.
“Judging from the slope of the floor, we’re about here, in this part,” Astrophel said, tapping the map with one of his corners. Seida nodded, pulling a pencil from its holder on her left arm and marking the spot.
“We need to search within this two-and-a-half kilometer radius, then.”
“Isn’t that Fallen territory? Our radar isn’t going to work here.”
“Don’t worry, Astro. One good thing about that? They can’t see us either.”
Her Ghost nodded and flew back into her pack. Seida crouched low, her cloak resting on the ground. Much to her disdain, the shrub pile was also a Fallen refuse pile. Freshly scorched trails led away from the junk heap and down a dusty road. It was pure luck she wasn’t spotted on her landing. With one last glance at her map, she crept out of the shrubs.
Fallen were efficient creatures. She didn't have much time. Hand cannon drawn, she started up the path towards the mountains.
“Kevin?” Seida asked, arms crossed.
Cayde nodded. “Yeah, Kevin. He’s speedy, efficient, great with machines. Failsafe will love him.”
“Okay.” She glanced around. “So where is he?”
“That’s the only problem. He’s not really a people person, you know?”
“Right,” Seida replied, head tilted. “So how can I find him?”
Cayde walked over to a map tacked onto his station. “North America” was scrawled across the top. He took the magnifying glass and pulled it over to the midwest section.
“That big of an area, huh?”
“Sorry, Sunshine. That's the closest I can get you.”
“Oh fun.” Seida laughed dryly. “When I get him, I’ll head over to Nessus. Hopefully Failsafe doesn’t zap us to ashes when we get there.”
“Don’t worry about that,” he said with a chuckle. “I’ve got it on good authority that she’ll let you save her, at least.”
“Sounds good. Catch you later, Cayde.”
Halfway up the stairs he called her name again.
“Yes?”
“Be uh, careful, with Kevin okay? I really mean it when I say he’s not a people person.”
Something tripped the sensors. Kevin scanned the twenty screens before him.
“Another Guardian?” Kevin mumbled to himself. “It better not be Cayde again.”
He looked over at Cobalt, hovering stiffly, staring at the monitor showing a female Hunter traversing the road.
“I hope you don’t intend on following her around,” Cobalt said. “Right?”
Kevin turned and headed for the door, snatching the D.A.R.C.I. from the nearby table. “You bet I intend on following her. A new Guardian in my territory is unusual and I plan on finding out what she’s up to.”
Cobalt mumbled something unintelligible and followed close behind.
Seida continued forward, keeping to the edge of the road. She didn’t like the terrain here. Shrubs offered little cover compared to the forests of Germany. Up ahead, a group of Pikes still wafted heat. No riders.
“I’ve got a bad feeling about this,” she muttered. She pushed on anyway.
Loose rocks skittered down to the left of her and she whipped around to face the noise. Sure enough, four Pike riders. Two of them fell easily to her gun, but the others managed to scamper away. She swore under her breath.
“Seida! Your six! Your twelve! Two o’clock?!” Astrophel called from her pack.
No radar needed for all the noise the Fallen were making. Seida sighed and reloaded her gun.
“So much for sneaking in,” she said. “Keep your head down, Astro.”
Gunfire rang out, the Fallen with their energy blasts, Seida with her bullets. She threw her knife at a group of Dregs before dashing further up the road. At least she could outrun the bigger guys. Her Ghost made a worried noise.
“It’s okay, as long as we don’t see a Captain, we should be—nevermind.”
Up ahead, a pair of Captains jogged into view. Seida swore under her breath.
She sprinted across some low shrubs, running parallel to the path. Maybe she could lose them in that old building up ahead. If anything, it was some cover.
She was met with a closed door. A locked door. A ways behind her, something shimmered in the hills. Marauders?
“I don’t have time for this!” Seida growled, kicking the door. It wouldn’t move. She kicked it again, more for effect than actual damage. Behind her, the Fallen Captain and his Vandals were closing in, sprinting on all fours….sixes? Seida kicked the door again, only to have it swing wide open before her foot made contact.
She stumbled but caught herself. Standing in the doorway was a rough-looking Exo Hunter, scowling at her as if she’d disturbed him from something important.
“Why are you banging on the door?” He asked, folding his arms. He glanced behind her and noticed the Fallen closing in. His eyes got wide and his arms reached up and grabbed the sides of his head. “You brought them to my doorstep?!”
“No time! Let me in!” Seida shoved her way past him. “Close the damn door!”
He slammed the door, and twisted a large circular handle, pushing three deadbolts through the wall. The Fallen troops thudded against its surface.
He sighed and shook his head. “Do you even know the meaning of stealth? Now I’ll have to move!” He rushed into the room.
It wasn’t exceptionally large. The only light came from several screens casting a bright glow across the room. Along both walls were multiple tables, each one butted up against the other, crowded with a large array of metal, boxes, and tools. There was one table that sat directly next to the screens that was neatly organized.
“This is ridiculous,” the strange Hunter mumbled. “Some random Guardian shows up out of the blue, and decides she can just come stomping around making a huge racket, and then reveal my location to the local Fallen troops. BRILLIANT!” He picked up tools and pieces of equipment and tossed them into a bag.
“Hey.” A Ghost floated out from behind the screens and looked Seida up and down. “She doesn’t look that bad .”
“Her performance would suggest otherwise.”
Seida crossed her arms, eyes narrowed.
“Don’t listen to him,” The Ghost said, “He’s a bit—”
The Hunter cut him off. “Cobalt, do not speak with the intruder. It’s against protocol.”
“What protocol?” The Ghost replied.
“The one I just made.”
Cobalt sighed. “You failed to inform me of this.”
“The intruder would’ve heard me.”
“But I can’t read your mind.” Cobalt looked back at Seida. “That’s Kevin.”
He waited for her to say something. She just stared at him with the same somewhat annoyed expression.
The Ghost shook his head. “He’s a bit rough around the edges.”
“You’re revealing too much, Cobalt. Stop giving the intruder information and help me pack. We’ll have to escape faster than expected.” Kevin glanced around at the mess of the tables longingly. “All this Golden Age tech, wasted.” He shot a glare at Seida and went back to packing things into bags. Cobalt glanced over to Seida again.
“Oh,” she put her hands on her hips. “Is it finally my turn to talk?”
No response.
“Good. Cayde sent me. We need you for a Strike on Nessus.”
The grumpy Exo mumbled something. Seida turned to his Ghost instead.
“Cobalt, was it?”
He nodded. Seida summoned her own Ghost. “This is Astrophel. Astro, brief him on the mission, will you?”
“Don’t bother. We’re not going,” Kevin called from one of his desks. “I’m too busy fixing your incompetence as a Hunter to help anyone, let alone Cayde.”
What a grump. Seida double-checked Better Devils and Uriel’s Gift before turning back towards the door. “I think I can remedy your problem. Cobalt, be a dear and get the door for me?”
The Ghost hesitated, looking to his Guardian. Kevin made himself busy with more packing. Cobalt looked back to Seida.
“Don’t worry. It’ll be quick. I promise.” A small spark gathered around her right hand. Cobalt quickly realized what it was and, alarmed, flew towards the door. The sparks lit up into an orange flame that spread from her hand and out beyond her fingertips. The deadbolts on the door turned.
The moment light pierced the gloom inside of Kevin’s shed, Seida lifted her arm to the air. A flash of solar energy surrounded her as she called upon her Light. Flames burned over her armor as a golden hand cannon materialized in her grasp.
BANG went the first shot. The Captain stumbled backwards, a flaming hole in his chest. The Marauders hissed at her, narrowing their blue eyes. Seida stepped out onto the dirt. Each step was another shot. Fallen bodies hit the floor. As soon as the gun dissipated into the air, Better Devils was in her hand. The Dregs scampering away had no time to run.
She spun the pistol around her finger once before letting it rest in the magnetic holster at her hip. Kevin stepped outside, inspecting the aftermath. There was a moment of surprise, quickly overtaken by annoyance.
“Brilliant. They’re all dead. As soon as their scouts, no, as soon as their Captain s fail to report back, they’re definitely swarming this entire area next!”
Seida pinched the bridge between her eyes. No wonder Cayde sent her instead of contacting Kevin directly.
“Look. You’re good with tech, right?”
Kevin narrowed his eyes at her. “Yes? What of it?”
“I’ve got some Cabal voice fragments. Help me hack into their recording devices. We’ll make it seem like they got decimated by the Red Legion. Then, you’re coming with me to Nessus.”
Kevin made no comment. He walked back inside the shed, set the bag down, and picked up his guns.
Cobalt looked to Seida. “That last bit impressed him,” he said as an aside to her, “but his pride gets in the way of him saying so.”
“I’m just glad he’s actually listening to me.”
“Yes,” Cobalt replied. “I’m glad too.”