[b]The plot thickens...[/b] Zavala turned on Ralph. "And that brings me to the second task at hand." He stared angrily at the group. "Rescue you have done well to find Slingshot, your next orders will be awaiting you at the City, speak to Ikora." Rescue saluted and transmatted one by one, Lacy giving an apologetic look before vanishing. Shift looked back at Zavala, barely able to hold his gaze. Before he could speak, Zavala stopped him. "It was obvious that you and your team of Guardians would have...[i]difficulties[/i] listening to the Vanguard. That was why we split you up. You disobeyed your orders and regrouped, ran away so that you could continue to hide in your ignorance. No longer. So while I can't separate you, I now know how to keep an eye on you." He turned looking to Ana. "I do not approve of your activities here, but I doubt I could stop you. Fireteam Slingshot, you are in charge of the operations that will surround Ana and Rasputin. They will return to the City, Ana. When they return," Zavala said, turning to Ana. "They're all yours..." ______________________________________________________ The flight seemed to take a lot longer than usual, Slingshot was in a bit of a somber mood. Very little was said, besides the occasional, "We're almost there" and "slight turbulence ahead" from the Ghosts. They were still busy trying to digest what Zavala had forcibly assigned them too. Nothing took the fun out of something faster than being told you had to do it. "Thirty seconds till we drop from hyperspace." Constellation informed. "How's the ice damage from earlier?" Toaster asked. "Almost non existent, but we'll still need a checkup from the ship master when we land." Lima said. "We have no way of fixing what we don't know about. Shift's ship could fall apart at the seems like is cloak is for all we know." "Brace for drop." Con said as the jump engines winded down. The ships lurched at the sudden slow in speed, and they dived into the stratosphere. The sun was a stark contrast to the mood of Slingshot, shining brightly and warming the landscape below in a pleasant yellow glow. A large shadow appeared, stretched from the angle of the morning sun, lighting up the frosty air. The Traveler, a massive silhouette, hovered over the City. Parts of it shifted and circled it, forming rings. The massive orb even glowed slightly at their approach. "Guess that's hello." Ralph said. "A bit unnerving if you ask me." Shift said, Toaster's silence agreeing. "Taking us to the front door." Artifact said, ships descending further down and towards the wall. The team transmatted one by one, Shift appearing first. "Whelp, lets find out what's-UFF!" He cut off as Lacy nearly tackled him from her bear hug. "You made it!" She shouted, excited. "Against our better judgement." Ralph said below his breath as he appeared. "Doubt that what we want matters anymore Ralph." Toaster said. "Well, it matters right now." Jaymen said. "You guys hungry?" "We eat freeze dried food. Of course we're hungry." Ralph said. "In that case, an actual meal will cheer up lots!" Lacy said still clinging to Shift, who had given up trying to pry her off himself. "Will one of you please retrieve your pet barnacle? She's cutting off my circulation." He pleaded. "Oh! Sorry." Lacy said letting go. "All Right." Jaymen said. "I'm off to Spicy Ramen. You tell them what they're going to do while they're waiting." She walked away towards the hangar. "What did she mean by that? We can just find a seat can't we?" Ralph asked. "Negative, Ralph. We're going to teach you how to use your Light. You used it somewhat during your fighting on Mars, but you have yet to truly master them." "Master them? You mean we're not fully powered yet?" Toaster asked. "Yes. There's a gym we need to go to first, before you start blowing up buildings, scaring the neighbors and such." "I'm so excited!" Lacy said, squeezing the life out of Shift again. "Laceeee..." He wheezed. _______________________________________________ They arrived at their destination, a large square area near the wall of the City, with additional large gates leading to the outside world. It was about three stories tall and the two thirds the length of a Fallen Ketch. It had sustained minimal damage, and was proving useful to the clean up of structures and rubble that was not reusable, even before the Red War. It stood out like a sore thumb, with many apartments and small settlements shadowing over it, using it as a base. The employees even lived in it, making friends with the Guardians who entered to train. Two guards stood outside at the edge of the door. It was a passage outside, so some security was necessary. "Huh." Shift said looking at it. "Neat." "That's it?" Cyphan asked. "That's your reaction?" "Not a lot things impress Shift. He said the same thing about the Traveler as we landed." Toaster said. "Toaster's right. Shift doesn't get excited easily, so when he does..." Ralph said, trailing off. "Noted." Cyphan and Lacy answered simultaneously. Cyphan glanced at Lacy, who had a sly grin across her face. She rolled her eyes. They entered the large gym, rubble and hodgepodge buildings littered the area. The floors above them had various holes, as if it was still under construction. The ground was littered in bullet holes and scorch marks. "All right. Lets get started." Cyphan said. [b]What fun! I couldn't post a Side Quest Monday because I still couldn't get my hands on some batteries to revive my bluetooth keyboard, but after the VERY short start to this chapter, I'm trying to lengthen my future posts. If you guys are just beginning to read and want to start from the beginning, the table of contents below will take you to the prologue and the additional stories. If Slingshot isn't enough for you, check out the Archive posted below as well! Ciao![/b] [url=https://www.bungie.net/en/Groups/Post?groupId=1371758&postId=244561414&sort=0&page=0]Table of Contents[/url] [url=http://www.bungie.net/en/Forums/Post/245771343?sort=0&page=0]Destiny Fanfiction Archive[/url]