Here's part 21 of Into the Hellmouth! Sorry that I've taken so long, but I keep getting bogged down with work. But expect the next part soon, and here's part 20 if you missed it: https://www.bungie.net/en/Forums/Post/205506572?sort=0&page=0 In the meantime, if you like it, give it a bump, and tell me what you think! Stay classy, Guardians. After three weeks time, the Guardians had made their excuses for leaving the Tower; Eriana and Eris said that they were going to investigate an abandoned Golden-Age facility in the Arctic, while Omar claimed that he would be spending the next several weeks in the European Dead-Zone, scouting out Fallen positions. As for Toland, well, he claimed that he had his “own way” of getting out of the Tower. He’d disappeared the previous morning, and they assumed that he’d taken his “own way.” Soon, Sai and Vell were the only ones without alibis. However, creating excuses for them both proved difficult. Eriana looked up at the ceiling, and sighed. “So, we can’t send Vell anywhere because the Pilgrim Guard has clipped his wings,” she said, “and as for you, Sai. . .” she let her voice trail off. Sai’s “condition” had become common knowledge in the Tower. And no one could think of a reason for a blind hunter to be running around in the Wilds - not even Ikora. Sai remained passive. “Just smuggle me out in one of your ships,” she said. “I can hide in the cargo bay, like Toland did.” Vell frowned. “You smuggled Toland in through your Cargo Bay?” he asked. Eriana shook her head. “We’d have to get you past the Hanger Crew first,” she said. “And there’s no way they’d let us through if they saw you sneaking aboard my ship. They’d alert security - not to mention the Vanguard - in minutes!” “Then stop them,” she said simply. “And how do you suggest we do that?” asked Eris’s ghost. “Ask very, very nicely,” she said. She fingered the hand cannon on her waist. The room grew still as they realized what Sai was suggesting. Ikora was the first to speak. “Sai,” she said, “are you suggesting that we kill Tower personal?” “No,” she said, “we don’t need to kill them - just get them away from the comms long enough for us to launch.” Omar was already shaking his head. “They’d call in the Tower the moment we left,” he said, “they’d shoot us out of the sky before we could get past the walls.” “Then take out the turrets,” Sai said. “Are you saying that we should sabotage the Tower?” said Eris, aghast. “I’m saying that there are Guardians dead on Luna!” Sai shouted, attempting to bring a fist down on a nearby counter. She missed, and stumbled forward, cursing. “Guardians! Our friends! Our brothers! Our sisters! And we should do whatever it takes to avenge them!” The Guardians glanced at each other uneasily. Ikora spoke again. “Sai,” she said, “your friends died so that the people of this city could live free of fear. To disable it’s defenses - to risk everything that they held dear - would do worse than dishonor them.” Sai looked like she was about to say something, when Eriana placed a hand on her shoulder. “You’re not the only one who lost someone, Sai,” she said. Sai turned around with surprise, and then sighed. Head drooping, she walked off into a corner. Ikora looked visibly relieved by Sai’s submission. “Alright,” she said, “now, let’s figure out an excuse for Vell and Sai to get out of the Tower.” “And why would you need to do that?” came a voice from behind them. The Guardians all turned to face the voice, and saw none other than Cayde-6 staring at them. The Hunter Vanguard looked around the room, his gaze eventually settling on his Warlock counterpart. “Ikora,” he said. “You wouldn’t happen to be organizing an off-Earth mission, would you? ‘Cause, y’know, the consensus banned ‘em.” The Guardians tensed up, bracing for a fight, but Cayde only laughed. “Don’t worry, I won’t tell!” he said. “I just didn’t figure Ikora here for the rulebreakin’ type.” The Warlock smiled uneasily. “I was,” she said, “once upon a time.” As she said this, her gaze darted to a shotgun in a frame on the wall. Cayde nodded, looking around the room. “I’d heard the stories,” he said, “just didn’t believe ‘em until now.” “And why didn’t you?” asked Eris. “They sounded too much like things that I would do,” Cayde replied absentmindedly. “And I’ve always liked to believe that I was special.” Ikora nodded. “So then,” she said, “why are you here, Cayde?” The exo smiled, his eyes flashing. “Would you believe that I wanted to help?” he asked. The other Guardians were shocked by his reply, but Ikora only frowned. “No,” she said, “not after you sided with Zavala and the Speaker in ruling out these sort of missions.” Cayde paused for a moment, and then looked down at his feet and sighed. “When I said those things,” he said, “I was angry. I was upset. We lost thousands of Guardians that day - thousands. I knew most of ‘em. And I personally trained about a third of ‘em. And they were gone. All gone.” Cayde looked up a the ceiling. “I wanted to protect the few I had left. I didn’t want to lose any more people. “But I realized something,” he said. He walked towards Ikora, gazing around the room as he did so, until his face was mere inches from hers. “They’re Guardians. I trained them to fight for this City. Die for it, if they had to. And going off-earth is the best way to do that, then I say that they should go.” Cayde looked around the room briefly, his face unreadable. “When I said those things, I was listening to the Vanguard Mentor within me,” he continued. “And, truth is, I’m not a good Mentor. What I am, however, is a good Hunter. And the Hunter within me says that hiding behind the walls isn’t the best way to fight the Darkness, no matter what Zavala and his titans say.” He quickly looked over at Tarlowe. “No offense,” he said. “None taken,” Tarlowe grumbled, glowering at Cayde in a way that said that offense has most definitely been taken. Cayde nodded uneasily, and turned back to Eris. “So, you need a way to get these two out of the city,” he said, “I might have a way to do that.” Ikora nodded slowly. “Go on,” she said. “A ‘psychological retreat?’” Zavala said. “Well, what would you call it?” Cayde asked innocently. “That’s not my point,” said Zavala, gritting his teeth. Few things could wear the man’s patience like Cayde-6. The exo had the ability to turn Zavala’s pale skin a deep and terrifying shade of red. “How could a trip into the Wilds possibly help them?” “Well, the way I see it, what those two really need is some time away from the Tower,” Cayde said. “It’ll give ‘em some perspective on what they’re really fighting for.” Zavala stiffened his lip. “Cayde,” he said, “the only reason I’m considering this half-baked venture is because you’ve somehow convinced Ikora that it’s the right thing to do. So I will ask you again; how is this trip going to help a blind hunter recover her sight, and a half-mad titan get over the loss of his friends?” Zavala’s dark eyes looked directly at Ikora as he said this. She began to speak, but Cayde cut her off. “Well, thanks to analysis from her Ghost, we know that the reason for Sai’s blindness isn’t physical, it’s psychological,” he said. “And since sitting around the Tower hasn’t helped much, I vote that we try an alternative route.” “And if she’s killed in the process?” Zavala asked lamely. “Oh, she won’t be,” Cayde replied cooly. “Because Tarlowe will be there the whole time, ready to look out for her. And, since he usually works alone, some time with another Guardian - someone who’s gone through the same pain that he has - might be just the thing to get him to come back to us.” Ikora was impressed with Cayde’s deception - the exo had obviously thought his plan through. Zavala frowned, deep in thought for a moment. “Every bone in my body is telling me that this is a bad idea,” he said. “So?” Cayde replied. “That feeling never stopped me before.” Ikora flashed him a look that screamed, SHUT UP! but Cayde seemed not to notice. “You’re on board with this, Ikora?” Zavala asked. The warlock quickly regained her composure. “I do believe that it’s the best course of action to make these two fit for duty once more,” she said. Zavala waited another long moment, and then sighed. “Fine,” he said, “have them ready to move out tomorrow. Maybe one of your harebrained schemes will finally work out, Cayde.” “And when haven’t they?” Cayde retorted. He almost sounded offended. Zavala said nothing, and simply walked out of the room. When they were sure he was gone, Ikora’s ghost spoke. “You could get in a lot of trouble with Zavala for this, Cayde,” it said. Cayde looked at it, his face an expression of mock horror. “Oh, Zavala mad at me!” he said. “I quake in my boots at the very thought!” Ikora smiled a little. “You’re wrong, Cayde,” she said. The exo frowned, confused. “About what?” he asked. “Yourself,” she replied. “You’re a great Vanguard Mentor.” For the briefest of moments, Cayde was speechless. Then, he regained his composure, smiling. “Believe whatever you want, Ikora,” he said. “Just don’t tell Zavala. If I deny it long enough, he might let me back out there.” Ikora smiled. Unless another Hunter was foolish enough to take the Vanguard Dare, then Cayde would be here to the end of time, much to Zavala’s chagrin. However, as much as the two bickered, she was convinced that one would do anything to save the other. Beneath Zavala’s cold, hard exterior, there was a caring, emotional man. It had taken Twilight Gap to get that man to show his face. But he’d shown it, alright, and then buried it along with the dead. “Take care, Cayde,” she said. As the hunter turned to leave the room, she muttered once more, under her breath, “Take care.” Edit: Part 22: https://www.bungie.net/en/Forums/Post/206479623