[b]Thank you all for sticking with me again! You guys are my fuel and inspiration!! Chapter 72: Saying Goodbye[/b] "Move. We have to hurry." The sudden shove against his back sent Bolt almost kissing the ground which he didn't want to do with how filthy it looked. Catching himself at the last moment, he clicked in annoyance but stopped when the Titan gave off their own growls of annoyance. This hallway they were walking in seemed hardly used, walls grey and mold on the surface. Bits of mechanical parts were scattered as well as trash and other debris that he didn't want to know about. The Vandal had been told follow after being almost strangled and bound by the Guardian in front of him. They skirted around other Guardians, the other opening a panel to reveal this dirty pathway. But that was minutes ago, and Bolt wasn't comfortable to follow this Titan. "Where's my mom? I want my mom." How many times had he asked that already? Numbers ticked off in his head but the Titan growling again made him flinch, the numbers crumbling in his mind. "She's supposed to be in cryosleep already. If not, Shade is stupid." Bolt jumped at the mention of the Warlock and went to grab at the Titan arm to ask about it. But the second his claws touched their armor, Bolt was shoved back so hard he hit the ground with a heavy thud. "Don't touch me. For Traveler's sake the Fallen scare the hell out of me and shooting you is against whatever the hell I'm trying to do here. Just shut up and follow me." The Titan hissed, gun already drawn to his head and finger on the trigger. Bolt weakly nodded, standing up on shaky legs. One of his hands went to clutch at his necklace, scared with little hope to get out of this situation. [i]But he knows Shade. Or Shade knows him at least.[/i] The overall question that he wanted to voice was what he going to do now? The Tower crawled with experienced killers; warriors of incredible feats and tales his mother wistfully said during bedtime. Being here made him feel so small. "Where are we going?" Bolt asked in a weak voice, wanting to hear something other than the sounds of their footsteps and the occasional huff from the Titan. "A ship. Where Shade's other asshats will take over from there. Just as long you're out of my life the better." A ship? To where? What about his mother? What of her?? The Titan must have sensed this because they huffed. "She's going to be okay. Shade and that crazy woman Alice made a soundproof plan." "But what if it doesn't go the way you wanted?" There were so many fears he wanted to voice but held it down. The Titan helping him didn't want to hear of it anyways. "What's with the questions? And how'd you learn to speak so clearly?" The Guardian actually sounded curious. "My mom taught me." Bolt responded, a hint of pride in his tone. "You know she's not the only one to try and raise a child, right?" The Titan suddenly said, voice steadfast as their pace. Bolt followed, the darkness around him in this seemingly never ending hallway of filth. His silence seemed to urge the Titan on. "Knew of a guy who wanted what she wanted. Went to the City's orphanage and managed to adopt a kid. It worked for a while, you know. His Fireteam loved the little tyke. Hell, everyone loved the kid." The Titan's tone got quiet, as if saying it out loud was bad. "But we are Guardians. Duty to the City is what we were [i]revived[/i] for. He died out on a recon mission on the Moon. Scout team found him under a ledge, smashed and very much dead. His Fireteam was devastated, his kid even more so. I mean adopted and raised only to became an orphan again? It's cruel." "Mom wouldn't leave me. She said so herself that she gave up on her duties to raise me." Bolt shot back sharply, eyes narrowed. He knew she wouldn't leave him. They made a promise. "And look where it got you." A sudden sound ahead just before Bolt thought of lunging for the Titan stopped him. Further along this hallway, a small light in the distance appeared. "Fina-" The Titan grouched but was cut off when something tackled their sturdy body. Bolt screamed. The Titan let out an undignified yelp and suddenly stopped when the distinct crack of a gun rang out. Bolt screamed again. For what, he did not know. His mother would have screamed with him and then stopped and scold him for doing such a thing. When his heart settled a bit and his eyes slowly opened, he contemplated screaming once more at the new sight of a hooded figure crouched over the now dead Titan, yellow slits for eyes staring up at him and a smoking gun in their hand. The Guardian's Ghost appeared a second later but the stranger shot their other hand out and grasped the small machine. With a flick of a wrist, the Ghost went sailing past Bolt's face with a shout. "Wha-" the Vandal began but a hand to his face stopped him from spouting questions. "Come." The stranger said, more like growled out but Bolt couldn't be so sure with how gravely and low it sounded. Shivers went down his spine when he saw those yellow eyes once more. The figure stood up, flicking away the Ghost that began to orbit the Titan to revive them. The way their body started to sway from side to side, those glowing eyes focused on him brought unease to Bolt. Clicking uncomfortably, Bolt braved the urge to run away. "Who are you?" "I am Xur. I come for you. Let us depart."