[u][b]Standoff[/b][/u] We stood in the city’s corpse, weapons raised and senses on edge. There were three of us: each come like vultures for our own morsel of ancient carrion, each determined to walk out of the rust-filled boneyard with a prize. I studied the Warlock in my scope. Lanky and cowled, they held a pair of pistols on me and the newcomer, a thick-shelled brute who brought to mind stories about the Titans, those who held the walls long past when most would have fallen and been forgotten. Their ordinance was real enough; a ballistic wolfshead was pointed at the steel ledge I hung from, enough of a payload to wipe out both me and the Warlock below. “So how’s this going down?” the Warlock asked, her singsong voice revealing much. The words [i]woman[/i] and [i]Awoken[/i] fluttered through my mind, attaching themselves to her image next to [i]sharp-eyed[/i] and [i]quick[/i]. “Looks like that depends on you,” the Titan responded. Gruff, with a telltale mechanical resonance. [i]Exo[/i], [i]brute[/i], and [i]cautious[/i] filled in his blanks. I twisted slightly to adjust my rifle’s aim as the Warlock shook her head, then holstered her weapons. “Then I suggest we stop acting like targets for the Fallen and start acting like the Guardians we are,” she replied, crossly. [i]Diplomat. Temper. Leader.[/i] The Exo tilted his rocket launcher up. “How about you, Hunter?” he shouted, “Do you still stand for the City?” [i]Patriot. Paranoid. Loyal.[/i] I lifted the rifle and spread my hands, undoing my harness clasps. The leather webbing snapped loose, and I tumbled in freefall down to their level. I landed on my feet this time. “Aye,” I said, powering down the rifle’s scope. “Now let’s talk about that signal which drew us all here in a right damn hurry.”