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Post by Soline on Sept 22, 2014 1:22:36 GMT -5
Sand and rocks, that's all there was for miles around. This fact did little to deter the ghost in its travels. The sun was high in the sky, though the heat hardly even registered against the small floating robot. Its movements may have seemed whimsical to a casual observer but there was a pattern to its path. Scans were run, seeking something different from everything else.
There. Half a kilometer to the south. The ghost turned, making a nearly straight path over the dunes as it flew toward its goal. It had heard rumors of a ship once, lost after the Collapse in this desert and it had gambled on finding a Guardian there to call its own. It wasn't long before the ship came into view, half lost to the sands. Even in this dry air rust had formed over the hull, a testament to the long period the ship had sat abandoned.
The Ghost flit into a broken window, scanning each room but time had done its job. Cloth rotted away along with flesh and even bone had eventually been claimed. There was nothing left. Defeated, the Ghost began to leave, flying out the back of the ship. It was aligning its coordinates to turn back for the City when the light flashed off something nearby. Curiosity won out and it floated over to the object in question.
A hand, or perhaps a gauntlet. The lens of the Ghost's eye focused with renewed interest and with no small amount of pleasure discovered the light of a potential Guardian.
"Alright Guardian. Time to wake up." It's voice was accompanied by a flash of light as the Ghost's shell cracked wide around it's core.
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Post by Alex Cooper on Sept 22, 2014 4:03:55 GMT -5
Guardian. That word roused her from sleep―is that what sleep felt like?―and drew her back into the land of the living. It was an odd sensation, the feeling of bones lining up back into place, except she didn't have bones. Air filled her lungs in a gasp, but she had no vital organs, only an orange light within her throat to show that she was breathing, even if it wasn't necessary.
"Where . . . ?" she started, the orange lights of her eyes shuddering and flickering, like an old machine just started for the first time after years of disuse. She fought to remember―remember what?―but found nothing. Her head hurt, or at least she thought it did, until it all started coming back to her. She was an Exo. Is an Exo. Breathing wasn't important, and machines designed for war did not feel pain. Or did they? It's so hard to get the details straight.
"What's going on?" her voice croaked, the synthetic quality piercing through with a crackle as she got used to speaking again. "Where am I?"
Who am I? she wanted to ask, but she already knew the answer to that. Sati-9, a machine built for war, but . . . war against what? She only knew her name, and her purpose to a certain extent. That would have to suffice for now.
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Post by Soline on Sept 22, 2014 10:21:34 GMT -5
"We are currently at 28 north and 30 east." The shell of the Ghost shifted around it. "You've been dead. I brought you back." It rose up, looking toward the sky. It wasn't much after mid-day. They had a lot of time before night fell.
"Listen. We have a long way to go to the City. I'll answer what questions I can but for now we should be moving." It dropped back down to the Exo's height to study her again before looking past to the remains of the ship. "The majority of the ship is buried here. The cockpit, and its radio however are not. I suggest we find that. If we can't we have a very long walk ahead of us."
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Post by Alex Cooper on Sept 22, 2014 13:12:43 GMT -5
Dead? That didn't make much sense at first, but after surveying the area around her with those orange lights of hers, it seemed accurate. "How did I die?" She felt like that was an important question to ask. "More importantly," she quickly added, "how am I alive now?"
Despite her confusion, she retained the ability to follow orders. "Any idea where we might find it, then?" she asked, already moving her stiff legs and trying to adjust to walking after . . . however many years it had been. "Sorry for all the questions. This is just a lot to take in."
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Post by Soline on Sept 22, 2014 13:43:26 GMT -5
"The crash I would assume. Or based on your location in regards to the remains of the ship, perhaps you were thrown out during the descent. I do not know, it was many years ago." The whirl of it's parts almost seemed to be a shrug, fitting for the tone of it's voice before shifting back to a more direct response. "I brought you back. You are a Guardian."
It's lens lingered on the Exo for a moment, judging her reaction. "You are my Guardian." It clarified. "And I am your Ghost." It darted away from her then, moving to the edge of the wreckage and sending out a scan from it's lens. "Based on the facing of the ship, and the angle of the descent I calculate that the cockpit should be in... this direction." It turned north, "I do not know how far though. It depends on when the ship broke. It could be miles."
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Post by Alex Cooper on Sept 22, 2014 15:58:13 GMT -5
"How many?" was the first question that popped into her head at the Ghost's―no, her Ghost's―answer. "You said I died, but I don't . . . remember dying," she started, the lights of her eyes dimming and flitting closed as she strained to think, working that mechanical mind of hers. She was gifted with certain tidbits of information, mostly about herself, but as far as anything that happened to her before waking up, it was all a dark blur.
"What's a Guardian, anyway?" she continued to ask, having no end of questions now that she determined she couldn't remember a single thing about her past. Her voice seemed more natural now, with less synthetic chimes and crackles to it. Even her steps seemed less rigid, as if she had just remembered how to walk, headed in the direction her Ghost pointed her towards.
Miles. The word brought several things to her mind. A unit of measurement regarding distance, one that both felt exhausting to think about but at the same time rewarding. Mixed feelings about a concept she was only starting to understand.
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Post by Soline on Sept 22, 2014 17:11:50 GMT -5
"Unsure. It's not important now though. Let's go." The Ghost vanished from her sight, it's voice continuing from inside. "If it's any consolation I'm sure the memory of that would be something you would find unpleasant."
The desert stretched around them, a yellow wasteland that seemed to waver in the heat. The sun's high position would make it difficult to track direction for a few hours at least. As of now there was little to see but sand and occasionally some rocks. "A Guardian of the City. You have been chosen to help defend what remains of humanity. Things are likely different than what you remember." The voice paused. "If you remember."
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Post by Alex Cooper on Sept 22, 2014 18:57:56 GMT -5
She kept up a steady pace as they traversed the dunes. The more they walked, the more Sati-9 discovered about herself. The temperature was high, the rays of the sun beating down on her and making the metal chassis that was her body feel like it was roasting, but at the same time she didn't feel uncomfortable. It was as if it was supposed to sap her strength, make all this hiking difficult and unbearable, but she endured it without really needing to.
Every time she wanted to ask her Ghost about it, she already knew the answer. She was an Exo, and this is what it was like to be an Exo. Human, but not.
"What remains of humanity . . . what happened?" she asked, not liking being so far out of the loop. That was a part of her personality, she determined. The thought of not knowing really bothered her. Information felt . . . important.
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Post by Soline on Sept 22, 2014 20:12:37 GMT -5
"The Collapse happened. An enemy of the Traveler found us and nearly destroyed everything. We survived though. In a way at least. You didn't. Though I suppose you have now." The Ghost paused, judging her reaction, waiting for a response. They had some time of walking ahead, though with the Ghost helping her keep her bearings they would eventually come upon a glint in the sea of sand.
"If it's any consolation. I wouldn't have chosen you if I thought you would die again." It added as an afterthought.
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Post by Alex Cooper on Sept 22, 2014 20:24:49 GMT -5
"The Collapse? The Traveler?" She mouthed those words again and again to herself, as if that was supposed to jostle some sort of memory. The light within her throat shined each time she repeated the words, but no noise came out. "You keep saying these things like Guardian, Ghost, Traveler . . . I can't help but feel like I'm missing a lot of details," she muttered, her mental image of herself frowning at the thought, but her robotic face failing to hit the mark.
"Why did you pick me?" she asked, picking up the pace after noticing the light in the sands. "If I'm supposed to protect humanity, you'd think I would know . . . something about . . . that," she went on, her voice gradually getting quieter and quieter. She did know something about that. She couldn't place her finger quite on it, but somewhere, deep in the back of her mind, she knew how to fight. How to subtly twirl and flick a knife, how to clean the chamber of a gun, how to hit a target through the scope of a high caliber rifle.
Those thoughts gave her pause, making her wonder more and more about her purpose.
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Post by Soline on Sept 22, 2014 22:14:00 GMT -5
"You were touched by the light of the Traveler. It's how I was able to bring you back." The Ghost's voice paused again. "There are many things you won't understand. The Collapse... we lost a lot of knowledge."
At the final question the Ghost went silent, leaving the Exo with her thoughts for several long minutes. "You were here. You seemed to have the right choice. The light... the Traveler's touch is not given freely. It is not any dead person that I can bring back." The Ghost reappeared before her, lens spinning as it faced her. "I believe that you will help in the fight against the Darkness."
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Post by Alex Cooper on Sept 22, 2014 22:58:25 GMT -5
"I'm not exactly a person though, am I?" she asked, her features shifting ever so slightly to give her a frowning sort of appearance. As a fellow machine, it was likely more obvious to the Ghost than it would have been to the emotive humans. "I remember a few things, things I'm supposed to remember. I was designed to fight back something, which I guess . . . is the Darkness? I don't know what it is, though. The name suggests that it's bad," she shrugged, then looked expectantly at her Ghost, still walking though at a slowed pace.
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Post by Soline on Sept 23, 2014 0:05:44 GMT -5
"You are exactly what you need to be." The Ghost darted ahead, looking out over the dunes until the Exo caught up. When she did, it turned back to her. "I do not have all of the answers for you. I doubt anyone does. With time perhaps you can make your own answers. Why don't we start with something small? Do you want to get out of this desert?" It's shell spun one quarter cycle around it, and the lens looked up at her expectantly.
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Post by Alex Cooper on Sept 23, 2014 0:31:02 GMT -5
She would have smiled if only her facial features allowed her to. Once she caught up with her Ghost, she nodded and crossed her arms over her chest. "It's kind of growing on me? But I'm interested in checking out that City you were talking about." After a small pause, she looked over towards the wreckage. "I suppose we'll be radioing for help, then?"
Already she was moving towards the remains of the cockpit.
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Post by Soline on Sept 23, 2014 11:43:16 GMT -5
"Unless you have another way for us to get out of this desert?" The Ghost turned to face her, lens opening and closing. "You'll be able to see the city soon enough. It's impressive for what it is. Maybe there will be more answers for you there."
As they drew closer it became obvious that the cockpit was a wreck. Metal peeled back like paper and shattered glass all over. If there had been anyone inside during the crash the bodies hadn't remained in the area. Inside was little better, sand had slowly found its way inside over the years and it felt almost like an abandoned tomb.
The console was mostly in one piece, and if they were lucky it would still be able to power on.
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