Post by Soline on Sept 22, 2014 1:22:17 GMT -5
First there was only darkness, then came the light and with it came pain. The ringing filled her ears, until a voice cut through. “Guardian?”
Who? The thought flit through her mind quickly, and the voice pressed on, “Wake up guardian.” The light started to fade at this point, blurred colors forming shapes. The source of the voice floated just before her face, it's pieces rotating around it as if curious.
“You're awake. Good. We should move.” It pulled back, turning away from her to survey the area. The buildings were in ruin, vegetation overgrowing cracked pavement and rust coating metal cars that crowded the streets.
Stiff limbs pushed her to her feet, “You've been dead for some time. It may take awhile for you to adjust.” She froze halfway to her feet, not sure she had heard that right.
“Dead?” Her voice cracked at the word, uttered from a throat no longer used to speech.
The robot turned back to regard her, the light of its eye retracting briefly as if blinking. “A lot of things may not make sense right now. I will have time to explain once I get you to safety. For now know that I'm a Ghost. Your Ghost. We're together in this.” And just like that it dissolved from her view.
“I'm still here.” The voice came from inside her head, as if her part of her thoughts. “For now just know that we need to move. There's no telling what may lurk in the city.”
As she walked through the streets, the utter silence began to weigh on her. “What happened here?” It wasn't just a lack of people, there were no animals. No life.
“Many things were lost during the Collapse. There should be a radio tower a few blocks from here. I can use that to contact the City.”
There was something in the way they said 'City' that made her think he didn't mean this place. And so they continued, the only sound that of her footsteps on the broken pavement. The sun was setting, and in the time it took for them to navigate the ruined streets and reach the tower it was nearing dark. The doors in were sealed, the nearby button useless.
“Allow me.” The Ghost reappeared before her, floating to the door's console and releasing a brief beam of light. “There. Simple lock really. You're free to enter.”
No sooner had he finished speaking then the door opened. She turned to thank it, only to find he had disappeared from sight again.
Once inside, the tower lights flickered on, or at least they attempted to. Many failed, and those that succeeded only seemed to manage to cast long shadows across the rooms. Elevators were out of the question, and so they took the stairs.
When they reached the top, night had fallen and the Ghost reappeared before her. Again the beams of energy shot forth into a nearby console, firing it to life. “Tower? We have a new Guardian requesting retrieval to the City.” A pause. “42 north, 71 west. We're in an abandoned radio tower.” Another brief pause. “No. There are no signs of Fallen activity at this time. Yes, we'll wait here. Of course.”
The glow faded from the eye of the Ghost as it turned back to regard her. “Now we simply wait.” It said, hovering back to her side.
She moved to one of the large windows, leaning against the frame and staring out over the city ruins. The only light was that of the moon, sitting nearly half-full in the sky and her companions in the stars. It was a stark contrast, the beauty of the sky against the dark ruins below. Though she didn't speak, her mind was racing. She knew certain things. This was a building, those were stars and the moon but when it came to events or herself there was nothing. A fog that she couldn't break past.
“Now is the time for questions.” The voice of the Ghost came from behind her shoulder. “I'm sure you have them.” It added helpfully.
“So many. Too many.” Her mind raced, each question being trampled by another before she could voice it. “What happened?” She finally asked, turning to face the small glowing robot.
“The Collapse. It is a complicated thing to explain. It was the end of civilization as it once was. The end of everything almost. If it weren't for the Traveler nothing would be left.” The ghost flit by, looking out the window as she had. “Not even this.”
It was a poor answer to such a large question. Perhaps there was no good one. “Why did you bring me back?” She asked, turning the focus to more immediate concerns.
“You have the light of the Traveler. You are a Guardian now. You will defend the people of earth from the forces of the Darkness.” The Ghost turned toward her, the lens twisting as it inspected her. “...Perhaps you will find your answers back at the Tower. You will better understand once you see it.”
A frown passed over her face, she was offered answers and only seemed to be getting more questions. So be it, she could wait. Turning back to the window, she passed the time staring up at the sky.
At least this is familiar.
Who? The thought flit through her mind quickly, and the voice pressed on, “Wake up guardian.” The light started to fade at this point, blurred colors forming shapes. The source of the voice floated just before her face, it's pieces rotating around it as if curious.
“You're awake. Good. We should move.” It pulled back, turning away from her to survey the area. The buildings were in ruin, vegetation overgrowing cracked pavement and rust coating metal cars that crowded the streets.
Stiff limbs pushed her to her feet, “You've been dead for some time. It may take awhile for you to adjust.” She froze halfway to her feet, not sure she had heard that right.
“Dead?” Her voice cracked at the word, uttered from a throat no longer used to speech.
The robot turned back to regard her, the light of its eye retracting briefly as if blinking. “A lot of things may not make sense right now. I will have time to explain once I get you to safety. For now know that I'm a Ghost. Your Ghost. We're together in this.” And just like that it dissolved from her view.
“I'm still here.” The voice came from inside her head, as if her part of her thoughts. “For now just know that we need to move. There's no telling what may lurk in the city.”
As she walked through the streets, the utter silence began to weigh on her. “What happened here?” It wasn't just a lack of people, there were no animals. No life.
“Many things were lost during the Collapse. There should be a radio tower a few blocks from here. I can use that to contact the City.”
There was something in the way they said 'City' that made her think he didn't mean this place. And so they continued, the only sound that of her footsteps on the broken pavement. The sun was setting, and in the time it took for them to navigate the ruined streets and reach the tower it was nearing dark. The doors in were sealed, the nearby button useless.
“Allow me.” The Ghost reappeared before her, floating to the door's console and releasing a brief beam of light. “There. Simple lock really. You're free to enter.”
No sooner had he finished speaking then the door opened. She turned to thank it, only to find he had disappeared from sight again.
Once inside, the tower lights flickered on, or at least they attempted to. Many failed, and those that succeeded only seemed to manage to cast long shadows across the rooms. Elevators were out of the question, and so they took the stairs.
When they reached the top, night had fallen and the Ghost reappeared before her. Again the beams of energy shot forth into a nearby console, firing it to life. “Tower? We have a new Guardian requesting retrieval to the City.” A pause. “42 north, 71 west. We're in an abandoned radio tower.” Another brief pause. “No. There are no signs of Fallen activity at this time. Yes, we'll wait here. Of course.”
The glow faded from the eye of the Ghost as it turned back to regard her. “Now we simply wait.” It said, hovering back to her side.
She moved to one of the large windows, leaning against the frame and staring out over the city ruins. The only light was that of the moon, sitting nearly half-full in the sky and her companions in the stars. It was a stark contrast, the beauty of the sky against the dark ruins below. Though she didn't speak, her mind was racing. She knew certain things. This was a building, those were stars and the moon but when it came to events or herself there was nothing. A fog that she couldn't break past.
“Now is the time for questions.” The voice of the Ghost came from behind her shoulder. “I'm sure you have them.” It added helpfully.
“So many. Too many.” Her mind raced, each question being trampled by another before she could voice it. “What happened?” She finally asked, turning to face the small glowing robot.
“The Collapse. It is a complicated thing to explain. It was the end of civilization as it once was. The end of everything almost. If it weren't for the Traveler nothing would be left.” The ghost flit by, looking out the window as she had. “Not even this.”
It was a poor answer to such a large question. Perhaps there was no good one. “Why did you bring me back?” She asked, turning the focus to more immediate concerns.
“You have the light of the Traveler. You are a Guardian now. You will defend the people of earth from the forces of the Darkness.” The Ghost turned toward her, the lens twisting as it inspected her. “...Perhaps you will find your answers back at the Tower. You will better understand once you see it.”
A frown passed over her face, she was offered answers and only seemed to be getting more questions. So be it, she could wait. Turning back to the window, she passed the time staring up at the sky.
At least this is familiar.