4 weeks, 4 days
She awoke to a faint and gentle tapping on her shoulder. Without bothering to roll over or even open her eyes, she grumbled out a name. “Euri.” Her presence smelled more and more like the Tower Hangar. Like Holliday.
“Yeah, it’s me.”
Nalim rolled over to peer at her. The sunlight coming through the barn lit up the back of her messy hair like a halo. She had dark grease smeared on her chin, and an excited smile stretched her face.
“Where’s Shaxx.”
Her smile faltered. “No idea. Why?”
“He’s not here?”
“Nope. Unless he’s gotten better at stealth. A LOT better.”
Asha materialized. “He’s behind the barn chaperoning flower-picking. Don’t worry.”
“I’m not worried.” Nalim’s expression grew bitter, but it faded quickly. “Euri, what’d you need?”
“Oh, right yeah. I need your help with Suraya’s broadcast. We’ve mostly got it to work, but I need your expertise. You and Asha.”
“Alright. Fine. Where is it?” She threw her legs off the edge of her ‘bed’, hopping down. “You afraid it’s gonna blow up?”
Europa chuckled. “Always a possibility.”
“Great.”
“Hey, lighten up. Maybe we’ll live through the blast.” She elbowed Nalim.
Nalim rolled her eyes. “I’ll tell Shaxx I’m awake and then you can incinerate me.”
“Yaaaaaay. Meet you on the porch.”
“Alright.”
Nalim walked silently around the outside of the barn, hearing the sounds of children grow louder. Adrian was easy to pick out from the group’s noises, and once she rounded the corner she recognized Theo quietly collecting her own bouquet. Not one of them had heard her approach. Including Shaxx, who stood in the center like a flowery monolith. A ring of woven wildflowers decorated the one intact horn of his helmet. It shook her to think he’d ever allow that.
She felt her waking bitterness dissolve, suppressing her laugh. “Shaxx.”
He startled, turning. “Nalim! Good morning!”
“Just wanted to alert you that I was awake and leaving the barn.” She smothered a smile.
“Good! Did you sleep well?”
“Better than usual.” Do not smile.
“Would you like a flower? I would offer you green, but that’s just a leaf.” He hummed over the collection in his palm. “You like purple second best, right? This one then. Purple and green.”
He held a purple wildflower in his outstretched hand, straining to be gentle with it. She stared at it with wide eyes.
“Was I wrong?”
“...No.” She took it. “You...weren’t. Uh. Thanks.”
The smile behind his helmet leaked through his words. “Of course.”
“I’m gonna go help Europa now.”
“Wait. Theodora has been waiting for you to wake up.”
Nalim turned her attention to the little girl mentioned. She turned at the sound of her name, and grinned when she saw Nalim. She walked over, and without a word, pushed her collection towards her.
Nalim knelt down, allowing herself to smile. “Are these for me?”
Theo nodded.
“This is a lot. Are you sure you don’t want any?”
She shook her head.
“What about just one? I’ll put it in your hair.”
She quietly contemplated it, then muttered an “okay”. She smiled when Nalim picked out a red one and stuck it in Theo’s curls. A memory surfaced of River painting her dark cheeks red with little hearts. A good aunt remembers everyone's favorite colors.
“There we go. Beautiful.” Nalim smiled. “Thank you for the flowers, peanut.”
‘Peanut’ left her mouth, but a different voice met her ears. She froze.
“River?” Her gaze fogged.
Somewhere else, Theo looked at her in painful curiosity. “Lim?”
When her eyes focused back in, Theodora’s face had reshaped. River now stared at her. Nalim scrambled backwards.
“Nalim?” Shaxx. Her focus snapped back. Theo was Theo again, but she looked confused. A little hurt.
“I...I’m sorry. Sorry peanut.” The word scraped at her ears, but it was her voice again. “Everything’s okay. I just got a little distracted. Thank you for the flowers.” She got up quickly, and stalked off to Europa’s project. Shaxx’s concerned stare was unmet.
--
“Hey, look who’s up.” The red-headed woman caught sight of her as soon as she rounded the corner. About seven people sat inside the ship, all eyes turned to her. “Was wondering if you were gonna make it.”
“Hello, everybody.” Callisto sheepishly smiled. “I’m alive.”
“Yippee. Can you fly this ship like your Ghost says?” Her expression was wary. Borderline suspicious. After a month of wandering, it wasn’t hard for her to understand why. Argo remained out of sight for that reason.
“I can. I did all my training in a model like this. As long as the ship itself works, I’ll get us in the air.”
“Good.” She turned away, going back to her work. The others in the ship remained quiet.
“...Hello, everybody.” Callisto gave her award-winning ‘I’m not a walking forest corpse’ smile, stepping into the ship and sitting near them. “My name’s Callisto. I’ve been hoping to find you guys for a long time now.”
They looked awkwardly to each other, but kindly at her. At least, she thought, it wasn’t suspicious or angry. A work in progress for sure. But not aggression.
A teenage boy, sitting in the shadow of who she assumed was his parent, leaned forward. “Callisto?”
She straightened up, delighted for conversation. “Yes?”
“Did you name yourself that?”
“Ha, no. I actually came with a nametag, if you believe that.” She grinned. “Sewn right into my shirt.”
“It’s a good name.” He gave a lopsided smile.
“I’m glad you think so.”
The others looked between her and him, the tension loosening. The red-headed woman in front was not included.
An older woman leaned forward. “Callisto is a pretty name. Does your ghost have a name too?”
She grinned. “Of course! He’s Argo. He got his name from me. We agreed on it.”
The questions started pouring in. Callisto hadn’t been so happy to be quizzed in her life.
“Why do you wear a mask?”
“It's to protect my tongue. I have a prosthetic.” She clicked off the metal covering and stuck out her tongue. They marveled at it in different levels of disgust and interest. She laughed.
“How old are you?”
“I assume you mean the second life. I’m two.”
Everyone’s eyes widened. “You’re TWO?”
She nodded, giggling. “Why, do I look old for my age?” That earned her some laughter.
The older woman barked a laugh. “You’re the youngest Guardian I’ve ever met!”
“That’s funny, out of my fireteam, I'm the oldest. Besides our mentor.”
The boy leaned forward further, enthralled. “You had a mentor? Like a Guardian mentor? Was it Cayde?”
“He…” She composed herself. Now was not the time to ponder terrible things. “He was one of them. The one leading my fireteam was Nalim. I assume you guys have h-”
“NALIM? As in THE Nalim? The King-Killer? IRON LADY Nalim?” His eyes glittered with fascination. His parent laughed fondly, but shared the impressed expression.
Callisto leaned back, giggling. “You have heard of her then! That’s the one.”
“She lived in my building.” The redhead turned. “Stoic woman. Barely spoke. When the missile hit the apartment next to hers, she died in the explosion. I saw it happen. Then she got right back up and started kicking open doors. Are you the same way?”
Callisto froze. Barely anything had registered in her head.
“That’s what I thought. Great. We’ve got a two year old newly-mortal broken Guardian with a gun.” The redhead scoffed, turning back to the controls. “How reliable.”
Argo materialized quick, shell spiraling in anger. “She is NOT br-!
“Do you know if the person in the apartment made it out?”
She gave a condescending laugh. “I know you’re not used to it, but people die for good when they get hit with missiles, Guardian.”
Callisto quieted, looking at the ground. River was gone. It became a very crushing reality that maybe her friends and family were not just somewhere out of reach. A hand gently squeezed her shoulder.
The older woman gave her a pitying smile. “I’m sorry for your loss. And for...” She flicked her gaze to the glowering woman.
The other people in the ship now looked directly at her, all in knowing grief. She both felt alone and surrounded.
A man spoke up. “If it helps, Nalim and two other guardians led me and my family to our evac point. A human warlock and an exo titan. They didn’t come with us because of the…”
Callisto understood he meant the theft of the Light.
“But they were as close to the wall as you could get. I’m sure they made it out just fine.”
The older woman reminded her deeply of Eva. Bittersweet memories of bakeries floated behind her words. “I know you’re a little young to know firsthand, but your mentor’s a hard woman to kill. With or without the Light. Have hope.”
“Thank you. Truly.” She smiled, although it felt weighted. River was still gone, but they were right. Something to keep waking up for. “It’s been a long time since I’ve spoken to anyone besides my ghost. I’m glad I found kind people.” She stood, slowly pushing herself off the metal. “And you.”
The room tensed. The red-headed woman turned, visibly irritated.
“I don’t know you. You don’t know me. But you don’t have to like me to let me protect you.”
“Look at where your protection got us, Guardian.”
Cal’s patience thinned, but didn’t break. “Fine. You don’t have to like me to let me fly the ship.”
“That, we agree on.”
--
Europa’s improvements to the machine were, if the City still stood, called safety violations. But with limited resources and impending mortality on her shoulders, it was a work of art. The night’s moonlight now shined on the metal curvature.
She stared at it with pride and a tinge of fear. “You checked it?”
Nalim sighed. “Yes. Several times. It’s good, Euri.”
“You think so?”
“I wouldn’t lie about this to you. If it was bad, I’d just be fixing it.”
Europa shrugged. “Fair enough. Hawthorne, you got your script ready?”
“I never was a great public speaker, y’know.”
Nalim set a hand on her shoulder. “This is your home. You call people to it.”
Hawthorne nodded, a glitter in her eye. “Well, when you say it like that.”
“Haha, let’s get it DONE!” Euri’s face broke into a grin. “Alexi, please standby for crisis management.”
--
The ship was dark and silent. Everyone was packed inside, asleep and hidden from any passerbys. The only light shined through the dirty cockpit window, from the moon.
Argo sat on Callisto’s collarbone, cradled in her hands while she slept. The safest sleep she’d had in a month. He hummed fondly.
“Attention all City evac-”
He jolted himself with the noise. The static of a radio connection rumbled through him. The volume and motion woke Callisto before he could turn it down, and her eyes pinpointed him in the dark before he had a chance to speak.
“What is it? Are you okay?” She loosened her grip, whispering.
He stuttered. “It’s a broadcast.”
“Play it.” Her eyes widened. The people around her started to shift in and out of their sleep.
“...to the Farm for regrouping. Once again, all City evacuees, please make your way to the Farm for regrouping. It is safer here. Guardians and civilians. Located at-”
Callisto was scrambling out of her sleep. “Track the broadcast.”
The people had now all woken up, watching the yellow dots of light flash around the cockpit in the dark. The older woman spoke up first.
“Hey, Callisto? What’s happening?” She sounded scared.
Cal turned in her seat, grinning, although it wasn’t visible. “It’s a broadcast from a safe haven! I can get us there before morning!”
“Hey, woah, woah. We didn’t say we wanted to go. Let us listen to it too.” The red-head.
Argo moved to the center of the group. People huddled around him, blue light of his eye warping their faces.
“...to the Farm for regrouping. It is safer here. Guardians and civilians. L-”
“That’s… That’s Suraya! I’d know that girl’s voice anywhere!” The older woman sat up. “I knew her dads. Everyone, I trust her with my life, and she’s been living outside the City for years. If she says where she is is safe, I believe it. I vote we go.”
Callisto nodded. “You know the woman speaking?”
“Since she was a little girl.”
“Raise your hand if you want to follow the broadcast.” Argo spoke, watching the hands raise. “Majority. Then let’s head out.”
The red-head stood up. “Then let me off the ship. I don’t trust it.”
“Mona, please.” The older woman pleaded.
Callisto stood up, reaching out over the sea of people to graze Mona’s arm, but she pulled it away.
“How do we know she isn’t hostage and is luring people into a trap? The amount of people there alone might draw attention and cause another massacre. It’s too risky.”
“Wait, please. Listen to me.”
She groaned, hand over the door release button. “Make it quick, Guardian.”
“I’ll drop the ship far enough away and I’ll be the first to go out and scout. If I don’t make it back, you know to leave. And given it is real, we’re better off in numbers. You’ll never survive out there on your own.”
“Maybe you can’t, but I’ll do just fine out there.”
Callisto’s eyes narrowed, just about the only visible expression she could make in this dark. “How long have you been leading these people? A month?”
“Several weeks. Why.”
“You’ve been living with and protecting these people for that long. If you think it’s unsafe where we’re going, don’t you want to be there in case you’re right?”
Mona muttered something insulting.
The older woman gently touched her arm. “Please, go with us. Callisto is right. I’d feel safer if you were there.”
“Fine.” She sighed. “I’ll stay. But teach me how to fly the ship. In case you do die.”
Callisto smiled. “Deal.” She turned back towards the cockpit and sat in the seat, the dark sky before her.
“Hopefully this flight goes better than my last one.” She chuckled.
Mona was silent.
“Because I was shot in the mouth. I’m a great pilot.” Callisto quieted. “Promise.”
“Ghost, how long is it gonna take before we get there?”
Argo hummed, scanning the controls. “Bad news. Longer than a night. This ship’s a little damaged, and the broadcast has been amplified. At our fastest, maybe 2 days. That means no breaks.”
Callisto nodded, strapping herself in. “I can do it.”
“Not alone you can’t.” Mona braced her hand against the back of the seat. “You’ll fall asleep and kill us all. I’m not even sure we should fly at night.”
“You’re right.” She gave a tired smile, lost to the shadow. “We can do it.”
Mona sighed irritatedly. “Let’s just go.”
“Everyone hold onto something. Here we go!”
--
Several hours had passed, Mona and the others were sleeping, and the ship continued on into dawn.
Callisto hummed. “I miss Cayde.”
“What made you think of him?” Argo sat on her shoulder, supported by the chair.
“Flying this ship reminds me of that mission. Talking to him over the comms. Having someone on the other side rooting for you.” She smiled fondly. “Hope he’s okay.”
Argo sighed. “I’m sure wherever he is, he’s still rooting for you.”
“He’s most likely not thinking about me.”
“I’m sure he finds the time.” His tone bordered on teasing.
She chuckled, and they flew on in silence.
--
Callisto stood off far away from her, her silhouette dark against the fires before her. Suddenly, a familiar resounding pop filled her ears, and a flaming gun materialized in her hand. She raised it up and-
“Nalim?”
She awoke with a start, the calmest she’d been in weeks. “Huh?” Shadows solidified into shapes. “Hey, Alexi. Everything alright?”
“Why do you not sleep near us anymore?” His voice lilted sadly. He was massive, taller than her and stronger than her, but he sounded so small.
“Shaxx wants to monitor my sleeping habits to make sure I don’t fuck up.”
Alexi’s eyes narrowed curiously.
“I almost did. He’s not wrong.” As if on cue, she could hear Shaxx slam an axe into wood. He only did that when he was thinking hard about something. Her fatigue wiped away her will to know. “Why do you ask?”
“I miss you.”
She smiled minutely. “I’m sleeping on a table in a barn. Go back to Europa, Lexi. Keep her warm.”
“It is too hard to sleep with you far away.”
She sighed. “You’re just as difficult as she is. I’m not even that far away.”
“Can I sleep in here?”
“If you really have to. It won’t be comfortable.”
“You were asleep on a table. I can manage.” He smiles, visible in his eyes alone. The shadows were only broken by his lights flashing as he spoke. “I will be right back.”
“Where’re you going?”
“To bring Euri.” His smile turned a little smug. “I keep her warm.”
Nalim chuckled, throwing her arm over her eyes. “Alright, alright. Hurry it up.”
He disappeared into the night outside the barn.
Her dream faded back into the forefront of her mind.
“Asha, did Cal ever use solar light?”
Her eye flickered. “Not that I remember.”
“Hmm.”
“Why?”
“She was in my dream. It’s been so long since I’ve had something other than a prophecy or a nightmare.”
“Maybe you’re just that tired. Your brain doesn’t have the energy to torture you.”
“I don’t think reminding me of my dead student’s wasted potential is exactly kind.”
Asha snorted. “Fair. But it could be worse.”
She sighed. “It could be worse.”
Alexi gently pushed the barn door open with his foot, carrying Europa. Both had blankets over their shoulders.
“Sleepover.” He grinned.
Euri waved her hands exhaustedly. “Sleepoverrrrrr.”