Destiny
Chapter 1
“Eyes up, Guardian! C’mon, now, wake up!” The woman let out a small groan at the noise and began to crack her eyes open. “It’s working! I can’t believe it’s working!”
“Wha?” She groaned out and shook her head slightly as she blinked a few times before finally focusing on the thing talking in front of her.
“You don’t how long I’ve been looking for you!” The small floating bit of machinery explained excitedly and the woman furrowed her eyebrows as she began to look around her surroundings.
“Where the heck am I?” She asked after a moment of her eyes darting back and forth across the scenery. “And who the heck are you?”
“I’m a Ghost! Or, well, you’re Ghost now.” The computer generated voice said and the woman tilted her head for a moment before her eyes widened. “Now, you’ve been dead a long time so—“ The little Ghost went on but jumped when the woman let out a yelp.
“Why am I glowing?! Oh my god, I’m blue!” She cried out, staring at her own hand with wide eyes as the Ghost hovered beside her nervously. “Wait a minute!” She turned to him, her bright glowing green eyes wide and staring.
“Yes?” He asked hesitantly.
“What did you say you were?” The little Ghost simply stared at her for a moment.
“I’m a…Ghost?” He tried, his confusion clear in his tone and the Awoken woman bit her lip.
“Afraid you would say that.” She said as she went back to staring at her hand and the Ghost lowered himself to hover next to it.
“You are Awoken, do you not know this?” He asked and she clench her hand shut for a moment before slipping her glove back on.
“Uh, I was definitely human last time I checked.” She said and he stared at her again. “What?” She asked her tone slightly defensive.
“Something isn’t right here.” The Ghost said slowly, the hint of confusion still in his tone and the woman tilted her head in question.
“Guardians aren’t supposed to remember their past lives, are they?” She asked and the little floating pieces of her Ghost whirled in surprise.
“How did you know you were a Guardian?” He asked and the woman sighed.
“Look, little guy, we have a lot to talk about, but if I recall correctly this isn’t the safest place, yes?” She asked and the little device made some kind of movement that she assumed was a yes. “Besides my ass is seriously frozen.” She grumbled and her Ghost let out a surprised chuckle to which she gave a small smile in return.
“I’m sorry to hear about your…rear end, it might help if you try to stand.” He said, his pieces whirling around once again and the woman nodded slowly. “But yes, you would be correct. This is Fallen territory, I really should be getting you to the city.” He said and she stopped her movement in surprise.
“Wait, you mean the Last City? Like…where the Tower’s at?” She asked and her Ghost narrowed his optical at her.
“You really do have some explaining to do once we get to the Tower.” He said with a sigh and she nodded, eagerly following behind him as he started to float away.
“So, as much as I love calling you little guy.” The Ghost narrowed his eye at her for that statement and she tried to hold back the grin forming on her face. “Do you have a name?”
“Yes, my name is Attis.” He said with a little huff and the woman nodded slowly, a small smile forming on her face.
“Ah, yes, the god of resurrection, good name for a Ghost.” She agreed and she glanced over to see the little bot’s pieces spin out and then back in, in a pleased sort of way.
“Thank you, may I ask what yours is?” He asked and the woman’s eyebrows shot up at how quickly his tone went from irritated to pleasant.
“Funny, it seems like I remember pretty much everything but my name.” She joked, but Attis could hear the small amount of irritation in her voice as she furrowed her eyebrows in concentration.
“Perhaps it no longer fits you.” He suggested and his Guardian looked wary at the thought. “Either way, it’s doesn’t matter, it will come to you eventually, no matter if it’s a new name or an old one.”
“Thanks, little guy.” She said and he huffed again.
“I thought the whole point of asking my name was so you didn’t have to call me that.” Attis said irritably and the woman chuckled as she gently patted her Ghost.
“I never said I didn’t like calling you that.” She said with a cheeky look in her eyes and Attis merely sighed as she followed him into the giant wall before them.
…
“Dido.” She said quietly and Attis blinked before floating closer to her. They had made it to the ship a while ago and she had been silent ever since they boarded it and took off.
“Dido?” He asked in confusion and she grinned at him.
“Yes, that will be my name now.” She elaborated and he spun his back pieces for a moment as he stared at her in thought.
“What does it mean?” He finally asked and there was a cheeky look in her eyes.
“Dido is an Ancient Greek name, she was part of the epic poem the Aeneid. She was the queen of Carthage and she killed herself when her lover, Aeneas, left her.” Attis continued to silently stare at his Guardian until she raised her brow.
“I’m…not sure I get it.” He said and she let out a sigh of exasperation.
“Hello, she killed herself? Guardians always get themselves killed and their Ghost resurrects them…?” She let out another sigh and shook her head, a small smile growing on her face. “Never mind, Attis, just call me Dido from now on, okay?”
“Okay.” He said slowly, confusion still leaking into his tone and Dido couldn’t help, but chuckle at him. “So, you don’t remember being Awoken?” He asked after a moment of silence and she shook her head.
“Not only that, I very clearly remember being human. The time period was way before now, too, before your precious Golden Age even.” She said quietly, her eyes roamed the ship she now sat in, wondering if there was a mirror anywhere around the place. She remembered her tan skin, her long dark brown hair, and hazel eyes. She wondered if her facial features changed as well, did she still have the same eyebrows, cheekbones, and lips.
“Well…you’re very pretty for an Awoken.” Attis said shyly and Dido chuckled before patting the top of his little body.
“Thank you, Attis, that’s very kind of you to say.” She said before slowly standing and walking to the front of the ship so that she could look out the windshield. “How much longer to the Tower?”
“Shouldn’t be too much longer.” Her Ghost said before floating over to her. “Say, how did you know all those things, by the way?”
“What do you mean?” Dido asked as she sat down in the pilot’s seat.
“Well, you knew about the Last City, the Tower, that I can resurrect a Guardian. But your memories are from a time long before this and I only just resurrected you.” Attis explained and Dido furrowed her eyebrows for a moment.
“You…I can trust you, right? Out of everyone, you’ll always be my friend?” She asked carefully and Attis blinked before moving closer.
“Of course, Dido, I know we only just met, but I’m your Ghost. You and I have a special bond now that you will never experience with anyone else.” He explained and Dido nodded with a weak smile.
“I suppose I should tell you the truth then, if we’re gonna be together all of the time.” She said quietly and she looked down at her hands. She was afraid what would happen if she admitted the truth, but she had to take the risk and tell her Ghost.
“And that would be?” Attis asked, not having the faintest idea what she could say next.
“Well, I remember my life before like it was yesterday.” And it honestly did feel like yesterday to her. One moment she was playing Destiny, the next moment she was here with her Ghost waking her up. She took a deep breath when Attis didn’t say anything and she glanced at him before continuing. “And in my life before, this…none of this was real, it was all just a game. I remember it clearly too, every single part I played, even when you just woke me up, I recognized what you were saying and the area around us. It was the same place my Guardian’s Ghost woke her up for the first time.”
“I don’t understand. Are you saying that you…that you think this is a game?” Attis asked slowly and Dido heard maybe just a hint of anger and disbelief in his voice. She quickly shook her head before she could upset the little Ghost further.
“No, of course not! I know this is real, that you and I are real.” She reassured him and it seemed to calm Attis a bit.
“Then what do you mean?” He asked and Dido shook her head before biting her lip.
“I mean that if that truly was the same moment that my Guardian was woken up, then I know what’s going to happen.” She gave her little Ghost a meaningful look and he moved even closer to her.
“Like…tell the future, of the Guardians?” He asked and she shrugged once.
“Maybe, like I said depends on if that truly was the same moment that my Guardian was woken up in the game.” She said and Attis fell into what seemed like a thoughtful silence.
“Who are the Vanguard?” He asked suddenly and Dido looked at him in confusion for a moment.
“Er, Attis, are you okay? Did Fallen knock your shell into a wall?” She asked and her Ghost sighed loudly, his side pieces spinning wildly.
“Just answer the question, Dido.” He said with an exasperated tone and Dido threw her hands up in a placating gesture.
“Well, there’s Commander Zavala, he’s the Vanguard for the Titans. Then there’s Ikora, she takes care of the Warlocks.” A small smile grew on Dido’s face at the thought of the Hunter Vanguard who was probably her favorite character in the entire game.
“And?” Attis encouraged, a tone of curiosity in his voice at the sight of her smile.
“Cayde-6, an Exo who lost a bet and is now the Hunter Vanguard because of it.” She said with a quiet chuckle.
“What kind of…gifts does the Traveler give the Guardians?” He asked and Dido remained silent for a moment.
“Oh, do you mean like supers? Well, I don’t know much about Titans or Warlocks, I never played them much myself. But there are three kinds of Hunters: the Gunslingers, the Nightstalkers, and the Blade Dancers.” She said with a bright smile and Attis nodded quickly.
“And what were you? Or I guess I should say, what was your Guardian’s skills?” Attis corrected himself awkwardly.
“Oh, she was a Blade Dancer, of course! I loved Blade Dancing much more than the other two.” Dido said and she pulled back slightly as Attis floated even closer to her face.
“What did your Guardian look like?” He asked and Dido hummed in thought.
“Well, she was Awoken. She had pale blue skin and bright glowing green eyes, her hair was a mossy green color. She also had a tattoo that went over her eyes and it consisted of a bunch of black dots and one was on her chin as well, right here.” She placed her pointer finger on her own chin and her Ghost froze.
“Dido…have you ever considered that maybe you were supposed to take the place of your Guardian?” Attis asked after of a moment of him silently staring at her.
“Wha-what do you mean?” Dido asked in surprise, her eyes widening.
“Well…” Attis hesitated for a moment and Dido tilted her head in confusion. “That’s what you look like, Dido, you just described yourself.”
“I’m sorry, what did you just say?” She asked in shock and her Ghost hovered around her for a moment.
“You look exactly like the description you just told me.” He repeated himself and Dido raised her brow.
“And you think that by some weird cosmic…something that I replaced my Guardian in my game?” She asked and if Attis could shrug she knew he would.
“I don’t know, it’s some kind of explanation I suppose.” Her Ghost said and she rolled her eyes.
“But that’s crazy, Attis!” She said and Attis sighed before glancing at her.
“As crazy as you suddenly waking up in a video game?” He challenged and Dido fell silent. “Hold on, we’ll be at the Tower in a minute or two.”
“Are you going to tell them?” Dido asked hesitantly.
“Who? The Vanguards? Of course I am.” He said and Dido’s eyes widened in disbelief before narrowing. “You’ll be safe, Dido, don’t worry. No matter how you became one, you’re still a Guardian and you have me to back you up. I know you couldn’t be tricking me seeing as I literally resurrected you from the dead. But if we tell them, they may be able to find out something or maybe you can tell them something important.”
“Alright.” She agreed after a moment of silence and she let out a sigh as she felt her nerves build up in her stomach.
…
Dido looked around in awe as Attis led her from the hangar. She had already met Amanda, recognizing her immediately and giving her a rather enthusiastic hello. Attis had quickly led her away after that and she didn’t protest since she was too distracted by everything she was seeing.
“Dido, be careful, I may be able to resurrect you, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be careful!” Attis cried out, worry in his tone as he watched Dido slowly drift towards the ledge.
“But, Attis, that’s Banshee-44!” Dido whispered excitedly and Attis let out a sigh. He looked forward and immediately perked up at the sight of Cayde casually walking up the steps from the Hall of Guardians.
“Cayde!” He cried out and watched as the Exo paused for a moment. “Over here!” He tried again and Cayde turned, a grin somehow forming on the metallic plates of his face when he saw them.
“Oh…” Dido breathed out, her eyes wide as she was suddenly filled with nerves.
“It’s just Cayde.” Attis said with a chuckle as the pair watched him walk towards them.
“Yeah, it’s Cayde.” She said like it was the most obvious thing to be excited about and Attis just sighed again, unsure what to do with this side of Dido he was seeing for the first time.
“Ah, never seen you around here before, you must be new.” Cayde said pleasantly and Dido nodded slowly as she tried to ease her own nerves. “My name is—“ He began, but Dido was quick to cut him off.
“Cayde-6 and you’re the Vanguard for the Hunters, I know.” She said, but fell silent when both Cayde and Attis stared at her.
“If you haven’t already guessed, we have alot to talk about with this one.” Attis said with a sigh.
…
“And she just woke up already knowing this information?” Ikora asked suspiciously, her eyes scanning a nervous Dido as she fiddled with the cloak she found in the Wall.
“Yes,” Attis replied immediately, defending both himself and his Guardian, and Ikora turned her gaze on him. “You can check my feed.”
“And you believe that you’re in some…video game, was it?” Cayde asked curiously and Dido’s head shot up as she pointed her finger at her Ghost.
“That was his idea!” She defended and Attis rolled his optic to the best of his ability as Cayde began to chuckle.
“She described how her Guardian in the game appeared and the description matches her perfectly.” Attis elaborated and Cayde turned to the Awoken woman.
“And have you seen yourself yet? Can your verify this?” He asked, amusement clear in his tone and Dido opened her mouth to protest, but she fell silent.
“Actually, no, I haven’t been able to find a mirror.” She said awkwardly, a blush rising to her cheeks as she looked away from Cayde. There was some rustling noises and Dido jumped slightly when she felt a hand on her arm.
“Here, take a look.” He said and she turned her head to see he was pointing to the reflective surface of the giant table in the middle. She could see that his map had been folded up neatly and put to the side.
Dido bit her lip and glanced at Cayde one more time before stepping close to the table. Her eyes widened when she saw the bright green glow of her eyes reflected back at her. Her fingers brushed against the table where the dots of the black tattoo sat on her temple, her skin a pale blue. Attis was right, this was her Guardian. She looked exactly like the Guardian she had created in the game.
“Well?” Ikora prompted and Dido looked up, her eyes still wide as she pulled her hand away from the table.
“Attis is right.” She admitted quietly before sighing and shutting her eyes. She didn’t understand herself what was going on or what it meant.
“It’ll be alright, Dido, we’ll figure this out.” Attis said in a comforting tone and Dido opened her eyes to give her Ghost a small smile.
“You said you remember being human before your Ghost resurrected you?” Zavala asked and Dido nodded slowly.
“The fact that she remembers anything at all is…unheard of.” Ikora said and she could feel the Warlock’s eyes burning a hole into her back once more.
“We can start with something simple.” Cayde said, his tone way too relaxed for the situation and Dido gave him a wary look. “The, uh, Guardian you created, what were they?”
“Huh?” She felt the blush rise to her cheeks again as she eloquently spat out the word.
“Er, what did they do?” He tried again and understanding passed over her face as she nodded.
“She was a Hunter, a Blade Dancer to be more exact.” Dido said and Cayde clapped his hands together.
“Excellent! Problem solved! I’ll take care of her.” Cayde said and Ikora immediately opened her mouth to protest.
“If she truly is a Hunter, Ikora, than there’s nothing we can do.” Zavala said, giving her a stern look and she sighed.
“Fine, but only if she is actually a Hunter.” She said tersely and Cayde let out a chuckle.
“Of course she is! Can’t you tell?” Ikora looked like she wanted to roll her eyes and Dido couldn’t help the tiny grin that grew on her face.