No Simple Contract

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN DESTINY, CREDIT GOES TO THE PROPER OWNERS

I walked through the shadowy streets of The Last City, the faint streetlights barely providing any light through the dark. It was only evening, but what light there was didn't reach into the deep streets of The City. Citizens were near and thick, filling the street almost to the brink. My path was clear however, my Devils Disguise and armor giving a signal to pedestrians that I no simple City-Dweller.

"Which way was it again WinterWhite?" I asked, turning to my Ghost for direction in the maze of streets.

WinterWhite appeared beside me in a flash of blue, looking at me with his one blue eye.

"The Nortan Corporations building should be just a few blocks east of here," he said looking in the said direction. I followed his instructions and pushed into the crowd with him close behind, going to the corner and turning east. A few twists and turns through the crowded streets and I found myself staring at my destination. The Nortan Robotics Company tower, five hundred floors of pure robot science. Nortan Corporations was one of the few major businesses in The City and the main manufacturer of Frames and other robots these days.

What I'm doing here you may ask? The answer is simple, I'm on a job.

Yes me, a Guardian, on a job. Specifically, I was on bodyguard duty for Nortan Co. owner, Robrock Nortan. He had someone special he wanted me to guard tonight as he went out on business.

I'd been taking jobs for the residents of The City ever since my reawakening, as often as I could. Body guarding had been me and my mentor's main way of providing for ourselves back in the Golden Age. Besides hunting and guiding people though the brush of Venus of course. Other Guardians like Zavala looked down on people like me, saying we gave Guardians a bad name. But hey, a man has got to earn his glimmer somehow, right?

I made my way towards Nortan tower, crossing the street speedily. Making my way to the doors, they slid open automatically as I entered. I came into a pristine lobby of sorts with a few white benches and an attendant at a desk.

"You're a Guardian," he gasped in realization, looking me up and down in awe.

"Yes," I replied. "Mr. Norton is expecting me."

"Of course, you must be that body guard he spoke of," the attendant said hurriedly, going to flip through some papers. "He's in his suite on the top floor, just take the elevator."

I only nodded my thanks and made my way to the elevator as instructed, WinterWhite following at my side. Entering the white elevator, I pressed the button for the top floor. Crossing my arms as I waited for the big metal box to reach the top floor.

"Who do you think you're being paid to guard?" WinterWhite asked through the silence. Elevators no longer included elevator music between floors as they did before the Golden age. Most buildings only had stairs or couldn't find or afford the technology.

I shrugged my shoulders disinterestedly.

"Don't know," I replied. "I'm sure we'll find out when we get there."

WinterWhite only nodded, vanishing in a flash of blue.

The elevator soon slowed and eventually completely stopped, dinging as I reached my destination. I stepped out as the door opened, walking out into a carpeted and well decorated hallway. Two guards in black uniforms and auto-rifles were there to greet me, proceeding to escort me down the hallway. Guess Mr. Norton didn't trust his employees very much, hard to say I didn't expect it to be so.

I was escorted down the hallway by the guards, coming out into a large suite at the end. The suite was like what anyone would expect in the ownership of a rich business owner. Bright carpets, expensive furniture and the like, things most other people in the city couldn't afford.

In the center sat three white couches that surrounded a short glass table, where three figures sat. My employer, Mr. Norton in the flesh for one and another middle aged man with a thick beard. The third was a young girl, just out of her twenties I guess, I didn't recognize her.

"Ah, you're here as expected," Mr. Norton said, standing and walking over to where I stood, he outstretched his hand to shake mine. "You're a little earlier than I thought you would be." Mr. Norton was a middle aged man with dark skin and hair and features that were similar to the people that had inhabited Asia before The Collapse.

"I prefer to make a good first impression," I replied, taking his hand and shaking it. "You can only make one after all, I prefer mine to be positive."

"Good, I like that," Mr. Norton said with a smile and a nod. "And how do your superiors in the Vanguard feel about this?"

"Depends on which superior you're talking about," I grinned slightly under my helmet. "Commander Zavala wasn't too happy, I couldn't read Ikoras expression effectively enough. And Cayde, I'd go so far to say that he doesn't care, he might even support this, knowing him."

"Yes, I've heard of that Exo," Norton replied, going to resume his spot on the couch, I followed suit and sat across from him. "A rolling ball of personality they say."

"That's an understatement," I laughed, then turned serious. "But we aren't here to discuss the Vanguard, you contracted me because you need someone kept safe."

"Yes," Norton agreed. "This is my business partner, Alejano Rubrix," he said gesturing to the man with the beard who simply nodded. "And this is my daughter Cassandra," she inclined his head to the young girl who sat nearby. "She is the one that you will be guarding, while Alejano and I go out on business tonight."

At the sound of her name the young girl looked up from the communicator that she had been typing on. Communicators had replaced the common cell phone when the Golden Age rolled around. These days only the rich and wealthy could afford such things and service didn't go out beyond the bounds of The City. Guardians didn't need communicators however, we had our Ghost.

I examined Cassandra for a moment, taking in her features, I made a point of knowing my clients. She had dark tan skin, like her father along with long black hair that hung down to her shoulders. She looked about my age, at least the age I'd been before I'd died back in the Dark Age after The Collapse. Wearing an expensive looking knee-length skirt of pink and a white shirt, she looked ever inch rich that a girl of her status was expected to.

"Cassie," Mr. Norton intoned heavily. "This is Cidvis, he will be your protector while I'm out tonight."

Cassandra looked me up and down with what was plain scrutiny in her eyes. Her sight coming to rest on the firearms strapped to my hip and back.

"What's with the cape?" she asked in a rude tone, I felt my irritation go up a bit inside myself.

"It's a cloak," I corrected, sitting a bit straighter and pulling the strings of my Kings Mantle a little tighter. "Their usually worn by Hunters like myself," I added with pride, being a Hunter was part of my identity and I wasn't about let some rich brat tarnish that.

"Hm," she grunted, then turned back to her communicator, Mr. Norton simply grinned.

"Well, we'll be off," he said, standing with Alejano, I stood with him and prepared to begin my vigil. He came over to me before I left, clasping my shoulder tightly. "She's in your hands," he said seriously.

"Don't worry Mr. Norton," I replied, and reached for my sidearm, flipping it out with a whirl. "She'll be here when you come back, alive in well…or your money back." I then returned it to its holster at my side, just as quickly as I'd withdrew it.

Mr. Norton let out a small snort of amusement and then proceeded to exit the suite along with his partner and a few bodyguards.

I withdrew my scout rifle from my back and began to pace around the room, examining the area. When on the job I liked to remain mobile, to remain in movement, I get restless if I remain still for too long.

I patrolled around the room several times, looking out the suites tall windows and the various decorations located on the walls. But I always kept an eye on Cassandra in her spot on the couch, endlessly typing on that communicator of hers.

"She should really take a break from that," WinterWhite said, appearing at my side. "Prolonged staring at technological screens can prove harmful to one's sight."

"Tell that to her," I said, nodding in the direction of my employers daughter. "She hasn't looked up from that thing ever since her dad left."

WinterWhite looked at Cassandra and then back at me.

"She does seem quite involved in her communicator," he laughed.

"How much you want to bet that someone could come and kidnap her and she wouldn't even notice," I joked, this provoked a chuckle from myself and from WinterWhite.

I continued my patrol around the room, eventually coming to the hall that lead to the elevator.

"How goes it, gentlemen?" I asked the guards stationed there, dressed in combat armor and armed with auto-rifles.

"All's normal, sir," one answered with a nod which I returned. I then returned to the suite to watch over my charge.

I can't really say what happened next, only that at one point things were normal hadn't gone to hell. And then things just went ahead and decided to do exactly that…

First thing I recollect was a large explosion that shattered the wall of windows facing out over The City.

This was, to say the least, an unexpected occurrence, but not so unexpected that I entirely lost my wits. I still held enough grasp of the situation to take action, which logically was to protect the young(and probably oblivious)Cassie.

Ducking and rolling I grabbed the young women and brought her into the protective fold of my cloak. In the midst of this I leaped over the back of the nearby couch, giving me and my protectee some cover from any fire that may come.

Unsurprisingly, my instincts proved true as the guards from the elevator entered the room, only to be mowed down by a wave of gunfire.

WinterWhite appeared next to my head looking at Cassie and to me.

"I detect at least fifteen hostiles in the room," he said after a brief scan.

"Come out and surrender," a man said suddenly, wiping any suspicion of Fallen, Vex or any other species that fought against The City. These guys were human…

"Great," I answered, drawing my scout rifle, I looked to WinterWhite and nodded at Cassie who remained silent through all of this. "Look after her."

He nodded and I returned it and then jumped up and over the couch to deal with our uninvited guests.

It was an entourage of men dressed in white and orange combat armor, armed with a mixture of auto-rifles and hand cannons.

They all noticed me immediately, but failed to do anything before I'd already landed a shot between the eyes of one of their comrades.

"Get em boys!" one shouted as he lifted his auto-rifle, releasing a torrent of bullets. The others followed his example and opened fire as well and soon I found myself dodging walls of bullets at a time. In this time I took down two more of my attackers.

Deciding to speed things up I tossed two vortex grenades into the group taking out five more men as the grenades sucked them into the cold void.

"Found her!" one of the men suddenly shouted and to my alarm, reached behind the couch and dragged up a screaming Cassie. WinterWhite, bless his little robotic soul, tried to drive him off by ramming him in the face. This only seemed to enrage him more and he swatted my Ghost aside like an insolent mosquito.

Needless to say, I was angry and scared, both at the harming of my Ghost and the one I was supposed to protect.

These emotions filled me and I felt them fuel me and suddenly I was filled with that almighty power of the Void. Drawing upon it, I put its power into substance and drew forth my Void Bow, drawing back and releasing a single ShadowShot into the group.

A small orb of Void energy appeared and lashed out with long dark tentacles of energy, latching onto the kidnappers. The men froze in place, tethered in place by the power of the Void, the one holding Cassie released her and I knew it was time to finish it.

I drew forth my sidearm and released three shots into one man and three into the next. One, two, three, they dropped like flies and I thought that victory and the well-earned pay was surely mine.

Unfortunately the Void Anchor wore off just then and the kidnappers were released from its grip just as I ended the fourth member of their remaining number.

My advantage ended as one of them tossed a small disk like object at me which struck my chest. On impact it broke and I found myself blinded and thrown onto my back with a flash of light, unable to move.

"Grab her!" one of them shouted and I heard Cassie scream through the haze of light that clouded my vision. "Pick us up, now!" I heard the same voice order, answered by the hum of something large and obviously capable of flight outside the window.

I came to now and grudgingly came to my feet, rifle at the ready.

It was to no avail however as I only did so in time to see the remaining kidnappers drag a screaming Cassie up the ramp of a small jumpship. The ramp closed shut and I could only watch as the ship flew away into the empty airways of the city…

Hey Guys! Hope you enjoyed!

I started writing this when I was working on some other stuff and just suddenly came up with the idea. And since I'd gotten a lot farther here than I have on my other projects, I decided to have this be my next post. I'm thinking of dividing it into about three chapters, as there is a lot of stuff bound to happen.

I just like to apologize for any bad or cringy writing you encountered in this story. I've been writing for a long time, but still have a LOT to improve on. So I'd appreciate if any of you have any tips for me.

Thank you for the support…

-Venture-Man543