Hello again, everyone. FoxHunt5 here with a brand-new story inspired by the one and only Cybertramon001's story Guardians and Hunters. If you like RWBY, I suggest you go check it out. So without further ado, here's Ghosts of The Machine, Chapter 1!

Chapter One: But If You Close Your Eyes

"Raith-7? Yeah, I know him. I'm one of the few that know him as daboyzriek. (A.N. that's my PSN tag if you were wondering.) He's a good Hunter, don't get me wrong, but… how can I put it?

"Well, the first thing you should know about him is that he's single-minded, even for an Exo. Put a mission in front of him, and he'll spend all day working on it. But damn me if he ain't the most stubborn Hunter I've ever trained. I mean, 'Charging into the Vault of Glass alone' level stubborn. Revived twenty-seven times before he gave up.

"But above all, Raith-7 is weak, no matter what he says. Not weak as in easy to kill. He just can't stand being unable to understand things, so he buries himself in whatever he can to keep it off his mind. You know the memory flashes old Guardians sometimes get? Well, his were bad. So he dedicated himself to his work, collecting armor, getting bounties, and so on. He'll do anything the keep himself busy. Otherwise…"

"Raith! What the hell was that for?!" Cayde-6 jumped as the Hunter slammed his fist on the Vanguards' table, breaking it in half. Raith's red eyes widened.

"Holy shit! Sorry, I didn't mean to do that!"

"No, really? Well, thanks for tellin' me that."

Ikora pinched the bridge of her nose between her finger and thumb. "Come on, Commander. Let's get a new table while Cayde talks with his Hunter." The pair of them walked off, Zavala giving Cayde a pointed look.

Cayde sighed. "Look. Hunter, unless you've got a really bad virus, you probably had a reason for breakin' my best piece of furniture."

Raith groaned. "It's over." He looked his mentor in the eyes. "I've done every last mission assigned to me. There's nothing left."

Cayde suddenly looked hopeful. "How about being the Hunter Van-"

Raith held up his hand, chuckling. "Sorry, Cayde. I can't."

The vanguard shook his head. "Had ta try. Anyway, there's always Atheon."

"Dead and disintegrated."

"Skolas?"

"Weeks ago."

"Heart of-"

"Twice." Raith stepped forward. "I have killed gods, stopped the Darkness countless times, and acquired the best equipment available." He took another step, now inches from Cayde's face. "So you tell me, Cayde. What purpose do I have now?"

Cayde stared at the Exo's grey robotic skull. "Serve the light."

Raith laughed. "The Light. You mean that dead god?"

Cayde stared at him, shocked. This wasn't like him, not at all. He turned to his Ghost. "Hey, I gotta take care of this. Watch my spot, alright?" The Ghost bobbed, it's version of a nod. Cayde pulled Raith aside. "Black Garden Legend?" He asked, referring to the Grimoire card. Raith nodded. "Look here, Guardian. That was nothing more than a nonsensical vision. And even if it weren't, it doesn't change a thing. The only reason you're alive is because the Traveler wanted you to live. You owe your life to Him."

Raith was silent for a moment. "My life…" He looked at his robotic hand. "How can a machine give a life?"

Cayde struggled to stay calm as he laid a hand on the Hunter's shoulder. "You are as much alive as anyone else, Raith. You can feel, think, and care just as well as any human or Awoken I've ever seen."

Before he could respond, Raith was hit by a stabbing pain in his head. He clutched his skull. "Noooooo... "He moaned, trying to push away the pain. As his knees buckled, Raith saw Cayde rush forward to catch him. He lost consciousness before he hit the ground.

The alarm clock blares, interrupting my peaceful slumber. Nothing a quick smack couldn't fix, of course, but that hardly improved the experience. I groan, gently rolling out of bed in a futile attempt to keep from waking April up. This goes just as well as all the other attempts.

"Mmm… I'm sure it's earlier this time." She moans.

I chuckle, stepping into the bathroom. My brown hair somehow was able to stay in the shape it was yesterday, despite my tossing and turning. A kind of wall in the front, with some sort of ramp leading up to it. I leave it as is.

"No, I'm pretty sure it's set to the same time as before, Connie." I chuckle as I start getting dressed.

She gets up, joining me tiredly. "I've told you not to call me by my first name, Ryan." I shrug, buttoning up my shirt. "Anyway, I'm sure you could take a day off. It's not like that… Wanderer of yours is going anywhere."

I tighten my tie, checking to make sure it's not crooked. "Sorry honey, but the boss assigned as many people as he can to work on the Traveler. He says that if we figure it out, it could be the key to a golden age for humanity."

April sighs, resting her head on my shoulder. "Ryan, you're not a cop anymore. Researchers probably don't have to work nearly as hard."

I turn, kissing her forehead. "Don't worry so much, April. The boss said that when we figure this thing out, we'll all get a few weeks off. We could finally cash in those tickets to that new Cosmodrome thing you've been talking about. Alright?"

"Alright," she sighs. "Just be safe." I nod, stepping out the door.

Raith-7 jumped, smacking his head on a metal bar.

"Hey, there he is. Looks like Ikora owes me twenty Glimmer." A sarcastic voice came from Raith's left. He turned to see Cayde-6 smirking. "How ya feeling, kid?"

Raith put his hands on his forehead, feeling a new dent on the Relic Iron plate above his eyes. He looked around, noticing he was in a hospital bed. "How- What happened?"

Cayde leaned back in his chair. "Well, first ya started moaning and grabbing your head. Then ya hit the floor pretty hard. Kept mumblin' about 'April' and the like. After Zavala and I got you here, Lakshmi gave you a check-up. Turns out you got a couple dozen bugs in ya. So she and I put our heads together, and came up with some new security software." He held up a flash drive. "It did the trick. You should be good to go once ya charge up a bit."

Raith laid back, taking this in. Eventually, he spoke up. "How… How long have I been out?"

"Four days. Happy Armsday, by the way." Cayde suddenly turned serious. "So, what did you see?"

"My… past. I used to be… I used to be a human, named Ryan."

Cayde nodded knowingly. "And April? Was she…"

"She was… someone very close to me. To Ryan." Raith closed his eyes, visualizing her red hair, her vibrant green eyes-

"I should tell you now, these memory flashes are only gonna get worse, Hunter. Pretty much every Guardian has to deal with them sooner or later. Some turn to drugs, alcohol and the like. Others find solace in sleeping around, like the infamous 'Tower Sparrow'. Side note, Exos can do all of those. Get drunk, get laid, the whole set." He smiled slightly. "Other Guardians bury themselves in their work, like you did." He once again turned serious. "And some… weren't able to handle it." He made eye contact with his friend. "But I think there's another way out for you." Cayde slowly smiled. "See, there are so many Guardians these days, we can't handle them all. The Vanguards have been trying to create a program where we send veteran Guardians on missions with Guardians that need help in various situations. For instance, some Guardians don't have the connections to get an entire fireteam for Raids. Or maybe they're inexperienced in a certain class of weapon. So, for those Guardians, we need what is basically a Guardian for hire. Now, call me crazy, but I think training other Guardians will do ya a world of good. You interested? In return, you'll have full access to high-level info, as well as a generous salary and full Vanguard clearance."

Raith laid silent for a few minutes, considering everything the offer entailed. "Would I have access to pre-Collapse records?" Cayde nodded, a smile forming on his robotic lips. It certainly sounded interesting, and having unrestricted access to the Vanguard's records could help him find out who he was.

Raith sighed. "Fine. You've got yourself a Hunter for hire."

Cayde's grin widened. "Glad to hear it. Your first assignment is gonna be with a Warlock." He chuckled at Raith's expression. "Let's just say I had a feeling and leave it at that, alright Hunter?" He strolled out of the room. "Your mission is to help her kill Valus Ta'aurc. I'll send the details to your Ghost."

So I may have "borrowed" an idea from another author. Namely, OrganOfFlame's naming chapters after song lyrics. I suggest you check him out, his work is impressive. But, uh, be prepared for some very NSFW RWBY.
Anyways, here's the song I used

Song: Pompeii

Artist: Bastille

Album: Bad Blood

And there you have it; the first chapter of my new Destiny fanfic. Again, this was inspired by Cybertramon001. Next chapter, whenever it comes out, will feature one of their characters. Until then, this is FoxHunt5, signing out!