There are a select few who are chosen. Those who display bravery and selflessness enough that the echoes of it resonate through time and are heard by the light. Reverberations of a soul willing to stand for what is right. Someone who would be willing to fight for others, and protect them even at the cost of one's own life. A person like that was rare, as shown by just how few there were even now. A person like that was literally one in ten thousand.
He had to find one.
He'd lost count of the number of bleached bones he'd scanned. Even those still sealed within the pods, the refugees who had died trapped in stasis when the Darkness attacked, had lain for so long that their fluids and other organic material had long since dried up and crumbled away to nothingness. Not even a yellow tint remained to hint that the bones were once a framework for a living being. To another creature, they were of no consequence. There was nothing to be found there.
But he knew better.
Blue light flashed over another skeletal form, this one sitting within the front seat of a car. He repeated the scan with all of those within, even the three smaller figures in the back. One of them had potential, but would lack the capability necessary for fulfilling their duty should they be resurrected. He whirred softly in a negative response.
Best to move on.
How far had he traveled? The number flashed through his processor, an extensive number of kilometers. Still, he pressed on. He could not stop. Not now. Not until he found one. He didn't know exactly what he was looking for. Just that, when he scanned the person he needed, he would have no doubt that they were his partner. The one he was searching for.
That selfless one in ten thousand.
He passed under a sign that once designated the highway he was following as the path to a city called Chicago. The cars were always thicker on the highways, rusted, silent storytellers that spoke of an exodus. Twisted, dilapidated frames and old bones were all that remained of hours of desperation and fear. They had died afraid. And most he would leave in peace.
He just needed one.
He moved higher, up above the landscape of old metal and death. Surely, somewhere. He had a feeling. He was close, so close. But where? So many dead, so many scans initiated. Where were they? He turned slowly, casing flaring and clinking around his single optic. He'd been so sure when he'd turned down this road…Further up? Back? Had he missed one?
Another slow rotation brought his gaze to the empty land beyond the cracked pavement, grass and small copses the only life to be found. Not even animals came so close to the highways. The sheer number of dead kept them at bay. He paused, recognizing the few flashes of white as those who had left their vehicles and fled on foot. Slowly, he drifted closer to the ground, away from the ruin. One of these, perhaps?
His scans turned up the same results they had in previous attempts. He was undeterred, pressing on. Another, and another, a trail of skeletal remains leading him back the way he'd come and away from the highway. Some of them had gotten further than others, it seemed. As he went, the collection of bodies began to thin. A herd then, grouping together, only to fall as they ran. He swept to the right, scanner flickering over a twisted figure whose hips did not align with their ribcage. Then, he paused. No, not the right. He whirled around and went in the opposite direction, scanning faster than before as the feeling grew.
He stopped.
Before him, on the ground, was another pile of bleached bones in the shape of a humanoid creature. It laid on its side, surprisingly whole. Its legs were drawn up and its arms bent and pulled close, cradling a smaller shape. He paused, observing them. Hip structure and small traces of DNA identified the larger entity as female. A mother, curled around her infant. Shielding it. She'd been felled before she died, that much was obvious, and had spent her last moments curling around her child as much as physically possible, using her own body as a shield against the danger around them.
He scanned them, chirping once. This one. The one who had spent her last breath for another. This was his one in ten thousand.
Hello! Thanks for reading the prologue!
I recently started playing Destiny II. I'm not a gamer by any means, but, I love this game. It's so well done. I had to write a fic.
As we continue, I ask that you be patient with me. I'm pulling my lore from a lot of research and discussion with other players and may make mistakes. If you catch one, I would very much appreciate if you point it out so that I can correct it :). I hope you enjoy this fic! It can also be read on AO3 if you prefer.
Also, a PS: Any romance that occurs with the main character will be a very slow burn. If you're looking for a story that focuses mainly on the romantic aspects, I apologize, but, this isn't it. This one will center around character development and the daily struggles that Guardians face as they protect the city and the solar system, as well as the relationship between a Guardian and their Ghost. Though, I will confess that there is a main side pairing that will come into play fairly early.