PART TWO: HUMANITY

Chapter Seven

| THE LAST CITY, OUTSKIRTS |

"One more spoonful," I insist, pushing it into her mouth. "And don't forget your juice this time. It washes it down real nice. And it even has a straw."

She stretches a smile across her wrinkled cheeks. "How do you keep getting the glimmer for this?"

"You gonna drink the juice or what?"

"Leo." She whispers, gently touching my hand with her finger. "You do too much for me - for this city. One day you are going to see that."

My habitual expression remains printed onto my face plate. "I know, thank you."

She lays back down into her pillow. "I love you."

I throw my bag over my shoulder. "... Love you too Dianne."

Callisto reappears beside me as I shut the door. "You're amazing," she voices.

I glance at her. Waiting.

"We keep coming here. Why?" She tilts her frame. "It looks like you hate it."

"Don't have a choice." I begin walking away.

"But you do!" she insists, hovering beside me. "Maybe you can't fight alongside the Vanguard, or go offworld, but you could go and take up a patrol, or scout around Europe. Maybe even join the crucible. But you keep coming back here. I don't want to see you unhappy."

"Take a guess what would happen if I left. What would the world make of her? Who would come? She's practically indistinguishable from a pile of dust. They'd find her and sweep her into a medical bed until she finally kicks the bucket, then that would be that. If I'm gone then so is 'Leo', and so is her home."

We continue to walk along the gravel pathway in silence. I could feel that tension she created after an argument; her inability to leave things on a sour note.

"It's nice to see your heart," Callisto comments metaphorically.

I tap at the metallic surface of my torso through the cloth. "Wires."

"I was being figurative," she teases. "Who needs a heart, anyway. I don't have one either."

Her unwavering positivity had an element of contagiousness that I couldn't stand. It usually didn't work. But sometimes it did, and that was a little nice. In a strange way, it's nice to know that something would miss me if I was gone. Dianne can't even remember which planet she's on.

She hovers in front of me. "Do you want to go home?"

"No."

She waits for me to decide.

...

"I want to see those fireworks they're putting on," I choose.

"Are you sure? There'll be people everywhere around The Bridge tonight."

"I know. Just want to see them up close this time."

I fall onto the wooden bench and throw my arms over the top, practically sinking into the frame. We'll let the cloak swing all majestically in the wind over the back. Callisto loves it when my cloak flourishes. Where is she? "You can come out, Callisto, it's fine. But try not to be too obvious. Please. Your eye is like a lighthouse."

She appears beside me, hovering just above the bench. "And yours aren't?"

"I have a hood to hide them. See?" I flick it up.

On the path nearby, adults and children move toward The Bridge - the enormous circular region sitting directly below the Traveller. Like a 'bridge between man and God', but without God. It's figurative; as all things are with our lovely white disco ball above. The people often celebrate here. It's good to see them finding something so blissful in order to ignore the intrusive thoughts of death every day. But who am I to blame them? I wouldn't want to think about that either. Especially if I could jack shit about it.

The fireworks will start in just a moment, marking what? I'm not actually sure - it's difficult keeping track of current affairs. It might have to do with this whole new cabal conflict. All I'm here for are some colourful explosions. Preferably not in the same blue and orange that everyone is so obsessed with.

"They're quite good at dancing," Callisto laughs.

Humans had gathered around The Bridge, bursting into song and dance. Guardians are always dancing. No idea how they keep their spirits up after blasting the heads off of the living all week. Surely that would drain a part of you? Yet somehow, human morale is kept up high, regardless of the current threat. "I think the threat of extinction has united them all in a way. So they dance and celebrate and drink, because it's easier than thinking." …I wonder if the Young Wolf can dance well.

A whistle echoes across the city as the first firework flies up into the sky and detonates into a sphere of sparkling green light, beginning the display.

"Green… Huh." I mutter.

"Your favourite colour," she adds.

"Says who? Favourite colours can change."

"Yours won't."

"How do you know that?"

She rocks left and right, imitating a deeper voice. "Cause it's the only colour I've got."

I shuffle in my seat. "Did I really say that?"

"Yup."

"Fine. One point to you."

"That puts me further in the lead."

"You're keeping track?"

"No," she teases. "But we both know that if I did then I would be winning."

"Pff," I remark.

We watch the firework display as the humans cheer under the light of the traveller, the brightness of the moon, and the shimmer of the fireworks. What is it really that makes them human? How are they different from, say, Cabal or Fallen. No one seems to have an answer for me. But I suppose I'm not asking.

A final array of explosions finalises the display and leaves a smoke cloud to cover the sky as the celebration begins to disperse. Many guardians pass by along the path, walking families home. Some titans carry children on their backs, a few warlocks are telling exaggerated stories. Even a hunter was letting a kid play with her knife. I recognise a couple of faces, but not many. After a time they sort of merge into one mass, becoming indistinguishable from one another. I always find it fascinating to watch from the sidelines - a bench in this case. It's a completely different feeling; like nothing's happening 'in the now' and you're a spectator for a moment in history.

"Incoming," Callisto warns, disappearing into a blue mist.

"Hm?" I look over the back of the bench… Where?

"Hi!" A young voice shouts, startling me.

I zip back around. "Oh shit..." I whisper to myself. "Hello."

He was a little brown haired boy with puffy cheeks. Small enough to dropkick over the city wall. He begins swinging his arms. "You're a hunter. I can tell cause the cape. My mom says to not go near hunters on my own but all the titans are boring and never want to play with me so I found you."

I can't even remember the last time I talked to a kid. "Yeah, you're right. They are boring, aren't they," I agree. "And it's called a cloak, by the way. A 'cape' sounds quite childish. Don't you think?"

"Can I wear it?" He pleads.

"What? No."

"Why not?"

I can hear Callisto giggling in my head.

"Cause— Cause it's mine?"

"Ok." He shrugs his shoulders. "What's your name?"

"None of your business."

"Okay 'none of your business,'" he snarks. "Did you know your eyes are super glowy and green?"

"Yes?"

"Why are they glowy?"

"Because they just are. You know, you ask a lot of questions."

"My mom says that too." He squints his eye while looking under my cloak, then gasps. "Wow! You're a robot! I thought they only worked up on the big towers!"

I felt my body tense up, like an electric needle had been jammed into my back.

"I don't need this. Kid, get out of my sight."

He takes a step back at the sudden change of tone and waddles away.

"... Like an animal to stare at." I whisper under my breath.

Callisto reappears. "How was he supposed to know?"

"I'm going home."

But before I can get up, my receiver beeps from within my gear, transmitting my Commander's voice. "Apologies in advance for the out-of-hour message, Leo. However, I have confident doubt that you are asleep yet. You've been wanting something to do, and now something has finally come across my desk. New orders, directly from Commander Zavala's advisor. You'll be assigned as a mentor for one of the newly risen guardians. Exciting? I hope so. I'll be looking forward to monitoring your progress with her. Details attached, your ghost will receive shortly."

"...Shit."

The Story Continues... 09/09/22