PART THREE: IMPULSE

Chapter Nine

| THE LAST CITY, INNER CITY RESIDENCE |

A hissing noise presses against my ear.

"Pss"

Hm?

"Psssssss"

What? Already? Please no.

"Hey, Guardian?"

I groan from underneath the duvet.

"Guardian, you need to get up."

I groan louder.

"Don't you want to explore more of the city?" He teases.

There's a moment of silence before a smirk creeps up the side of my face and I take the bait.

"Okay." I mutter.

My head rises from the sea of blanket. Opening my eyes felt like lifting the weight of the world but as I forced them up they revealed the sight of the little devil that woke me, right in front of my face.

"Good morning! Any more strange dreams last night?"

I push him away with my finger. "You just said we would explore more of the city, don't try to trap me here with these dream stories."

He releases a static chuckle. "I'm sorry. No more questions. Let's get ready."

I swing off of the bed and onto my feet, stretching out my arms to release the tension. Jonas and I had explored around the city wall a couple days ago, and yesterday night we were shown to our new room close to the city centre. I only had a brief opportunity to look around on the way here, but now I might see more.

My hair was all over the place in this mess that seemed to gravitate toward the front of my face. There was a pain in the back of my neck, maybe from the way I had been sleeping. Rubbing it didn't really help. "How exactly should I 'get ready'?" I ask.

"Usually people just try to make themselves look nice."

I blow the hair out of my face. "Well yeah, I figured. But how?"

"Clean uniform, clothing, armour. Brushing hair and teeth, having a shower…" His eye darts around the new room. "I don't know if we'll find everything we need here. However, a woman came by to deliver you more clothes, some food, a map and a toothbrush before you woke up. They're by the door."

The toothbrush was pink and had a little picture of a rabbit on it. It's cute, but it feels a little degrading. They could have been handing those same toothbrushes out to everyone; who knows. And the thought of Atlas at some point having to use one of these was enough to make me feel better about it.

We walk into the bathroom and I follow Jason's instructions. This was the first time I noticed the small mirror beside the cabinet, and the first time I've taken a proper look at myself in a reflection; not just through some muddy puddle, or shattered piece of glass. The image felt surreal - like that person in the mirror was so distant and far away. It'll take some getting used to. I couldn't stop looking. But I kind of liked how calming it was. My eyes reminded me of the shine of the pavement last night when the water was reflecting the city lights. I enjoyed seeing what certain expressions looked like in the mirror.

The ghost hovers in front of my face. "... Now you're supposed to spit out the paste."

His question shakes me out of my focus. "Oh. Right, I kinda worked that out," I say, mumbling through the foam and spitting it out. "There wasn't a problem with that. It was something else."

He moves out of the way and looks into the mirror with me. "Yourself?"

"Yeah, I guess. And why are a couple strands of my hair lighter than others?"

"I'm not sure, I think it's appealing. It's as if parts of you have been infused with light. Do you dislike it?"

"No — I'm not sure why I find it strange. Maybe because it's me. Apparently." I lean down and wash out my mouth. "I don't know. It's all strange. All of it."

"I think this might be a common experience among guardians. You don't have any memories, so it's as if you're being forced into a body that isn't yours. I can't really imagine what that might be like, since I've always felt like me. But sometimes I hear a guardian talk about the same thing - and that's how they describe it. Only a couple times, sure, but that might mean you're not alone." He sort of folds his mechanical parts in on himself. "I don't recall them ever mentioning a solution. Sorry. This might be something we'll have to work on over time."

I pick up a brush on the sink and start trying to brush my black hair.

"You know," The ghost begins again. I've come to enjoy pretending to sleep. The idea of doing nothing and letting the mind wander for a time. Similar to meditation, but I like to imagine it feels somewhat like the real deal."

"Sleep is the cousin of death, not meditation. If you're only enjoying it then there's something wrong."

"Well that just sounds like you're being dramatic."

I chuckle under my breath.

Suddenly there's a knock against the front door; the brush falls into the sink and clangs against the porcelain. A male's robotic voice calls out to someone. "Anybody here?!"

Another ghost? But… How did he knock? "What do we do?"

"Answer him."

"And say what?"

"Just say 'hello'. It's likely that he's the one who's going to be doing all the talking."

The voice continues "... you know I can hear you two speaking. If you're not finished with whatever yet just say it. I can come back afterwards."

"No, we're here!" I blurt out, running and reaching for the door handle.

The door swings open to reveal a robot man and his ghost waiting on the other side. His presence forced me to take a step back. He wore a thick brown jacket over his dark metal frame and the glow of his green eyes took all of my attention as he placed his hand onto my shoulder - and pushed me to the side.

"Excuse me?" Jason demanded, as the robot strolled directly into my room without permission. "Identify yourself."

"Leo-3, 'Vanguard Guidance Operations' apparently," he mumbles while staring around at the layout of the room.

"That's not a real Vanguard initiative," Jason argues.

"It is now." He turns to his ghost. "Callisto, send the ghost the logs."

I couldn't believe what I was seeing.

The robot calling himself 'Leo Three' notices my expression and raises his palm before speaking. "Don't fucking look at me like that. I'm not here for your entertainment." He then turns toward my ghost. "Bring her with you and meet me in the hangar. You'll notice those orders we just forwarded to you were made by Osiris. So, you might want to take this seriously," he finishes, while staring at the toothbrush I had left beside the bed. He turns toward the exit and marches away. "See you."

The Story Continues... 09/09/22