Author's note: This story is a rewrite and continuation of Fireteam Skybreaker which was written by Shuriken16. full disclosure that this is my first time writing so it's probably not gonna be good or as well polished as the original.

Enjoy.

Chapter 1: A leap forward

The static like rain echoed through the surroundings. The impact of thousands of droplets upon the ground held rhythmic sense of calm. Rugged rustling of trees acted as reminders of the calm might of the wind. Roars of argument that was quickly followed by the slamming of a car door cut through it all. Blood filled with anger and adrenaline coursed through his veins in a desperate attempt to drown out his sorrow. An unrelenting flat electrical tone reminding him of a heart that will never beat.

"Guardian"

An escalation of speed and fleeting sense of caution was all he focused on, not wanting to face the past. His breathing was ragged and shallow due to his chest on the verge of being crushed by tension. His heart raced, his grip on the steering wheel turned his knuckles white, and his pupils were narrowed to the point that a needle couldn't get through.

"Guardian"

Just a little further, a little while longer, just a bit more time away from the pain. Right now he just needed to feel something different. A screeching of tires. Right now he needed to feel like he used to before everything fell apart. A desperate attempt to prevent the unpreventable. Now, he needed someone to tell him he was gonna be okay. A sudden loss of control sent him away from the now to his death.

"Eyes up guardian"

He jolted upright, his eyes taking in the surroundings. Letting out a sigh he got out of bed and wiped away the fatigue from his eyes. That nightmare, or flashback, has been repeating itself since he got here and every time he woke he wished he was back home. He lost track of the time he'd spent locked in this apartment trying to convince himself that this was a dream.

It's gotta be a dream…right? But when did dreams or nightmares last for what felt like forever? And when they look so… beautiful. If he were to look out the window he would see a city on such a scale which he could never imagine till now. This also applies to the world around him. It was all so jarring to be ripped from his reality to this sci-fi like world.

One moment he was on a joyride, being a teenager and whatnot, and next he woke up in this junkyard in Russia that seemed to be affected by some sorta climate change if the hotter weather were to indicate anything. Then this floating rubix cube looking thing that called itself a ghost told him to pick up a rifle and shoot anything that moved and make it back to the last city.

He ran and fought until he found this old and slightly rusted spaceship and flew outta there. In most cases that's where you wake up from the dream and forget about it. But it kept going. Which leads to his current predicament, hiding in an apartment within the last city, the last safe haven or something like that. All of which is protected by the "guardians" who watch over the city and other stuff. Which is even more ridiculous.

"Rubix" He called out quietly

"I'm a ghost, not a rubix cube" Rubix replied.

"Can you run it by me again one more time?"

"Again? I've said it multiple times already. Is it really necessary to repeat myself once more?"

"Please, if you don't mind"

A sigh could be heard from the ghost. "Around 700 years ago, an anomaly was detected on Mars. Humanity sent astronauts to Mars to investigate and discovered the Traveler. A large white sphere that was the size of one of your cities. The Traveler did what it has done for countless other civilizations and propelled humanity into a golden age like no other. The Traveler made planets that were uninhabitable, habitable, allowing humanity to make them into homes. Lifespans tripled, population had an explosive growth, and humanities curiosity knew no bounds."

He could see that. A big factor that had him believe that this was a dream was that everything in the world around him looked as though it took a page from all the sci-fi films and shows and made it into their own. Even things like clothing he saw people in a different sense of style then what he was familiar with. It was futuristic but simple; old combined with new. It was quite the contrast from his 21st century.

Rubix loomed over his shoulder. "You can't keep hiding from the world. The vanguard will send someone to look for you."

He stood up and picked up the rifle that leaned against the nightstand. "You can head back to them, I'm gonna go back home."

He exited his bedroom and made his way across the bland apartment until Rubix's voice made him stop near the front door.

"You can't be serious! Despite having a week to process you still can't accept that this is reality. Perhaps this is delusion…"

He spun around to face Rubix. "What did you say?"

"Delusion: a false belief or judgment about external rea-"

"I know what it means! I'm not crazy, this world is crazy! Yesterday was September 9th 2014."

Another sigh from Rubix. "Actually yesterday was September 8th 714 G.A, today is September 9th. The speaker warned me about this."

"Got another smart remark you stupid snowflake."

"You're clearly hysterical, there's no doubt about it. I thought you would be able to get over the fact that you've been dead for over 700 years. But a week later it still proves to be too much."

"I wish you would stop saying that…" He breathed out, the air feeling like acid coming from my stomach.

Rubix put on an assertive tone. "I won't tell you anything different. You've been dead for 700 years. If the records are correct, after an argument with your parents you took the car and went on a joyride by yourself. You then collided with a tree and passed away from your injuries shortly after arriving at the hospital."

"That's a load of crap!"

"But I somehow get the feeling that you really aren't denying it. Have you finally accepted the reality that has been put in front of you?"

He grew quiet, deciding whether or not he should give in. "What if I believed you, even for a moment. What about my parents or little brother?"

Now it was Rubix's turn to grow quiet. "... They haven't been chosen to be brought back, unfortunately."

" Chosen? What do you mean by chosen?"

"As ghost, our purpose is to find those capable of wielding the Traveler's light. You are of them, which allowed me to bring you back to life with the light you possess. Your family however has shown any signs of this."

"...No"

"No? Again, what's so hard to understand?"

"EVERYTHING! Why can't you understand that! I didn't ask for any of this! I didn't want to be brought back after nearly a thousand years pass and be lectured by a floating rubix cube ab-"

"For the last time I am a GHOST!" Rubix yelled.

"And I don't care! I didn't want to even be here. Maybe I just wanted to be able to apologize to my dad for disobeying. Maybe I just prayed for this to be a dream and not the result of me being a mistake! But apparently I woke up 700 years too late!"

At this point he was squatting on the floor and panting, attempting to get back the oxygen he evicted from his lungs. His left arm rested on his knee and his right palm was pressed against the side of the rifle which was on the cold floor trying to regain a sense of composure. Rubix floated next to him.

"Are you done?"

He nodded reluctantly towards the question.

"Look…I understand you're confused and scared. Trust me when I say that millions of other guardians went through the same thing you're going through right now. But maybe there's something here that you wouldn't have got if you weren't resurrected."

He scoffed. "What do I have now that I didn't have previously, everything that I held close to gone and turned into dust, I don't see much to gain here."

Rubix floated down to his level. "A second chance."

Rubix saw his head tilt ever so slightly, basically unnoticeable to anyone else, but not him. Rubix had to make the most out of this.

"Think about it, if you weren't resurrected by me you would never have a chance to make amends with your past. To turn those hardships into lessons. The things you regretted would stay that way. But that's not the case anymore, you have a chance to overcome those hurdles and become the person you want to be. And what better place to do that than here. You loved everything that was science fiction and fantasy."

He tilted his head towards Rubix. "Wait, how do you know that?"

"Once I resurrected you I was able to form a connection every ghost has with their guardian. I know your background, your dreams, and desires. You dreamed of one day being able to look at Earth the same way we looked at the moon when it looms in the night sky. Now you can do that and do much more. And on top of that there are countless other guardians who would take this journey alongside you. Fathers and mothers, brothers and sisters that can share your burdens. It doesn't seem so hopeless now does it guardian."

Rubix looked at the still squatting figure of his guardian waiting for a response. Rubix received none so he tried again.

"Guardian?"

One last push.

"Marcus?"

The now named Marcus finally raised his eyes to meet Rubix's singular one. "Yeah, it doesn't sound too bad."

Rubix pointed his gaze down to the floor. "And I would like to say sorry for being harsh towards your reluctance against your new circumstances. But you have to see where I'm coming from. I've been searching for you for centuries and when I found I got swept up in the excitement and disregarded how you might have felt. So for that I'm sorry."

Marcus processed Rubix's words. "Well all is forgiven. And besides I've never been the type of guy to hold a grudge, life's already too short to be worrying about some disagreement in the past.". Marcus then stood up with a sense of vigor he thought he'd lost.

"But it sorta sucks that I can't go back and talk to the people I once knew." Marcus lamented.

"Not entirely true, there's always a chance that you may see a familiar face around. But that's a bridge we'll cross when needed. So…are you ready to take a step forward?"

Marcus set again towards the door of his apartment once more, but not to run away, to go towards something. He grabbed the handle and opened the door. To others they woulda seen an empty hallway but Marcus saw a cliff.

"A step forward, eh." But would that be enough? To go from one life to another you can't just walk away or else you would keep second guessing every moment. Instead you jump. So Marcus decided to make a leap forward towards his new adventure.

He took a step into the hallway...