Legend of the Phoenix

2. New Sights, New Friends

The Exo breathed in a long sigh of relief once the were safely in the sky, with Ghost keeping the ship steady. She took the opportunity to take off her helmet and gloves while he took the controls.

She was amazed by what she saw. "I'm... I'm a machine?"

She thought there would be flesh and blood underneath her clothing, and yet there were plates of metal where skin should be. Even more puzzling, she had no trouble at all moving her hands as if they were organic. Even her voice sounded real, although there was a hint of an electrical hum underneath her words.

She didn't know what to think. She didn't even know if she could anymore. Was she simply the result of some freak experiment gone wrong? Some kind of advanced A.I.? Did she even have free will, or was everything simply programmed into her from the beginning?

"Ghost," she called. She needed answers. "What... am I?"

The machine turned to look at her with his blue eye. He contemplated her question for a moment, then answered, "You're what's called an Exo, a robotic entity created by humanity for a war long since forgotten."

That didn't make her feel any better. "So I'm just some sort of robotic soldier, then?"

If machines could have emotions, then Ghost certainly looked shocked. "Of course not! Exos are alive, just like humans are. They learn, they grow, they evolve just like humans do. All of your thoughts, emotions, ideas, they're all real."

"How can you tell?"

"A human's brain is simply a network of extremely complex electrical circuits, right? Yours is the same, just with a different outer covering," he explained, which did managed to lighten the mood. "Trust me," he said after another moment. "I've seen many Exo Guardians fight alongside humans before. No one treats them any differently."

"Wait, what did you say?"

"'No one treats them-'"

"No, the other thing. You called them 'Guardians.'" Now she was simply confused again.

"Oh! Nearly forgot about that. How do I explain this..." he searched for an answer. "Well, Guardians are like the protectors of the City, and of humanity and its allies. Basically, they're the good guys."

"And things like the Fallen-"

"Are the bad guys," he finished.

"So, that makes me a Guardian, then? since I fought the Fallen off?"

"Well, it's a bit more complicated than that, but yeah." The ship fell into an awkward silence before the Exo began to leave.

"Hey, wait," Ghost called after her. "I never got your name."

She gave him a curious look. "My name?" Honestly, she had never really given that fact much thought until that moment. It was a tough question to answer, especially since she couldn't even remember what happened two days ago, much less her name. "I... can't remember." She sat back down in the pilot's seat, but let Ghost still control the ship so they could talk.

"Would you like me to help?"

"What, like a guessing game? I don't think so."

"Do you have a better idea?"

She didn't. Not really, anyway. She began to concentrate on the one piece of information she needed as Ghost rattled off a few names to start off.

"Okay, uh, Sadie." That didn't feel right. She shook her head.

"Belle." That wasn't right either.

"Alyssa?" No.

"Hmm... Veronica." That one made her laugh a bit, but it still didn't feel right. She concentrated harder, crossing her legs in a meditating pose.