Out of Cryo | A Horizon: Zero Dawn Fanfiction

Chapter 8: A Symphony of Regret

           We traveled for several days, only stopping periodically to rest and eat. The sun beat down on us much hotter than when we were in Nora territory, so to make things more bearable I had stripped off the sleeves of my new clothing (against Aloy's advice), exposing my arms so I wouldn't you know, die of heat exhaustion. This certainly helped during the day as we crossed the sprawling grasslands between the Sacred Land and Meridian but not so much at night time when the temperature plummeted. This new biosphere was nice and all, giving life and all that shit, but I was not a fan of the slight but definitely noticeable changes in the climate that had occurred since my time.

When we'd camp in the evening, I'd shiver by the fire and Aloy would glance over at me from time to time, not knowing I could damn well see the smug smile on her face.

"Want a blanket?" she asked one night.

"Nope," I said, my stubbornness taking hold. "I'm good."

"Hard to believe when you're shivering like that. Also, it's not that cold."

"INVOLUNTARY PHYSICAL RESPONSES INDICATE ALPHA PRIME'S MATE IS EXPERIENCING DISCOMFORT DUE TO SUDDEN DECREASE IN EXTERNAL TEMPERATURE."

I glared at the Watcher, which stood a few feet away from the campfire we had built earlier. The campsite was nearby a cluster of trees and a pond, and the nearest machines – a herd of Broadheads - were far away enough that Aloy felt safe settling here for the night.

The machine scratched at the ground a few times and stared at us, its bright blue light flickering in the breezy night air. "No one asked you, Heph. Also, I have a name. It's 'Becks'. You can use it." The stupid AI had been making comments about Aloy and I being a couple for the last few days. On one hand, I was excited that there was an actual functioning AI on our side and that it understood the concept of humor. On the other hand, its sense of humor had all the maturity of a ten-year-old. Aloy didn't seem to mind – she turned a bit pink at the first few mentions but after a while I think she just started ignoring the machine.

She didn't seem offended, though. Not that I cared either way. She probably just doesn't say anything because she doesn't want to offend me. Because she's a nice person. And it was true. Aloy had been nothing but nice to me over the past month and a half. She had given me space to grieve when I needed it, protected me from killer machines and crazy people in masks (even if that had involved jumping off a cliff), and had generally just been really calm and understanding when it came to me adjusting to this new place – this new time.

Also, she had really nice hair. And she was pretty badass when it came to taking out those machines in the cauldron and rappelling us down the side of a fucking cliff.

Jeez, Becks...seriously? Maybe wipe some of that drool off your mouth before you make a bigger idiot of yourself than you already have.

"ACKNOWLEDGED." The machine emitted a loud buzz, startling me from my thoughts and reminding me that I was pissed at it for making me look like a stubborn jerk. Which, I kind of was in not accepting a fucking blanket.

"Can I turn it off? There's an off switch, right?" I asked Aloy. The redhead, who had been using a small knife to carve away at a branch for the last few hours, answered with a soft laugh but otherwise was not distracted from her task.

With a shrug, I stood up and went to sit near the pond. Lightning bugs skipped over the calm water, illuminating it and the shoreline around. I heard what sounded like a few frogs but I still wasn't entirely sure which animals had made it onto this new biosphere yet. I grabbed a stick and began making shapes in the dark water with it. Sitting near the ocean, lakes, rivers – you name it – always helped relax me so I was grateful for Aloy's choice of campsite. I activated my Focus and checked its storage. I was delighted to see that my music was still stored on it. With a few swipes of the interface, I had my favorite playlist going. I preferred a blend of genres and had stuff on here that even my parents had considered "old". A rock song from the late 2000s began to play. Satisfied, I left it on and must have been really into the music because I started nodding my head to the beat.