Reaper: The Novel

Renegades

The girl had finished her breakfast, the doubts in her head long forgotten. She took a bath and changed into her clothes: A T-shirt with an inspirational message on it and black shorts. She didn't dress like others. She knew that girly dresses would impede her movement. But this had cost her many a friend. Since she didn't wear girl's clothes outside the house, most assumed that she never cared. In truth, she did, but the fact that she was soft-spoken during elementary didn't help her case.

As she left the house, she noticed S.A.M hunched over a chest. She recognized the chest. It was the only possession that S.A.M had requested to bring into the house. It looked like he was frantically searching for something. The girl paid no mind, as she guessed that maybe S.A.M was just trying to generate his weekly report and he had lost his pen or something.

It was a clear day. The breeze blew gently. It made the surroundings all the more beautiful. The girl took a moment to admire the view. Before she left, she took a picture of the house and the surroundings. As she never really made any friends during her childhood and always kept to herself, she turned to photography as a friend she could always turn to.

She waved at the girl next door, the man jogging, and with a sense of happiness, stepped onto the Warp Pad.

...

"I am happy", she thought to herself.

...

The familiar smell of metal invaded her nose. As she stumbled off the Warp Pad the fututistic lights and decoration were the first things one could admire. The large illuminated hall spanned more than 10 kilometers. The potted plants were lined up perfectly. A bright neon sign placed firmly on the wall read:

"Don't eat pizza with forks"

-The Renegade Management

This sign never quite made sense. "Why can't we eat pizza with forks?", the girl said aloud to no one.

"Because if we did, a XK-Devastation would happen.", A male voice said. The girl turned to faced the man. He was tall, wore a lab coat, and had a robotic left eye. He looked 17, although he was already 21. His robotic eye was not like you'd imagine. The entirety of his left eye was entirely black. A single white pinprick showed the location of his pupil. While this was disconcerting to most people, the girl found it reassuring, for lack of a better term. To her, it meant that he had willingly given up his eye for her. An eye that she had been thankful for ever since the day Dr. Xhargreg had vouched to give her his eye when her left eye had been gouged out by a previous mission.

So, Reaper, how's S.A.M doing?. The question immediately reminded Reaper about S.A.M's behavior that morning.

"Well, he was acting weird this morning. He didn't sit with me, as he usually would, and just ran up the stairs faster than I've ever seen him move. Also, he was dirtier than usual.", the girl recounted. "Also he was-", but before the girl could finish, Dr. Xhargreg had pulled her into a corner. His face had a different tone now. The usually carefree face he had was now one of extreme seriousness. "Let me tell you something... Do you know what the acronym "S.A.M" really is?", Dr. Xhargreg said in a voice that had hinted a great danger in S.A.M. "It stands for Sim-", but before he could finish, the P.A system suddenly said in a booming voice:

"Dr. Xhargreg, please report to the Overseer council immediately. There are serious matters we have to discuss."

"Well, see ya later! Gotta go talk to the bigwigs for a while!", the doctor said, his face instantly reverting back to his cheerful self.

And in a few seconds, the girl was alone again. Slightly unnerved by the doctor's unnatural behavior, she reminded herself to keep a closer eye on S.A.M for the meantime.

With this knowledge embedded into her subconscious, she made her way into the Tasks For Today room.

(Hello internet! It's your boi, the Author. What did you think of this chapter? The plot thickens, eh?. Either way, leave your thoughts down in the comment section, smash that vote button, and perhaps a quick follow if you wanna read more!)