Chapter Text
Pop! Scccch⁓ “How has my life come to this... why did I accept the offer?” I put my palms over my eyes, resting my elbows on my knees. I can hear the ever-so-present but subtle sound of the soda’s fizzing. “Will this damned republic ever have the resources?” I lift my head to see what’s on the screen, some random sitcom from around fifty years ago, 2375. The sitcom is about an average Athedonian family, happy, joyful, and oh-so blissfully unaware. Unaware of what might become of them, that this perfect world they're living in is a ruse, a lie... a trick. I pick up the cold beverage, condensation already built up on the exterior. I take a big swig of it before placing it back down on the coaster, located on the coffee table in front of me.
My eyes stare blankly at the TV, while I look back to ten years ago. Back then, I was so innocent, as innocent a kid on the streets could be, but still... innocent. All I had to eat was bread if I was lucky, and water? I had to collect rainwater most of the time, but if I was lucky, someone would be merciful enough to spare me some water and a few Vildwu. So of course when an Athedon official gave me this offer, an offer to have more power, respect, and money in exchange for killing off “Excess, unnecessary human beings.” as the official put it.
I wish I could go back in time, back in time to stop me from ever considering accepting the offer—— KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK! “What would someone need from me at...“ My eyes glance up at the analog clock that’s hanging up on the off-white, slightly dirty, wall. “5 am, do people not know of personal space, jesus.” I peel my body off the plush couch, KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK! “I’m coming! I’m coming, chill out” I jog myself over to the dark-brown faux wooden door. Grabbing the silver door handle, I pull it open revealing a familiar short figure. “Gosh, you couldn’t have taken any longer Asher.” Of course, who else would bang on my door at 5 am but Kai.
Kai gives me his trademark glare, “We don’t head to the outpost until 7 am, what gives?” A sigh escapes my lips, what in the world does he need now? Just please, don’t let it be ridiculous. Kai’s face softened, he shoved his hands in his pockets, then he spoke “The times got moved up, Chief said that we need this done now.” What? Chief moved up our call time? What the heck happened? “Why did Chief move our time up? What even happened?” Kai shrugs his shoulders, “I have no clue, Chief just showed up at my door a few minutes ago and told me to relay the message to you.” Odd, Chief can be stoic, but this is just plain weird. Chief always tells us more about why she changed something as important as report times. Then, Kai continues, “Not only that, but she looked troubled, like something was deathly wrong.” He pauses, trying to collect his thoughts, “...Chief looked like she hadn’t gotten sleep in weeks, I know she always had eye bags, but it was way worse.”
ZIP! Shoving that information to the back of my brain, I get dressed and ready for today’s mission. You would think that futuristic soldiers would get top-notch armor, well you would be mostly wrong. It does make some sense why the Anthedon Republic wouldn’t want to draw attention to government-paid soldiers who do their dirty work. Trust me, the Anthedon Republic wants to look so pristine and clean, while also killing those who aren’t worthy in their eyes.
I look down at myself, double-checking that I’m not missing anything. Our outfits are pretty lowkey, a black compression shirt, black cargo pants, a sad excuse for a helmet, pads here and there, a holster with weapons like a gun, and a thermal magnetic field. The thermal magnetic field, or T.M.F. for short, is a thermal-based field that uses the user's thermal energy to create a force field that can withstand extreme climates, bullets of all kinds, and slashes. The T.M.F. isn’t indestructible, the knowledge of the weakness of the T.M.F. is highly classified, yet some have figured it out on their own. And that’s when the Hallowed comes in, the Hallowed is a group of people who all they want is to see the Anthedon Republic crumble. How? By killing the soldiers that lurk in the shadows, the exact unit I’m a part of.
The cold metal of my bedroom door knob presses against my skin as I open the door. "Where did I put it..." The keycard, one of the most important things that you need on you, and I've somehow lost it. "It has to be somewhere around here." My hands dig through the bags of random sh*t I've never quite unpacked, "Not here... not there..." As a last resort I walk myself over to my kitchen counter, and of course, it's right there, in plain sight. "It was right here the whole damn time? God, I'm dumb." Mentally face-palming, I look back up at the analog clock, moving to get a better look at it. My eyes squint, trying to read the clock, "It's... 6:30 — 6:30! Holy sh*t I'm going to be late!" I then pick up my back and rush out of my apartment, locking the door behind me.
