My first mission… what was that?   

The day had begun, yet the sun had barely risen, the AC was running and the lights were opened revealing the bleak monotonous hues of professional office space. 

For God knows how long, I’ve at last managed a part-time job, my first actual work, and steps towards success.  

“As my assistant, your mission is to be punctual and diligent too, we are the backbone of this company, got it?” said my supervisor, prompting his glasses and tirelessly working away at his computer, without as little as looking in my general direction. 

It was expected, that the IT sector would be in high demand, after all, everything requires computers nowadays, I’ve used that opportunity to begin my career. 

“Yes sir,” I replied, with my hands pressing up against my skirt. and my posture was stiff as a pole. My eyes seared holes right behind his head. 

My first impression is everything, I need not only to pass his expectations but surpass them. 

“As for my first rule, you must be present at this workplace an hour and a quarter before 8:00 AM, do you understand?” He presses while maintaining his ever monotonous tone “Understood, starting from tomorrow, no more no less.” I reassure.  

That’d be right about 6:45 AM, It's quite the demand for a part-timer but I’ll make it work, as long as my success is a step closer, I’ll stop at no lengths to get my way. 

Surprisingly, he reaches his hand out and stops working on his computer to greet me “Good, you and I will get along, really quickly.” he remarks, while I return his gesture by holding his hand, a cold yet firm when grasped, he shook mine with an eager passion, and I couldn’t stop myself as I eased a smile before him.   

Success is a ruthless examiner, only rights and wrongs— without anything in between— if your answer is wrong, then there’s a fault in your calculation, no nuance, no fallacies nor excuses; that’s the beauty of it.   

Similarly, in life, there’s only success and failure, if you can’t succeed then you’ve failed. If you can’t live life to the fullest then that only means you’ve failed at life.   

Life is unreasonable — like a car on autopilot—  it won’t hear you out, and yelling at it won’t lend you any free passes, There is no “dictating” what should and shouldn’t happen, but only you can control yourself. 

If the world is leaving you behind in the dust of competition, then it’s up to you to chase after it, overcome it, and make sure you’re always ahead of it if you choose to give up and let go, then what point is there to be able to choose to begin with?   

For as long as I live from this day forward, I’ll always only choose to better myself and that success is always a step closer. 

That’s who I am…

Malware 

Malware

“Malware! Malware!” yelled a childish voice, shaking me off my reverie, quickly followed up with a head-splitting headache. 

My mind was preoccupied, but I wasn’t sure what I’d seen. It was too hazy to be a hallucination but too vivid for a dream, not to mention the forlorn taste of nostalgia it left in my mouth.   

“Ugh, I’m alright, what is it?” I retort with a frown, before stumbling up against a building wall. I inquisite the hopping boy, despite holstering a shield larger than he, he seldom felt its weight while frolicking down the descending street. 

Although the clouds obscured the sun, it was morning. 7:50 as precisely noted by my Auth, and as for our mission.  

Capitan’s voice flickers, his reflective metallic frame reared into view, his faceless visage, neither demanding nor threatening, yet nonetheless it sent chills down my spine.

The recollection of that night still left me baffled and lost— only now could I start processing it— something not to be believed, what even is real anymore? 

“Your first mission! Have a little more spirit, don’t you remember what your missions in life were?” He quips, gathering anticipation from the silent crowd— stemming from the information bombardment we’ve just been subjected to unannounced— He tucks his way-too-long neck tie before resuming. 

“Consider this first mission, your initiation process, After that, you four are trackers like her.” He explains while tinkering— taking and placing paper sheets—  with the bulleting board

“A tracker is?” I raised concern, without an explanation for these “trackers” he’s been throwing around. “Units affiliated with our district, because, unlike variants, you’re all different, smarter, stronger, better, you get the idea.” He answers, leading to a smooth segue to his main point.    

“As Trackers of the Memory Segment Nueva Esperanza Trackers (MeSNET), you’re here to piece together what happened and how we’ll contact the rest of the outside, it’s something only I could come up with.” He explains with a smirk and his head held up high.  

“What’s in it for us?” I ask again, though he’d flash a grin this time. “Well, you’ll be working with my district in supporting your needs. Besides, as I’ve you won’t find any districts like this one.” He answers in a self-aggrandizing manner.  

Or in other words, we have no other choice… for a variant— someone less witted than us— he’s got a silver tongue. I doubt he’s noticed me pick up on the double-speak yet, but he’s holding onto more than he’s letting off. 

I didn’t require any convincing anyway, just that, the arrangement, felt familiar; comforting even despite the blaring one-sided nature of his agreement 

I couldn’t help but remember my office days it felt just like it, without all the paperwork involved. 

Perhaps this arrangement wouldn’t be as bad as I thought. This present and proactive organization could even ease my way forward due to overlapping our goals: they both wanted answers. Our differences are me wanting more and needing to use what information I get to make it out of here and return to where I left off… 

This will be confirmed if I continue investigating, of course. There was no other way, this faraway fantasy was reality, a mockery for sure, but there was no way, in my heart and mind I’d accept the loss of my opportunity for success.   

Cookies intervenes, remaining bubbly as usual “Will we have our own adventures?” he asks like a kid on Santa’s lap “Of course, that’s what these missions are.” Capitan answers and the boy jumps in glee. 

Without a word, he confirmed his utmost support for this agreement, and the three of us agreed, albeit in a more “courteous” form.   

Capitan chuckles “Then let me give you a rundown to fill the vacancies for tomorrow.” he utters before my gaze hazed to a blur. 

“You sure partner? We can still ask Patchnotes for help.” His voice reminds me back to the present  “Let’s get going, there’s no need for you to slow yourself down for me” I reply, trudging along with my shoulder up against the wall.  

We might’ve been dispatched together on the same mission, but that still demands I resume diligent and punctual… 

No matter he had a point and I’ll continue with it, even if the situation is sparsely different. His voice is monotonous and uncaring. Hold on— I’ve heard of this before.

Was he my supervisor? 

“AGH!—” an ear-piercing shriek crashed through my mind, knocking me down on my knees, I cusped my mouth; wishing to subdue myself to avoid embarrassment. I recalled shoving something in there, a device of the sort that I’d initially thought was for healing, however, it betrayed me with inaction— distracting me long enough for that wretched sentinel to sneak up on me— almost killing me in the process.   The other hand clutching the gaps between the brick-walled building I slumped on. 

This too failed, catching the boy horrified for catching a glimpse for just a second. He turns and runs towards me with a terrorized look. 

“Malware!” he screams, he kneels on one knee and confirms with one look, deciding my situation too grim for him to handle, he opens his auth and almost contacts Capitan—

I covered his hand with mine, forcibly closing the windows, and reassured him with narrowed eyes. 

“We’re… continuing… don’t call… anyone, because I’m… fine,” I whisper before mustering the courage to stand and resume our walk. 

He didn’t object— more like he couldn’t— as he’d taken the hint with a rather shaken expression, he’d turned quiet for the remainder of our way back on the bulletin board. 

As for me though, my mind was the farthest thing from quiet— restless— running in all sorts of places searching for answers. 

Something about my memories causes this, but not knowing which and what made me think of all sorts of scenarios. It was like I had things I could and couldn’t think about.  

Damn it… is this my mind or what? What the hell is stopping me from thinking what I want? 

It seems to happen only when I’m trying to remember something — recalling a memory— but I’m sure that this is not my doing, something else in my head is forcibly doing this.

After all, those two memories seem to coincide in one thing, a “topic” if it were an essay per se. 

My first mission, one before and one now… one when I was still “working” and the one I’ve just been assigned to. 

I could at least dance around it through rephrases and not have it activate on me, though that meant I’d have to work around my thoughts like a prisoner of my head. 

I could also just stop thinking about it, but there must be a reason it’s this painful when I have it in my mind specifically stopping me from thinking about it further.

It’d be better to know which of the two memories caused that reaction, especially when I’m still relatively safe… because I won’t have the luxury to stagger around, paralyzed by one of these attacks when I’m outside.  

This time  I remembered the remainder of that night, the night we received our first missions. 

It was the same as before but instead of letting my mind wander on its own, I’ll pursue it cautiously; figuring out the limitations of these mental barriers and adjusting my next steps accordingly. 

“Oh! Can I can I? I’ve always wanted to be a scout!” Cookies remarked, clutching his lower face with eager hands. He rushes towards the stiff and lanky Capitan with his demand. 

The Capitan seems shaken by his unrooted readiness, taken aback by his sheer enthusiasm yet the Capitan capitulates nonetheless. 

“Well, It’s not that kinda scouting we’re employing, but if you’re that eager, you’re in.” He answers, lending the boy the white tablet. 

“Yipee!” he rejoices, before imprinting his Auth’s barcode firmly on the digitized screen, clicking before making a soft beep confirming his input. 

Capitan called these, “community missions” and only Auths could interact with them, meaning we units are the ones to perform them, and we alone. The tablets hold all the necessary info about any mission including mission summary, coordinates if needed, threat levels, location, routes, topographical data, and “rewards” too.

Although, these are just “credits” they’re still treated as currency in the district similar to money, which Units could barter from any available store inside District Nueva Esperanza for any commodity…

If such wares from these “things” could hold any value besides indulgence or living necessities.

I snap a frown, disgruntled at the prospect of being back to square one, like deja vu, but worse because she now has to begin anew, while her golden opportunity had further delays.  

But it isn’t all too bad I suppose, this restart could at least show the illusion of change, and there wouldn’t be any wealth disparity as absurd as the real world compared to here. I may have the chance to make a fortune here… but it’ll only work here.

Even if I wanted to I’d be wasting time either way… 

The Capitan speaks again, “The other vacancy is elimination. ” he delves into further detail “These are sentinels, the strongest entities that roam Eden, they require heavy firepower to bring down and come in pairs.” 

“I’ll take them.” As expected, the red eyes raised a hand without skipping a beat “Really? I suppose you’d be able to handle it, but you’ll want a teammate” Capitan mutters, seemingly impressed by his dauntlessness. 

 “Did you say strongest?” I parrot, unsure if I heard it right, these things were sparse throughout the city, there’s no way they’re the strongest enemies. 

“You’d never want to take even one alone. It’ll kill you before you do.”

Well, ain’t that just fantastic… If I’d been told that sooner. Fuck them, I wish them all to burn in the deepest pits of their corrosive slag. 

It makes perfect logic, being the unkillable killing machines they were, but that didn’t lessen that feeling of weakness shrouding my chest when I tried to prove myself by taking one down.  

But, what about Firewall? Doesn’t this just make him more of an anomaly than he already is?

“But the real danger around are derelict units, they’re the ones you gotta watch out for.” Capitan speaks, followed with  “Other people?” Intel asks, and he nods “Yeah, I’m not all-knowing just this district and lord knows what’s out there, right?” He remarks with an abrupt facetious tone.   

“So how about you two? Ready to make your choice?” He sighs, signaling me and Intel to pick our sides, which in hindsight would’ve been obvious by following the patterns, I go with Firewall and Intel goes with Cookies…

But, just having the burden of seeing those things again so near my proximity, I struggled to make a choice. I couldn’t admit to them, despite shrugging my near-death I couldn't shake off a growing fear within me whenever I had them in mind.  

Intel, seemingly noticing my discomfort chose to side with Firewall for this mission, regardless if he knew my reasons. Leaving me with Cookies on an amateur-tier scouting mission around District Nueva Esperanza. 

Soon after, we were taken by Patchnotes upstreet and onto one of the last "undamaged" buildings around, lending us a room each to sleep for the passing night.

This led me to where I am right now… headed towards the rendezvous for our missions this morning by the city plaza.

No shocking noise yet, nor anything painful coming to mind, I sighed, guess I'll be fine as long as I don't think about it before this all.

"Are you alright now?" Cookies asks from out of the blue, sensing that I've relaxed over time from before then. 

I stretched my shoulders, "Yeah, I already told you not to think about it, but I have it under control."

"Thank God, I was really worried!" 

before us two, stood the vast plaza which we'd not seen the night prior, a vast stretch of grass headed towards the vast concrete wall where the bulletin was placed. 

Soon after, I meet eyes with the helpful yet shady Capitan standing right over the city plaza, waving for us to approach.