I guess some of you liked chapter 3 of my... series.
This is an AU btw
You can check my posts for Chapter 3, I don't post that much so it should be easy to find.
Random summoning ritual: @TheWonderfulWolfy
Alr the injured stick is left in a hospital bed inside an organization I guess.... let's see how that sorts itself off.
This is a very short chapter.
THE STING OF BERTAY-/ref
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Charutouse was about to give me the hardest but most affectionate hug-tackle before I stopped her and gesture to my injuries.
"Oh! Sorry... forgot you were injured! I was just so...so ... excited to see you again!"
I haven't seen her in a long...long while. Since she started to work for Rocket Corporations, her life was busier, and we weren't able to catch up as much as we could during highschool. I wiped my face of tears, and she wiped her tears, sniffling along the way.
"So, you were up in...the uhhh...the whole time?" My voice trailed off as I began to think of the name of the place. I already forgotten on what Almond told me.
"The Outlier's Base? Yeah. Top secret project alright...but I was going to get a big pay raise so I joined. Plus, I didn't know there was more than the Outernet."
My heart sank a little. Did she not care about me? Maybe she just sort of forgotten when she was working for the company.
"Charu...you-"
"Sorry." Her voice cut me off, almost as if she read my mind. "I just- it's just busy, and I want to live a good life...but I've been so selfish. I hadn't thought of you at all. Life is so tough, and it's hard to get another job. I just thought that maybe if I get enough money I can leave the company and later downgrade a job so I don't have to deal with all this workload."
I stared at her, the sting of betrayal still present, but at least bandaged up. Life is...hard. And it wasn't really her fault. I barely have food on my plate for delivering newspapers.
"But maybe....we can work together!"
"Huh?" I perked up by her speech.
Charu stated her statement more clearly. "Y'know, I heard Almond with the other dudes discussing how useful you might be to the company."
"Really?"
"Yeah!" She reassured. "You'll have a more stable income, and we can catch up with each other about our life and stuff."
"Why was I given the offer? I just arrived."
"They're interested on what you've seen, and something about the theory of green life particles."
It sounded like a great offer. But there had to be a catch. Something was going to throw me off gaurd. But even if that every happens, I had to at least have something to cushion me.
"Will I ever be able to return...to the Outernet?"
"Well...sure. On some weekends, Christmas breaks, Halloween, or maybe send a message to Rocket Corporations back on the Outernet and then you'll get 3 days off if you worked hard enough."
I began to inquire about what jobs they might be offering me. And out came a list of jobs from Charu's mouth. The titles were... interesting. Scout, Intruder, Engineer, and Pilot. I'm definitely not taking Pilot, since I'm sitting on a sanitary bed and all my limbs hurt after that crash.
"What's your job...Charu?"
She replied Scout. Her job was to ride a pod, and explore the void of the Internet, travel through PCs and whatever she does. It sounded dangerous, because apparently the void of the Internet destroys data, which means we'll be chopped off into a million pieces and get deleted or scattered. Thankfully, to avoid that from happening, you would be isolated with a barrier of data protecting you, aka a rocket. Or maybe be surrounded in a box, which is this base. Charu began to explain that this base was set on top of one of those PC boxes, and that Intruders would go inside and investigate on apps, cursors, and maybe our creators. She told us that stick figures reported seeing the creator's faces, but only blurry fragments, separate by a seemingly impenetrable barrier. And then I zoned out as she talked and talked about how the technology worked here and how they got their power, etc. It was a lot of information thrown at me. I forgotten on how much she liked to talk and talk.
I eventually interrupted her. I needed to say something. I've made up my mind for the ultimate decision that may change my life...and maybe a brighter future. For me and my friend. For the sake of knowing what really is the Internet, because I'll admit, I'm hooked.
"So. How do I become a Scout?"