Chapter 8 - Melody and Silence

"Hey, you're like a grim reaper or something, right? Here to take me to the afterlife? I'm ready to move on, or whatever, so let's go."

"I suppose you could see it that way," Alpha 7419 sighed, a vague feeling of anxiety settling into the pit of his stomach. Once again, he wondered what grave error in the supposedly infallible algorithms that allegedly matched systems with their perfect hosts had somehow paired him with someone so wholly incompatible with himself.

Finally managing to squirm out of Sam's arms, the alpha system looked her over, head to foot. He really didn't want to go through with the contracting process, but it was more appealing than having to spend hundreds of years sitting on his thumbs while he waited for a new partner.

Besides, perhaps once they got to know each other better, Sam would surprise him.

Hoping for the best, Alpha 7419 elucidated the reason for his presence, "The reality is that I have come to offer you a choice."

"A choice?" Sam asked curiously cocking her head to the side. "I get a choice? Isn't there some kind of record of my sins and someone who judges where I'm supposed to end up?" 

She looked down at the bunny with a smirk that was two parts incredulity and three parts sarcasm.

"There's no way I'm pure enough to get into heaven if you know what I mean."

"That's not what I'm here to offer you," Alpha 7419 started, but Sam quickly interrupted before he could say anything else.

"Oh, I know! It's that thing where you drink some kind of soup and get to reincarnate! Did I do something good in a past life that gave me enough karma and stuff to choose what I get to be in my next life?" she probed, a look of surprise on her expectant face. "If I get to pick, I definitely want to be a bluebird."

Blinking, the alpha system was abruptly reminded of the birds in the courtyard at his old work and how much he had enjoyed watching them. He felt a twinge of something that might be homesickness welling up in his heart, and all at once, the idea of spending an eternity with the person in front of him didn't seem quite as dismal.

Unfortunately, that relief was short-lived as Sam, distracted by her own thoughts, continued theorizing, and her next guess was even farther from the truth.

"Wait, are you going to ferry me across the river Styx?" she babbled, annoying Alpha 7419 to no end. Wiggling her eyebrows suggestively, she informed him, "I could totally see myself as a god of lust."

Immediately following that statement, a barrage of lewd images flooded the alpha system's consciousness. He was nearly brought to tears by the sudden assault and lamented pitifully, 'How am I supposed to live like this?!'

For her part, Sam was actually very interested in which of the afterlife myths of her world were actually true. Given her particular circumstance of being gender fluid and pansexual, she had never taken any particular interest in organized religion. Add to that the fact that Sam had always taken it for granted that she would simply fade into the ether after her death; now that she was actually here, her imagination had gone into overdrive. 

Then a sudden burst of inspiration came to mind, 'What if they're all true and I get to pick whichever one I want?'

"The choice isn't between which hypothetical afterlife you get to experience either. The decision you need to make-" he tried again to present her options, and again she cut him off.

"Okay, two things I have to ask, and I hope you'll be straight with me." Sam's face had suddenly turned serious, and she narrowed her eyes suspiciously at the little black bunny with his glowing violet eyes. 

Something had been bothering her for a while now, and Sam was sure she hadn't given voice to that last thought as even she herself felt that even if one of the religions she'd been vaguely aware of during her life was true, it would be completely absurd to believe they all were.

Alpha 7419 desperately wanted to interject at this point. That was the first true thing that this scatterbrained host of his had come up with, and she was dismissing it out of hand. However, unlike some people, he had the decorum and patience to wait until the other person was finished speaking.

"First off, are you some kind of psychic?" The touch of anger in Sam's tone was not lost on the AI. "Don't you think you should warn people before you go poking around in their brains? That's a total creeper move, dude."

Taken aback, Alpha 7419 couldn't help cursing in his heart. This... person... had been staring at him like a side of beef that she wanted to grill up and eat for dinner since they met, but somehow he was the creep just because he read her mind? 

....

Alright, maybe she had a point. 

"I apologize for not telling you in advance," the bunny responded begrudgingly. It wasn't Alpha 7419's fault that the budding soul bond that was already beginning to form between them had rendered him able to essentially see what she was thinking. "I would like to mention, however, that it is not something that is under my control."

"Whatever." Sam sighed in frustration but decided it wasn't worth the aggravation to continue this topic. 

Not one to hold a grudge, particularly when the other party had already apologized, she acquiesced, "It's cool, dude. Just... you should probably remember to tell people stuff like this when you meet them in the future. You don't want to start off on the wrong foot, after all."

Relieved that they resolved the problem quickly and somewhat touched by Sam's apparent concern, Alpha 7419 resentfully admitted to himself that despite her overactive libido, she did seem to be rather sweet. Still, this future host of his seemed to be quite flighty and unreliable, which troubled him. 

Sam seemed to be lost in her own world as she stared at nothing, but her thoughts at the moment were unreadable. The alpha system waited patiently for a while, but they were on a clock, and there was much to do before they could leave on their first mission, so clearing his throat, he prompted, "You said there were two things you wanted to ask?"

"Umm…" Sam's mouth twisted to the side, and her eyebrows knit together in concentration. Finally, she shrugged and nonchalantly admitted, "Shit, I forgot."

Groaning silently, the alpha system nonetheless forced a smile, and hoping the exhaustion he felt in the face of Sam's lack of focus didn't reveal itself in his voice, he asked tensely,

"Are you ready to listen to the offer I have for you?"

Sam chuckled. It was honestly kind of cute seeing the little puffball getting all flustered like that. Plus, the deep manly voice coming out of the tiny thing was thoroughly amusing. 

"Please," she smirked at him, waving her arm in a grand gesture to indicate that he should continue. Her playful smugness earned her a glare from the bunny which only made him look even more adorable.

Alpha 7419 sighed again, sensing that this was an action that would quickly become a verbal tick going forward. Provided that they were ever going to be able to go forward. 

"Your options are, either accept your fate and move on to whatever afterlife awaits you, or come with me and live again."

"Wait, I thought you said I couldn't choose whether or not I get to be reincarnated," Sam stated accusingly. Her smirk faded and was replaced by a scowl. "Now you're changing your tune? You're acting kinda sus, man."

Alpha put one fuzzy paw against his forehead. He could feel a headache growing behind his eyes.

"You seem to be misunderstanding something, so let me be clear," he declared sternly. "This is not reincarnation. You won't lose your memories or be reborn as an infant. We will be bringing you back to life." 

"Well, more or less..."

"Okay, hold up." Sam knew she wasn't the brightest crayon in the box or the sharpest tool in the shed, but 'more or less'? She would have to be an utter moron for that line to slip past her. 

"You say it's not reincarnation, and I get that I don't know shit about the afterlife," she admitted readily. "So I'll just have to trust you on that, but what the hell do you mean by 'us' and 'more or less?' What are you really after here?" 

Becoming more and more uncomfortable by the minute, Sam was starting to feel quite worried about her soul, now that she knew she had one.

What if this bunny/guy wasn't here to guide her but actually had other, more sinister intentions? What if he was some kind of soul-sucking vampire who was here to devour her soul?

'Vampire, really?' Alpha 7419 rolled his eyes, utterly fed up with this whole situation. 

"I'm not a grim reaper, and I'm not a vampire, or anything else you're freaky little mind can concoct for that matter," he scolded. "So stop worrying about my intentions and listen to what I have to say."

Aggrieved, it was all the alpha system could do to keep from shouting as he explained, "I am what the literature of your world refers to as a transmigration system, and the Creators, in their boundless wisdom, sent me to you to offer you a job."

With all his fur standing on end, Alpha 7419 looked very much like a big black pom-pom, the kind you might see in a bin at a craft store. Sam could barely contain the smile that wanted to spring up at the sight, but seeing that the little guy was just as on edge as she was, she did her best to suppress it.

Crouching down and patting his fluffy little head soothingly, she tried to console him. "I'm sorry, okay? This is all new to me. I don't know anything, and I'm confused and a little scared, to be honest. You don't really expect me to trust a strange guy with glowing eyes that can turn into a bunny without asking any questions, do you?" 

"I suppose not," the bunny huffed, allowing himself to be soothed by Sam's gentle touch. Since this was a new experience for him too, he could feel some sympathy for her, and to be fair, he had been given the manuals, but the only thing Sam had to guide her through this was a stranger. 

Relenting, he invited, "Tell me what you want to know, and I'll do my best to explain it."

"Alright then, what's the job?" Sam asked. She'd read a few of those novels that the system had mentioned, but she wasn't about to believe that any of them were one hundred percent accurate. She'd never heard of any major religion that preached about body jumping from universe to universe with a cheat system after all, and it's not like she was going to believe everything she read online.

"Actually," Alpha 7419 answered her thoughts, "they come pretty close."

Sam's jaw dropped. 

"Wait, seriously?" she asked. "What kind of system are you then? Homewrecker? Revenge? Oooh! Tell me you're a beta system!"

"Uh... I... umm... no?" he said uncertainly. "I said they got close. I didn't say any of them were true."

She pouted for a second, but her disappointment was short-lived. Anyway, she was going to be a transmigrator! 

Seeing the sights, meeting interesting people- and bedding them- that was a dream come true!

Plus, unlike many systems in the web novels she'd read, this one had a sexy human form and could turn into a snuggly floof ball. Sam grinned while she envisioned breaking down his aloof demeanor and finally watching as he melted under her experienced touch. She could take her time breaking him in since she assumed they'd be spending what pretty much amounted to eternity together.

"You do remember I can read your thoughts, don't you?" the system asked, his voice cracking nervously, hoping that this pervert would have at least some inkling of shame at being caught in her fantasies.

He shouldn't have counted on it.

Sam grinned wickedly, clearly delighted. Raising her eyebrows and gazing up at him flirtatiously through her thick lashes, she asked, "Hey, what am I thinking now?"

The alpha system's breath caught in his throat, and his eyes went wide. "N-n-no! I wasn't made to function like that!"

"I am a highly advanced AI system!" he insisted, furious, and, he had to admit, slightly frightened by the unfamiliar feeling aroused in him by the image of himself panting and crying out as his knuckles whitened from how hard he was gripping the sheets.

"Hush," Sam crooned at the flustered AI. She grinned wickedly at her soon-to-be partner. "I won't do anything to you that you aren't begging me for on hands and knees."

'Beastly!' Alpha 7419 shouted in his mind, trembling under the onslaught of a fresh wave of images, some prominently featuring bondage of varying types, and in all of which he was stark naked and begging to be touched.

Although Sam was thoroughly enjoying messing with the alpha system, she thought it would be much more entertaining if she could actually see the flush that she was sure would be painting his pretty cheeks at the moment. 

After thinking it through for a moment, she decided to change the subject before the little bunny was tormented to the point that he would never resume his human form. "So, if you're not the type of system in the novels, what exactly is the job we're supposed to do?"

"Unfortunately, that is classified," Alpha 7419 advised, his tone strict. "I can't give you that information until you make your decision."

Sam frowned, dissatisfied with the thought of agreeing to something without all the information. "What about the afterlife. Can you tell me what's waiting for me if I decline your oh so generous and mysterious offer?"

"No," he stated simply. "I can't tell you that either."

"C'mon," she groaned, scratching her head in frustration. "You've gotta give me something here!"

"I'm sorry, but that would defeat the purpose," Alpha 7419 replied snidely, happy to see that in this case, Sam was the one who was getting flustered. At this point, he would take any opportunity to turn the tables on her. "It's a test of your character. If you knew all the answers, it would be meaningless."

"But," Sam protested, "I didn't even know I'd have to take a test, so I didn't study."

Alpha 7419 just stared at her flabbergasted. Was she serious right now?

"It's not that kind of test?" he responded, staring at her with the most concern he had ever felt in his long life. How had she managed to live that long if she was truly that stupid?

Then again, considering the way she died, he shouldn't be that surprised...

"It's like a genetic test," the AI explained, trying his best to be patient and reminding himself that she had just experienced an enormous trauma. Whether she took it seriously or not. "You don't study for it. It's a measure of what is already there."

Grumbling, Sam insisted, "If you don't give me any information, then it might as well be a shot in the dark." 

By now, Alpha 7419 was so thoroughly done with the conversation that he found himself actually hoping she would reject the offer. Maybe waiting for a few hundred or even a few thousand years would be worth it if he could get a host that actually had a functioning brain.

Unfortunately, the choice was out of his hands the moment the algorithm paired him with Sam. All he could do was wait for her to make the decision and hope that he wouldn't have to suffer too much because of her incompetence. "I've told you everything I can. It's time to make your choice, Sam. We don't have all night."

"Ugh," Sam groaned. "I may as well just flip a coin for all the difference it makes."

"If that's how you want to choose." In an instant, Alpha 7419 was back in his human form and had pulled a large silver coin out of the air. "Heads you come with me, tales you move on?" 

Sam nodded her agreement, and the alpha system obligingly tossed the coin into the air. Watching riveted as it spun in midair, she considered which side she was hoping it would land on. 

Deftly, the AI snatched the coin out of the air and placed it on the back of his hand. The other hand rested over the top of the coin, concealing the result. 

As he lifted his hand to check the results, Sam suddenly felt her stomach drop. Finding herself unable to leave the decision in the hands of fate, she bellowed, "Wait! I'll take the job!"

Trying not to feel too disappointed, the alpha system tossed the coin into the air again, and it immediately blinked out of existence. It had landed heads up anyway, so in a strange way, it seemed that their cooperation was inevitable.

"Very well, then," he sighed, adjusting his glasses. He lifted his hand and moved to place a finger against Sam's forehead. "If you will just close your eyes, then we'll be on our way."

Sam took a step back and gave the system an apprehensive look. Although she had felt so confident a moment ago, she wasn't completely ready to follow through with her decision. 

There were a lot of things in those transmigration novels that didn't seem very promising, and although things did always work out in the end, this was real life. In real life, there were no guarantees that a happy ending would be waiting for her.

In the end, though, she had to trust her gut. Besides, there was a handsome guy to tag along for the journey, so how bad could it be?

Falling back into her previous flirtatious tone, she batted her eyes and coquettishly asked, "Why do you want me to close my eyes? Are you sure you don't want to eat me?"

Taking full advantage of the psychic link that was forming between them, Sam sent the alpha system a few more erotic scenes.

A mere centimeter from touching her head, Alpha 7419 balked, dropping his hand to his side in exasperation. With a strangled voice, he made a desperate appeal to her rational side, "What do you think this is? Some low-brow, smut-ridden internet novel?" 

'Someone truly must be out to get me,' he reflected bitterly. 'There is no way this person is even qualified to read the contract, let alone perform the duties required of a host. We don't seem compatible at all either. This has to either be a horrible prank or possibly even sabotage.'

Looking at the system's furious face, Sam grinned giddily. It was exactly as she had predicted. There was indeed a faint blush that colored his cheeks a delicious shade of pink, and the pout of his lips made him seem as though he'd been bullied.

It took everything she had to restrain herself from pushing him to tears.

"Fine. Don't close your eyes," Alpha 7419 growled, fed up with Sam's antics. "It won't be my fault if you can't see after this. You can't say I didn't warn you."

"Chill out, dude," Sam replied, holding up her hands in submission. "I'll stop." 

"Wait, your soul can go blind?!" 

"Just close your eyes," he groaned. Before Sam could come up with any more complaints, he stepped forward and swiftly tapped her on the forehead with his index finger. 

The instant his fingers touched her skin, the unlikely pair were enveloped in bright, white light and disappeared.