Prologue pt2

178 flinched, feeling a warm breeze on his skin. The air tasted like dust and must, and he could distantly make out echoing voices of children. His fingers twitched, feeling cheap linen. In spite of the apparent poor environment, he couldn't feel the expected ache from being shot in the gut, meaning someone must have spent a sizable amount of credits to have him recover in a Medpod or commissioned a high leveled Repair Divinity user.

At the sound of approaching footsteps 178 stilled, mimicking sleep.

"Nix, lazy-ass, get up! The director wants to see you."

178 heard the rustle of fabric of someone reaching towards him. Instinctively, he grabbed the person's wrist and pulled, only to be shocked at how weak his body was. He gritted his teeth, looking at the offender.

A pale boy of maybe eleven stared at him with incredulity and surprise, leaning on the bed to keep balance. "Wh– Let me go!" He yanked arm out of 178's grip, lips pulled into a scowl. "What the hell, Nix? Did you have a nightmare or something?"

178 didn't say anything, instead quickly scanning the area. The room was lit up with the light from the solar system's local star. The walls were a yellow-crème color, poor for cleaning up bloodstains. There were three more beds outside of the one 178 was occupying, all with metal frames that could be potentially used for blunt force trauma. Alternatively, if he had enough time, he could dismantle one and get himself a decent weapon. Behind him, he could tell there were two windows based on the light of the star leaving beams on the floor and walls, and a single low cost biodegradable door on the other side of the room.

"Nix?"

178 redirected his attention to the boy, noting his skinny frame with little muscle. Dirty blond coiled hair that resembled dried straw in texture. His appearance was a typical full blooded Terrane. He would have labeled him as a low threat, but considering how weak he appeared to be currently, 178 couldn't dismiss that even this child could potentially harm him.

"Where am I?" 178 asked, frowning at his own voice's oddly high pitch. He reached up to touch his throat but was distracted by how ashy his chromatophore skin was and the small size of his hands.

"In our room…?" The blond boy said, giving 178 a worried look.

"Our room?" 178 looked back at the boy, clenching his jaw.

"Yea, our room." The boy squeezed his eyes shut and shook his head then glared at 178, "We don't have time for this. I don't know what's got you all weird, but we gotta go. I'm not getting scolded for you!"

178 thinned his lips, then sighed. He stood up, body tense, only becoming more anxious at the realization that he was much shorter than he last remembered. He followed the blond boy out of the room. The hallways were nondescript and bland, exactly the same as inside the room. They passed several rooms that were all similar to 'his' room, only occasionally did he see another person, all of which were children.

[This must be an orphanage. However, that does not explain why I am here.] 178 ignored the creeping feeling of dread, instead focusing on memorizing the hallways and rooms. Upon passing a glass window, he paused in his steps. Looking back at him was a ten year old with long, unruly rusty orange hair and large, purple cat eyes. He sucked in a breath as the pigment in his skin fluctuated. [This appearance…] He heard the other boy say something, but he didn't pay attention, focused on what must be his reflection. [I haven't had my hair this long in twenty years since I was– However that isn't– I need to proceed with caution.]

"Nix!"

178 once again grabbed the wrist of the blond before he could touch him, his pupils thinned into narrow slits. A moment passed, then 178 released him. "Sorry. I… I had a really bad nightmare so I'm still out of it." He lied, putting on an embarrassed and anxious appearance while he forced his skin to change color slightly.

The blond frowned then sighed, "Whatever. It's fine. Let's just go."

178 nodded, timid appearance disappearing once the other turned his back.

After another hallway, they arrived at the first door that appeared to be made of reinforced material, although still plant based and biodegradable. 178 eyed the keypad that currently read [unlocked]. The blond opened the door, and 178 came face to face with the first person he recognized, confirming his suspicions.

Sitting behind a rusty old desk is the first person to teach 178 that all things had a number attached to their identity. The individual who sold him to TGA2 for a mere 10,500 credits. The woman he had once seen as his mother.

"Alen, thank you for bringing Nix here." Emalea Chartres smiled kindly, then gestured to one of the empty foam cushion chairs. "Go ahead and sit down, Nix. You don't need to stand."

Director Chartres was a simple looking woman of full Terrene descent, with tanned, freckled skin, wavy salt and pepper hair, and large doe eyes. The Director didn't wear much makeup, just a light shade to add color to her lips and cheeks. She was dressed warmly in plain white and cream colored clothes, although 178 could tell the fabric was three to four times better quality than anything he'd seen the children wearing. On her thin and bony wrist was an expensive -Brace, short for Dashboard Bracelet, from the Rose company, a device that acted as a portable connection to the Galanet.

178 felt as though the sight of this woman brought forth a million emotions while simultaneously dulling all feeling. He suppressed a shudder, taking a moment to finally digest that he was being called Nix, a name he couldn't recall being given in the past, not that he could remember much from this age. 178 swallowed, then walked over to the chair and sat down.

The room itself was clean and tidy, if slightly worn. On the wall were several holographic photos and a traditional digital 3D painting. 178 wasn't sure if he should be impressed by the audacity or disgusted by the extravagance displayed by such artwork being kept in an orphanage director's office. Then, the faint reflection of a camera hidden by one of the photos caught his eye and he turned his face away.

The blond boy, Alen, nodded politely, then hesitated at the door. "Uhm, Director, Nix had a nightmare so he is acting a bit weird right now. He hasn't done anything bad. He is just… weird."

Director Chartres cast a worried look towards 178, then gave Alen a grateful smile, "Is that so? Thank you for telling me, Alen."

Alen smiled, finally leaving the room.

The moment the door clicked shut, Emalea Chartres stared at 178 for a moment before speaking, "Do you know why I called you in here, Nix?"

178 shook his head, meeting her gaze with large, watery eyes. "No, Ma'am."

"Oh, dear, no need to look so scared!" She laughed, "It's good news!"

He took a deep breath and feigned relaxing his posture, although he'd started to feel his muscles strain from how tense he'd been since waking up. 178 forced himself to maintain a relieved expression in spite of his weak state. "What news?"

"You are getting a new family."

These words were like thunder, piercing his mind with foggy memories. 178 felt his hands tremble and stomach churn sickeningly. The burn of being dragged against pavement. Hunger while trapped in solitary confinement when he'd failed to measure up. The wet salty taste of despair until he ran out of tears to cry. Until he couldn't feel anything at all. 178 felt disgusted and confused by this pathetic body, baffled by its reaction to those memories. He ignored it, although he didn't exactly feel like living through those experiences again either.

Instead, he acted surprised and hopeful, "Really?"

"Of course, Dear." Director Chartres stood and stepped around her desk to kneel down in front of 178. She took his hands between both of her own and smiled sweetly, tears gathering in her eyes. "You have no idea how happy I am about this…"

[I am sure you are…] 178 ignored the urge to slap her hands away. [Happy about the money you'll make.] He felt his skin react in spite of himself, "A new family…" He muttered, "When will they get here? What are they like?"

The Director chuckled, letting go of his hands and patting his head instead. "They will be coming to pick you up next week." She stood, brushed dust off her legs, then walked back behind her desk. "They are a little strict, so you will need to be on your best behavior and listen well, but I think they will take good care of you, Nix."

178 stared at her back coldly, [A week. That should be plenty of time.] He thought, [I'll need to begin preparations immediately.] He glanced at the computer on her desk as 178 began to plan inside his mind, "Yes, Director. I'll get ready for my new home."

Emalea Chartres turned and stared at 178 then burst into giggles, "Oh, no need to be so serious! I'll help you clean up so you look your best the day before. You can go ahead and let everyone know, Nix, I'm sure the kids will be as excited as I am."

178 nodded with a forced smile, then rushed to leave the room. Once the door was shut behind him, he examined the keypad. The brand, once again, seemed expensive, but the model was far older than he was used to. With this in mind, he began to walk back to the bedroom he had apparently been assigned. He had heard of theories in the past of individuals who had poor or even wretched lives suddenly having great fortune because they traveled back in time, but he'd always taken those to be fairy tales, told by individuals who partook in too much fiction. Now though, he couldn't help but ponder if it was actually true. Regardless, he had far more urgent things to think about in his current situation.

He stopped in front of his bedroom. What was most important to him now was not returning to TGA2 under any circumstances. 178 gripped the door handle with firm purpose. All other matters could be decided afterwards.