Rise of the Reaper

Chapter 1

    Vibrant light illuminated my vision, disorienting me. My eyes adjusted and I was in a bed in an office. "We moved you here after the surgery" the doctor said as she placed a glass of water on the table beside where I was laying. "You'll likely be sore for a few days. I apologize but I didn't introduce myself before the procedure. I'm Dr. Nevarez, I'll be the one in charge of your case. You'll have to see me twice a month until your mutation settles and beyond that, we can do minimal to no meetings beyond that which we decide on a case by case basis. A place to live and food will be provided for you and job opportunities are voluntary. If you wish to buy things or have a social life down here, you will need a job. If you plan is to conspire to escape, nobody will stop you because nobody knows how to get out of here. Attacking Visia employees for information won't get you anywhere because we're all in the same boat. Where you woke up is not an entrance to anything but the jails and prisons which I would advise against. Personally, I'm giving you details because there's been too many runners coming here and finding out the hard way."

    I just responded with silence as Dr. Nevarez continued. She walked towards a shelf with a bunch of boxes on it and grabbed a small one. She brought it over and sat it on the table next to me, "this is your watch from Visia. The only tech you will really need down here. Down in the underground you'll get weekly shipments of food and commodities for your apartment. Everything you need is free, everything you want is another s********e stay in and go stir crazy watching tv all day, some get jobs and find social lives. This watch is like a giant media platform on your wrist that holographically projects a screen roughly the size of a phone that you can interact with by touch or voice. There's gadgets and tools to privatize use of your watch too but I'll leave that for you to figure out. Everyone in the underground has one including the inmates even at the highest security levels of prison. When we do our sessions with you we cover all the bases be it therapy, medical, spiritual, or mutation based. Visia employees are trained in all those fields to be of use to their clients.". As I listened to Dr. Nevarez, I started putting my watch on and the Visia logo showed up projecting on a small controlled projection levitating above my watch. "I will be booking our first appointment a couple months out so you can get settled into things and get used to life down here. She set the appointment on her watch and it appeared on mine. "just walk through those doors and your watch will lead you out" she ushered me to the doors. 

    Through the doors was a long hall leading to a large atrium full of people and I couldn't help but look around in wonder. My watch opened up with a buzz and said "commencing setup. Hello James. Would you like to customize name and voice settings?", "sure" i responded. I set the watch to a female voice and named her Astrid. For some reason, I felt significantly more comfortable hearing a female's voice than a male's. Through the front doors, I could almost swear that I was actually outside. The sun was shining in my face and I could feel a breeze of wind. Looking up, I could see a sky full of clouds. Everything looked way to real and way too large to be an indoor facility underground. Astrid was finally programmed into my watch and went right to work on explaining how the sun and the wind were all technology based simulations. It baffled me but Astrid started guiding me to a train station. I could see an elevated railway that stretched beyond what the eye could see. Walking up the stairs to the station, Astrid explained to me that the only mode of transport in the underground is this single train. Most people develop mutations that supersede the need for the train. Some could fly, some could run really fast, some could leap long distances and handle falling well, some just had infinite levels of stamina and could run at a full sprint almost endlessly. 

    The train ride was long and full of people. Most of them were on their watches just staring and scrolling. some people had earbuds and metal sticking out of their head. Some had glasses and looked ridiculous because it was like they were talking to themselves. After a few stops, Astrid said "this is us", and I got off the train to see an apartment complex full of large buildings. My apartment was surprisingly only on the third floor on the first building I saw. When I arrived at my apartment, I was genuinely surprised at how nice it was. How could a free apartment, given to me by this corporate government, be nicer than an apartment that I worked my ass off for in the outside world? The fridge was full of food and all the rooms were fully furnished. Astrid said I would have enough varieties of food to cook whatever I desired but if I wanted to eat out, I would have to get a job. I sat on the couch and looked over my body for any post operation marks but I couldn't see anything. This whole ordeal had turned out to be a really pleasant surprise to me. Bittersweet in its own way with pitfalls I'm sure but at face value, this was a pretty sweet deal. 

    Astrid also explained to me that mutations vary in their manifestation. Nobody has gotten results in the same day but it can happen anywhere between a span of a couple days to a whole month but it also depends on how the mutation works and whether or not it's an easy one to discover. She also explained that Visia offers emergency checkups for mutation related injury. They have body augments and special tech to help people overcome physical strains of their powers or if they prefer more organic methods, there is also physical conditioning to mutations. Between Astrid explaining the underground and the fatigue from the operation, I felt exhausted. Looking through the blinds, I could see the hypothetical sun setting so I thought it would just be a good idea to get some rest in my nice new bed. Without even bothering to undress or get under the sheets, I fell onto the bed and passed out almost instantly. 

    Fake sunlight illuminated the room in the morning. Blinds were left open because I didn't think about much more than sleep last night. Rolling over, I contemplated what I would do today. Maybe breakfast would be a good start. "Good morning James" Astrid greeted. There was no real urge to respond within me so I just kept walking towards the kitchen without a word. The fridge was full of options and a bittersweet feeling filled me as I looked inside. How could such a perfect life come at such a steep price? This was the philosophical point of freedom vs. security. An infinite battle in constant flux. I cooked a huge breakfast and left my condo after. The sky looked so real and the illusion factor of it all was still appalling to me. "If you're looking for something to do, I can direct you to the market." Astrid suggested. "Sure" I shrugged. It was best to stay short with Astrid Honestly, who would trust and A.I. designed to invade your privacy to make your life more convenient? The projection guided me to the train station. Waiting for the train, I could see a plethora of people zoned out into their watches. Seems like the more technology advances, the more that people try to escape their own realities. Who could really blame them though. They all had dreams and now it's all limited by this societal cage that non of us chose. Second chance was nothing more than a joke here in all actuality. What could I do but make the most of a shitty situation?

    The train arrived and this was where the sights got really strange for me. Some people vanished out of thin air, some sped onto the train, some walked through the walls, and others just walked in normally with their faces buried in their watches. On the train, I sat next to a man who's skin was made purely of a metal of some sort. Nobody initiated conversations on the train because everyone was digitally numbing themselves. This brought a tightness in my chest that ached for these people and the emptiness they must feel. The train stopped, "This is us" Astrid whispered. I got up and some people gave me an odd look. "not many people use voice features anymore" Astrid said with a strange degree of sadness to her voice. 

    We arrived at the market and it just looked like an outdoor mall. The stores were very strange. There was the typical clothing stores, novelty shops, and food places but there was a great deal of Visia appliance stores. Out of curiosity, I walked inside of one. In neon projected letters on the wall, the first thing that caught my eye said "Digital Splicing". There were isles of holograms as I walked down the halls of metal and wire that I couldn't really figure out what they did until an ad caught my eye at the end of the isle. Words that said "Put your watch in your head, Say goodbye to voice and projections.". I was mortified by what I had read. "you're new here I take it?" a man in a well tailored black suit and slicked back hair with various metal plates sticking out of his skin on his face, spoke. 

    I didn't have any words for what I was looking at "your first concern is likely privacy. Nobody sees but Visia but they don't really do anything. People rebel all the time, it's when you start killing people that the enforcers take action. Not even before either." the man had an unsettling grin on his face, "existence down here gets pretty perilous. Sooner you can accept this, the better. he walked away realizing that the sale was a lost cause. Leaving the store was my first instinct so I went to a pizza parlor across the walkway from where I was at. I walked through the doors and too a seat. The second I sat, A woman sped over to my table at a speed I couldn't comprehend, "How can I take your order?" she smiled. "Just a water. I don't have any money." I put my head down on the table, looking out to that store that I just came from in disgust. A water was instantly placed in front of me, "Let me know if you need anything else" she sped off as I looked up. It was a quandary in and of itself how she didn't spill the water as she was speeding around like that. Emptiness filled my mind as I stared into the glass of water just at a loss for words with everything I just saw. "Digital splicing and augmentation have both been on the rise. Some desire that convenience at the cost of their freedom and even their own sanity at times." Astrid whispered, "Might as well serve my ass on a platter to these people" I muttered as a pizza flashed in front of me. "On me." the woman smiled as she sat across from me, "as long as you don't mind sharing a couple slices with me that is." she gave a wink as she spoke.  A perplexed look coated my face and I must've been easy to read because she retorted it "What?", she paused, "I saw you freak out across the way and I figured you're a new comer. I don't really blame you. Things are very different down here from the world you know." She went to grab a slice from the pan and stopped, "oh s**t!" she sprinted back to the kitchen and was back in the seat within seconds. It didn't even seem like she went anywhere. 

    Plates were in front of us and she put a couple pieces on a plate and took a bite of hers. "Why are you doing this?"  I asked her. "I honestly can't help but come to the aid of someone in need." she smiled. We both ate in silence for a moment until she broke the silence, "I'm Jasper by the way. What's your name?". "James" I was still short not knowing what to say as I took a bite of a piece of pizza. Social skills have always been a pitfall for me and every time an extrovert tried to reach me, I felt guilty for not knowing what to say. How could I change this? I contemplated to myself and let my thoughts slip into words, "I'm sorry I have these walls. I just never know what to say to anyone.". She smiled at the information "well, I can play hooky for a bit and show you around since you're new.". I was surprised by this and also mildly skeptical. Why would a beautiful woman like her ask a complete stranger to accompany them? Obvious difference between this and the real world is that she was far from vulnerable and she could afford to be naïve to people she didn't know. So that brought my mind to the big question: Could I trust her? I just shrugged that off and decided I would go through with it. My thought process was pretty simple: I'm f****d anyways being in this cage. How bad can it really be? Not like I really have anything to offer anyone. Everything is free. "I have a question that's been picking at me" I let it slip. "Shoot" she winked. "How did none of this Visia tech make it up to the actual world?" I asked. "Honestly, most of the technology that Visia has developed is completely based off of and maintained by mutations. Technomancers can't really explain the engineering behind our tech to an engineer and Visia is also trying to keep everything under wraps. Every bit of tech down here is only proof of everything that Visia is trying to hide. 

    Looking down at the pan that the pizza was on, there was nothing left. We both decided to head out so she could show me around. As we waited for the train at the station, I asked her about her powers. She told me that she was born into the underground and that her mom worked for Visia for a while until she died. She was a healer that had the capabilities of seeing into the body and looking at all of it's components. She had used this mutation along with medical knowledge to perform miracles for people down here. She also said that she didn't really have much knowledge about the outside world other than what her parents told her. She said that her dad was permitted by Visia to open the pizza shop after her mom died. She also clarified that with her mom's connection to Visia and with protocols of anyone born in the underground, Jasper was technically a Visia employee. They nominated her to help assigned newcomers get settled. I asked her if I was assigned to her and she said that this wasn't the case. She saw me and wanted to help out of her own free will. Whether I bought that answer or not was not up for mental debate at that moment. 

    We got on the train and everyone was just staring at holograms on their watches or just seemed to be looking off into space like they were just in some sort of augmented reality. "One huge norm down here is a lot of people try to avoid being out past 8." She left it at that. As I looked around a lot of people around us looked up at what she said as if it was something taboo to be talking about. It was just best to avoid asking about that while so many people were around listening. Regardless of how preoccupied that everyone seemed, It was just safer that way in a place I wasn't familiar with. I struggled with social dynamics in the world I was familiar with and just felt like I shouldn't test any bounds here. 

    The train ride was silent and awkward from the moment that Jasper said that until the train hit our stop and she said "this is us.". We got off at the station and from the station there was a beautiful view of a massive park with a water fountain at the center. From the water fountain sprouted various walk ways that seemed go out from the fountain itself as if that was the central part of the park. Through the park were various trees that looked to be very well maintained as well as the rest of the landscape. There wasn't a single leaf on the floor and that was a wonder in and of itself. I noted to myself that the underground was a sustainable place for plant life which required sunlight, carbon dioxide, and water. All things that would be significantly less in most underground environments. This thought process was interrupted when I saw a woman controlling the growth of one of the trees. If a woman could control the health of a tree to make it grow like that, then that left only speculation about where the underground really was geographically or topographically. "It's really different down here" I said as I looked around at all the significant oddities around me. "Hard for me to really pick out what's unusual to new people even despite me giving as many tours as I have." Jasper chuckled to herself a bit. "do you ever wonder what life is like outside of these walls?" I asked. We started walking down towards the park. 

    "The underground has always been my home. I feel like the regular world would persecute the s**t out of anyone with a mutation. Hell they can't even handle people with different skin color. What makes you think they would handle people like us any differently?" Jasper seemed to take a more serious and passionate tone. "I would say it's easy to take that stance when the only thing you've perceived from my world is the media and the opinions of various people here and there." I just let myself trail off. "What's that supposed to mean?" She seemed angry. "honestly. too many people up there live so much of their lives behind a screen that they don't really look up at the world that they actually live in. A screen that is just designed to piss them off and beg for more. People that buy that s**t are all just sheep." I ranted. "If you're here than you must've bought it." Jasper argued. "regrettably, yes." I let out a sigh, "I have a lot of regret with that. Just spending long nights looking at my phone screen just hoping it had answers. I had the whole world out there and I chose to be ruled by a screen and a tiny apartment. A job and school that only caused me to make excuses for why I never took a break. I worked my whole life away being angry with a world I never took the time to see. Now I live in a cage designed like my apartment but bigger." I sank my head in defeat. "The underground isn't a cage. You did have the whole world up there but it doesn't mean that there isn't a better one down here. Up there, people are dying meaningless deaths every day. They could've lived long lives if they had the opportunities and resources that we have down here. I like to think of the underground as a place that brings better things to people's lives." Jasper debated. 

    We reached the grass and stopped for a moment. "at what price though? people down here are provided for well and I will agree to that but when it comes down to who's providing everything. It only works down here and even down here It comes at the price of people losing everything they truly love. A lot of the people down here had families and whole lives that they led that they were taken from. They all claim that we were all degenerates or introverts to the world around us but everyone had their whole lives before them and none of them were given a choice." I could feel the anguish in my voice. "Some people just can't handle those choices anyways and those choices have to be made for them." she said coldly. "and who has the right to make those choices. who? then they sit there and play themselves off as saints as if they didn't just kidnap millions if not billions of people and experiment on them?" I snapped at Jasper. "nobody expects you to be okay with this. But whether you like it or not, this is the hand that life has dealt you. You could either get over yourself and your shut-in based conspiracy theories and antigovernmental propaganda or you can follow that mentality and wind up just like everyone else who tried to rise up against Visia. Do you really think you're any different? You don't have any power here. I'll be damned if someone I met and have come to care about in such a short time wound up killed by enforcers or thrown into the other levels of the underground." Jasper raised her voice and some people looked over in discomfort and started walking away. "you don't even know me enough to care" I said as I walked away back to the train station. I didn't need to turn back to know that she wasn't following me. After a while of sitting at the train station, I thought she would appear to take the train home herself but I didn't see her. She must've just ran home. Must be nice to have such a convenient power. 

    As I waited for the train, regret sank in. Mostly regret for ruining a relationship with the only person to even try to reach out to me in this whole place. Sitting there, I tried to think of her side of things. It was so unfamiliar to me for anyone to be pro government. Even the people I disagreed with on the most fundamental levels were anti-government. "This is why we don't talk politics" I groaned to myself. The train approached shortly after than and I boarded. It was a long ride home as I stared out into the scene of the cage I lived in. Reality of political arguments is that nobody won. No single person had the power to implement what they really believed in how the world should be. At the end of the day it was just 2 people choosing to fight over something that neither of them have any control over. Creating this massive divide between people who could've easily been friends. There were so many friendships I saw in my life where people just lived and got along. Life was never about how things should be, but rather, how things were. Maybe that was a part of Jasper's point. She was harsh in parts but she was also very emotional and let irrational things slip out. That's just how we are as humans when we get emotional. For now, I would let things cool off because I'm sure she felt just as much regret as me. 

    The clock struck 8 as I walked through my door and Astrid even noted "cutting it a little close aren't we?", "give me a break. I just found out a few hours ago." I groaned. My mind was only on one thing from the second I walked through the door. The bed embraced me as I fell into it and sleep came almost instantly.