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Discs! Brethren! Pie! (Under construction) Paint It Green (Under construction) Legalese: Creative Commons 3.0 Noncommercial Sharealike, Attribution to Robots Everywhere,LLC This content is provided to you ad-free by Robots Everywhere, LLC |
YWYPrologue-- YOUTH WITHOUT YOUTH ARCHIVE--- 001- initialising -- xessivecleverness poked televisionary-- XC: we got a problem "Where are you going?" Vis shrugged his coat on and glanced over his shoulder at his mother. She wiped her hands off on her bright red apron and folded her arms. "Out," he said. "Real specific of you. " He tried not to sigh too loudly and kept his back to her as he zipped up. He was a good liar- he had to be, considering what he was involved in- but his mother was good at seeing through his lies. Her gaze was piercing as a hawk's. "Studying the Word," he said. "With some friends." "Which friends?" Vis tugged nervously at the dull green ribbon behind his ear. "Strive-For-Excellence, Accustom-Yourself-To-God's-Will, you know. Maybe more." "You mean the friends I don't like." His mother gave him her steadiest stare. He nodded, and let out a deep breath. " I don't know who else is coming. Didn't want to lie." "And you're going to be studying." He nodded, and stuck his hands in his coat pockets. His fingers closed around a one-mite coin. Its smooth edges rolled gently as he spun it. Her lips quirked to one side as she mulled it over. Vis bit his lip, mentally begging her to let him go. "...All right. Just be back before eight, all right?" "What's at eight?" he blurted out. "Your dad's birthday? I'm gonna need your help to get dinner ready." What dinner? Vis thought, but did not say. The most complicated thing they could have would be salad with some flatbread, neither of which were that difficult to make. But mouthing off would get him nowhere. "And I'll give it." He smiled. "I just- really don't wanna be late. We're doing Revelation." She smiled back. "Have fun, then. Don't do anything I wouldn't do." It was an old joke between them. Vis grinned nervously. He picked up his backpack. It rattled a little as he shouldered it. "Love you too, Mom." He hurried out to his bike, unchained it from the fence, and pedaled away.
The dorm had once been a Catholic school, before the Appearing, and was connected to a church. Statues glared balefully from its sides and the portico above the heavy wooden doors. Vis always felt like they were watching him, just waiting for him to fuck up. A crudely made sign on the browned lawn proclaimed that this was the Orphans of the Tribulation Ministry. X stood just behind it. His shaved head shone like a coppery doorknob in the light of the eternal sun. His dark sunglasses wrapped around his head, and his long black coat floated a little in the slight breeze. Vis had never seen him without either; X claimed they made him look cool. X waved a little, motioning him over. "Yo, Vis." "Yo." He hurried to meet him. "What's the situation?" "Cuss can explain it better than I can." X frowned. "But long story short- someone lost the Packet." "Fuck." Vis felt his nails dig into his palm. He took a deep, shaky breath. "We sure that's what happened?" "Positive. Like I said, I don't know all the details, but... if something goes wrong, and the salties get their hands on it, we're fucked sideways." "Yeah, that's the understatement of the Millenium." X nodded, and pushed his sunglasses back into place. Vis sighed. "We're gonna have a hell of a time getting it back, aren't we?" |