Ch.2: TITAN System Transaction Complete

As you could have guessed, I didn't clean the house yesterday, nor did I find Mylo. But today is a new day. I haven't found Mylo yet, but I did clean the house and take out the trash.

With two large, black garbage bags full of trash in hand, I walked towards the door. Since both of my hands were full, I did what many people would do - I used my foot to turn the door handle open.

The trash bin was only a few steps away from our front door, so I didn't bother putting on my slippers and instead walked on my socks.

"Twarp!"

I tossed the bags into the bin and turned around to head back inside, only to find Maisie standing there, mouth agape, staring at me in disbelief. Yes, the neighbor.

I didn't have anything to say to Maisie, since she'd probably heard Mom's shouting earlier.

I looked up at her and saw that she was staring blankly at my body.

Don't get me wrong - I don't have a ripped, muscular physique.

I followed Maisie's gaze to the area she was staring at, and my eyes landed on my shorts, which, in its current state, weren't doing a great job of concealing my...well, you get the idea.

I had gone outside wearing my shorts, thinking I'd just be out for a few minutes and come right back inside. I had no idea that Maisie would be out at the same time, or that she would see me in my current state of, well… undress, hah! It was a simple errand, in and out. No big deal. Or so I thought.

I cleared my throat and said, "Um, hey." It came out a bit more curtly than I'd intended. "Please don't think too much about what you saw."

There, I'd given her a stern warning. I felt a bit guilty for being so blunt, but I figured it was better than letting her imagination run wild.

I walked back into the house, feeling a mixture of relief and guilt. I had been rude to Maisie, but I felt it was necessary to set the record straight.

As I sat down at my desk, my laptop lit up, indicating that I had a new message. I scooted closer to the screen and clicked on the notification.

A notification popped up on my screen.

[LordLackney sent you a message].

Ah, that was my longtime friend Lackney. We'd known each other for years, ever since we were in middle school.

I tapped the notification and read the message aloud. "Have you applied for the gaming job yet?" Lackney's message read.

Bruh! I thought he wasn't interested.

Weeks back, I had been looking for a gaming job online to play the game 'TITAN', and in a fit of silliness, I had even sent a few messages to the online account of the makers of TITAN game, asking for a job there.

Of course, I never got a reply. I knew it was just a fantasy, but it was fun to dream about.

A few weeks back as well, I had seen a TITAN notification on my laptop. I saved it without reading the details, telling myself I would look at it later. But I never did. Instead, I'd been waiting for the right moment to open it, a moment that never seemed to come.

Tap! Tap-Tap! Tap!

I typed a quick response to Lackney. "Not yet. Why do you ask?" I hit send and waited for his reply.

As soon as I hit send, a notification popped up.

[FreakyFreddy sent out a message].

That was the nickname Lackney had given me years ago, and it had stuck. He teased me about being weird and quirky, but I knew he meant it in the best possible way.

Pop!

Another notification from Lackney popped up. "Let's apply together, right now. 10...9...8...7..."

His message trailed off in typical Lackney fashion. He loved to joke around, even when it came to serious things like job applications.

Well, I knew I couldn't keep the notification about the TITAN job stuff to myself when I first saw it, so I shared it with Lackney.

He usually doubted everything, so I was surprised that he seemed interested in applying for the job now. I wondered what had changed his mind.

I sent Lackney a message in response. "Let's do it later."

After a few minutes, I still hadn't received a reply from him. "Dang it!" I thought. "Don't tell me he's already applied for the job without me!"

I waited for Lackney's response, but minutes went by and nothing came. I sent another message: "What's with the radio silence?"

But even after ten minutes, there was still no reply, and I could see that he was still online.

Meow!

I heard Mylo meowing, and when I turned around, there he was, staring at me with those big, beady eyes. I rolled my eyes and muttered, "Get lost!"

But then I remembered that he had been missing for two days and I probably shouldn't tell him to leave again.

"Mylo!" I called, looking down at the spot where he had been standing, but he was gone. "Of course he left," I muttered. "Tch! He's such an obedient cat." I was only half-joking, rolling my eyes.

Mylo was notoriously independent and liked to do things on his own schedule.

Pop!

Another notification popped up on my screen, and I assumed it was from Lackney. I turned my attention back to my computer, but it wasn't from Lackney - it was from the TITAN SYSTEM! Oh, right - the job I'd applied for.

I tapped on the notification, curious to see what it said. I was eager to find out more about the job, even though I wasn't sure if I really wanted to do it. Maybe it would be something interesting and exciting!

As soon as I tapped on the notification, it started loading. "Ugh, loading screens," I grumbled. "Why does it have to load just for a job site? It's so stupid!"

I got up from my chair, feeling frustrated and hungry. My stomach growled, singing the 'stomach anthem'.

As I walked into the kitchen, I suddenly realized I'd forgotten to heat up the food Mom had made the day before. And, to make matters worse, I'd left it out on the counter overnight. "Damn it!" I cursed under my breath. "How could I make such a careless mistake?"

I changed course and headed for the refrigerator instead. I grabbed a bottle of milk and returned to the living room. "Oh, well. Let's forget about the food Mom made," I muttered. "I'll just order takeout."

Mylo again!

I turned a corner and found Mylo again - this time, he was sitting on my favorite cushion in the living room! "Mylo!" I yelled, stomping over to the cat who had once again overstepped his boundaries.

"How many times have I told you, Mylo, to stay off my cushion?" I said, picking him up by the scruff of his neck.

I was about to toss him aside when a robotic voice interrupted my thoughts. It was coming from my laptop.

[Loading Complete].

I carried Mylo in one hand and the bottle of milk in the other as I rushed over to my laptop.

My eyes strained to read the small, pixelated text on the screen.

"What does this mean?" I mumbled to myself, straining to make out the tiny numbers on the screen. I leaned in even closer, but the words started to blur.

The screen went completely dark, as if someone had hit the off button. Just when I thought my laptop had shut down, it flickered to life again. The screen lit up, almost blinding me with its brightness.

"Ah! What the…." I couldn't finish my sentence when a wave of dizziness washed over me, and I collapsed onto the floor. My eyes fluttered closed, and I drifted off to sleep.

{AUTHOR'S POV}

Fred fell with a loud thud on the ground, Mylo on his chest as he slept off. An electronic voice then rang from the laptop:

[TITAN System Transaction Complete].