30-779 stood in Null's office with his hands behind his back and head bowed. His cheeks glowed from the embarrassment of being a grown man scolded like a naughty child.
"So explain CLEARLY why you felt it was under YOUR AUTHORITY to bend the rules?" Null stared him down with a deadpanned glare.
30-779 cleared his throat. "I apologize Your Honor, I did not mean to disobey you." He rubbed the back of his neck as Null's hackles rose, yet his glare stayed sharp; dangerous.
"I just thought... if I could... y'know..." 30-779 shrugged his shoulders, lifting his arms slightly towards Creator #0-0097 with palms stretched out. As if gesturing that the creator deity KNEW why his idiotic plan came to be.
0-0097 stared at Thirty- Seven-seven-nine as if he had performed some sort of lame card trick. Entirely unimpressed. "No," Null began with a soft, mocking tone. "I do not know? Would you like to share with the class?"
30-779 flushed even more, barely making an audible peep - but whatever he said was quiet enough that any formation of words just sounded like jibberish.
"Come again?" 0-0097 leaned across his desk, making 30-779 flinch slightly, voice stammering: "I said, I- I wanted to impress you, Your Honor!" Null's expression went blank, disbelieving. But it was PARTIALLY true!
Thirty- Seven-seven-nine wanted to impress Zero Zero-zero-nine-seven enough to get that sweet, sweet promotion! The one that he was (currently) a little too inexperienced for.
Creator #0-0097 seemingly saw through Cadet #30-779's ulterior motives. "Thin. Ice, Cadet." He sighed, exhaustion haunting his usually perfect form. Dark gray eyes looked back up at Cadet #30-779. "I have a plan to fix it." He told his downtrodden employee (of sorts).
30-779 perked up.
"But you will have to follow my orders to a T. And I will be keeping a close eye on everything you do." 30-779 nodded enthusiastically.
"Yes, Your Honor! I appreciate this second chance!" He bowed, about to take a leave back to his desk for what would be a bunch of paperwork and lab work as well.
"Wait!" Null lifted his hand up. "Not quite yet. I am not done here." 30-779 grimaced. What more could there be?
"I will be sending you into the world you messed up most first, in PERSON, mind you," he continued, "And you will need a fake identity to fit in with the people of Swamp Realm - as well as a customized scythe to take back the souls you MERGED." 30-779's eyes widened. "But Your Honor, I have never been trained for field work, nor do I have the clearance for reaper jobs!"
0-0097 leaned back in his chair. "Which is why we will keep this underwraps, for now."
Cadet #30-779 couldn't believe what he was hearing. Was... was his perfect boss DEFYING authority? Did he take that page out of the Cadet's rulebook?
"You... are you really Creator #0-0097?" He accused, body slumped witb reluctant defiance.
"Enough chit-chat." 0-0097 brushed him off. "If you can fix this mess without anyone realizing anything happened at all, I'll promote you." And there it was. The words they BOTH knew Thirty Seven-seven-nine wanted to hear.
"Promote me? To where?"
Null grinned, predatory fangs glinting white. "Why of course," he lead. "To my very own small faction of reapers I am forming here." He pointed down to the floor.
"You interested?"
Cadet #30-779's eyes glittered with excitement. "You mean—?" Null's grin grew. "Indeed. You can be promoted from Cadet to Reaper. Including a new Title to go by."
A Title... like Creator's Title name Null. One of 30-779's own. An identity he alone could have, so that he was not longer just a number!
At this rate, he didn't care if he wash being deceived. This was hope enough for him to do a damn spectacular job!
"Yes, Your Honor. I won't disappoint!" He stood tall and proud. And for a moment, his confidence broke the creepy grin on Null's face, revealing something... alien that not many people have seen. A genuine smile.
"I won't doubt that." He held out his hand for the deal. "First thing tomorrow morning?"
Cadet #30-779 took his hand and shook it vigorously. "Bright and early!"
And just as he promised, Cadet #30-779 was in the office first thing in the morning. He walked over to the Systematic Punch-In Machine (SPIM) and hovered his hand over the sensor, prompting the login process.
SPIM spoke: "State your YEAR of CREATION." And he rolled his eyes. "SPIM, you annoying automated shuttle-fuck, you know who I am. Stop acting like this." He scowled. SPIM loaded with ellipses, registering the Cadet's voice.
"Please mind your language in a professional setting." SPIM warned. "Cadet #30-779. They boss has requested your attendance at once. Have an awful day." Cadet #30-779 stuck is tongue out at the ai support screen. He hated that it had a mind of its own.
He walked into his boss' office, knocking on the open door. "Your Honor, I'm here!" Null looked up at him, face void of emotion - pale white like a corpse. 30-779 cringed internally: 'did something die in his bed last night?' He wondered.
'Why does he look even more pissy than before?' But he held back any crude words he may have had. After all, what business did he have with the boss beyond them both being assigned to this dump?
"I have created an alias for you." Null spoke, rubbing his eyes tiredly. "Mr. Greene. The swamp keeper, and the protector of the swamp monster that many humans misjudged." Cadet #30-779 cocked his head to the side. "No character like that existed in that realm." He decidedly mentioned.
"Indeed." Creator #0-0097 agreed. "Because I created this character as a sort of wall to stop people from attempting to kill the body before we can sort all of the souls out."
The fact that 0-0097 said that all in one breath, without sounding like he had even run out of air, had amazed 30-779.
"So...." The Cadet held his hands behind his back. Standing up straighter, more attentively paying mind. "This means since this is my identity now, that the swamp puppy will trust me, right?" He grinned, bravely - if not foolishly, staring into dark gray pools. Null sighed, reaching up to tug at his own auburn lockes.
"Not exactly... you see, your little screw up made it so I could not WEAVE you into their memories." 30-779 pouted, slightly annoyed things wouldn't go so easily in his favor. "So the three souls inhabiting the body won't recognize you as someone from THEIR worlds. They have blended far too much for me to scamble their memories."
30-779 was feeling slightly anxious. "Then, what am I supposed to do!?" He wanted to walk over, and grab his boss by his suit and tie, then shake him up a bit.
"Calm down." 0-0097 placed both palms up in surrender. As if he knew what this Cadet wanted to do.
"That's why I am here to help." He grinned. Sedatiously. "I told you I'd be watching and guiding, didn't I?"
Suddenly, Cadet #30-779 didn't feel like agreeing to be the puppet to a man known for his terrible personality was a good idea.
"OH, and by the way..." he summoned a small, thin, double ended scythe to 30-779. The most awkward looking thing, made out of bone and dense plasma, with one end of the scythe being longer and more curled and the other being about the length of a comb.
"There's your spirit weapon. Treat it well !" Null waved ''Ta-da'' mockingly, making 30-779's heart sink to the pit of his stomach. But there was no time to protest as he was quickly blipped away.
Too late to regret now!