If I were given a choice to live this life over again, I would have chosen a different path. Then again, I never really had a choice.

These were my thoughts as I sprinted out of the alleyway, with a whole watermelon tucked under my arm.

I'd never attempted to steal from the hydroculture farms before, and I was already regretting it. Unfortunately, running with a watermelon in hand is a very strenuous endeavor. It was certainly more slippery than I'd expected. If the security bots chasing me didn't shoot me first, I'd remember to grab a different fruit next time.

There were two of them, three-foot-tall metallic grey bots on wheels equipped with an assault rifle. Who gives ASSAULT RIFLES to bots guarding a farm? They were only trying to taser me now, but security bots are usually programmed to start firing the real guns after the target had reached a certain distance from the place they were guarding.

The bots were sounding alarms and giving warnings. Every step I took worried me more, but there was no stopping now. Getting arrested would be just as bad as being shot down.

The hydroculture farm I was stealing was founded in a different country. Undoubtedly a country where gunning down watermelon thieves was allowed.

It was this sort of thought that encouraged me to run faster. I rounded a corner just when the bots started firing the real guns. This was getting out of hand.

I was only a block away from escape though. The crowded streets of Main Street would stop the bots from shooting, and I knew how to disappear in a crowd.

I might have made it, if not for the bald man walking outside the building I was running past. He stretched out his foot just in time to trip me. Luckily, I managed to keep the watermelon unscathed through my fall. Unluckily, I was now on the ground with bots shooting to kill close behind.

Sure enough, the bots rolled around the corner and began rolling towards me. They weren't shooting though, probably because of the bald man that was now standing over me.

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"When did beggars start stealing fruit?" The bald man said.

As a point of fact, I hadn't begged for anything. It was beneath me.

"When their usual spots go out of business," I answered matter of factly.

The bots rolled in next to the bald man.

"Your assistance is appreciated, sir. We will be taking this thief into custody now." One of the bots said.

The bald man kept looking at me.

"So you stole a whole watermelon, that's pretty gutsy." He said before turning to the bots.

"I'm sure your employers can overlook this incident. I'll provide any fees for the troubles caused."

I raised my eyebrows, this was certainly unexpected. What kind of ulterior motive did this man have?

"I'm sorry sir, but this incident can not be overlooked." The bot responded.

"Initiate code 33A2Y." The man said.

That surprised me even more. Override codes were passwords given to the elite so that they could give orders to bots like the ones in front of me. A handy tool used by the rich to get out of anything they want. Who is this guy?

"Please provide a retinal scan for confirmation of override code." The security bot said.

The man bent over to let the bot scan his eye. After a few seconds, the bots left, and now I was alone with the bald man.

The man soon grabbed me by my shirt and pulled me to my feet. Our eyes locked as he lifted me. His were dark brown and intently focused on me. Those were rare to see nowadays, brown colored eyes. Everyone was modifying their children's fetuses to have purple eyes with elf ears, or white hair.

He smiled slightly as he studied me, his mouth hidden behind a neatly trimmed brown beard. He looked to be in his forties and dressed in the fine clothes of the upper class, but based on how he easily lifted me, he was much stronger than your average rich guy.

"What's your name boy?"

"I don't have one, people just call me Silver, because of my hair."

I was referring to my silky silver hair, which was a rare hair color to be seen due to the difficult process of finding a silver hair gene to implant into a human fetus. My hair was quite the hot topic on the streets because no one understood why someone would waste money giving a kid silver hair but then abandon it.

My eyes added another layer to the puzzle, as pink eyes (my eyes are pink) were relatively easy to gain as they could naturally appear in a human. This is confusing because the rich despised the easy to gain eye colors and obtaining exotic eye colors was a way of showing off their riches.

This was why it was so confusing for the bald man with an override code to have normal brown eyes.

"Say then Silver, what would you think about a rare opportunity to win riches beyond imagination."

"I'm grateful for you paying off the bots and everything, but if you hadn't interfered I would've gotten away. So no, I don't want to become your servant."

Remember kids, when a rich man asks you to go away with them, they are definitely asking for you to become their s** slave. Just say no kids.

I started to walk away, hoping the man would drop it and leave me alone.

"It's not like that Silver, and plus, do you really think I can't just send someone to forcefully take you?"

He does have a point, someone with an override code probably had the means to capture me.

"I really don't have a choice do I?" I said with a sigh.

"No, you don't. Cheer up though boy, if you succeed, this opportunity will give you more money than you could ever ask for."

Yeah yeah, big words from a shady guy who picks up kids from the streets. I was already planning on how to escape from whatever "opportunity" he puts me in.

"Do I get to keep the watermelon?" I asked.

"Sure."