Chapter Text
Friday. 7PM. The hustle and bustle of the 9-5 grind was just beginning to end and the laughs and shouts down the streets were signifying the beginning of the computers' very active nightlife. Building C of the program apartments stood tall and proud among the darkening skyline, blinking streetlights illuminating the groups of 4 or 5 at a time making their way past the small patches of grass and trees out of the building and down into the rest of the city. One figure's movements went against the rest, however, striding down the street in smart black pants, a shirt just a bit too small for him, and a loosened tie that now waved lazily in the occasional breeze. He hiked a brown backpack over his shoulders, stuffed full of materials for a hectic office day. His face was slightly coarse with cuts and scars and his heavy, purposeful stride carried him well for the last couple of steps to a small, rickety bench just outside the entrance to the Program Apartments. A sigh escaped him as he swung the backpack around his body to lay it next to him and picked off the shiny nametag across his chest, Daniel Cunning glinting in contoured lettering in the falling sunlight.
With a deftness that implied a habit long since solidified, he brought a short cigarette to his lips and held it in his teeth as he clicked a low flame from a rusty zippo to its tip. Inhaling a long and deep drag, Daniel leaned back and allowed the pleasure of the nicotine and a hard day of work being done to wash over him. He felt the humid breeze blow past his buzzed head and carry a few granules of the ash away with it. It was a quiet, peaceful moment. A moment well fit for relaxation, reflection and-
Oh shit it's raining.
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8 PM. The night was quiet, most of the party life was still contained within clubs and bars, gaining new entrants and new muffled noise every couple of minutes. Daniel leaned on one of the railings overlooking the city on the middle floor of the building, the now quite heavy rain thankfully being blocked by the 3 or so floors atop him. His apartment door remained cracked open as he finished off another cigarette, put it out on the railing, and dropped it in the empty bin next to him. Daniel trotted back inside, shutting the door behind him and surveying his humble little living space. A smaller apartment, though not the smallest in the building, liberally furnished but neat and orderly in its configuration. A small kitchen and dining area to his left adorned with a great wooden table older than himself, a carpeted living area to his right with a black leather couch and the standard issue TV, and a corridor before him that led to the small bathroom and two bedrooms. He only ever used the first one, but kept the other clean and furnished anyway. Inspecting his home, he mentally ticked off the tasks he had done and racked his head for any other responsibilities he could be missing. To his satisfaction, nothing came up.
Feeling much too tired to do much else, he brushed his teeth and did a round of the apartment to check the locks on his door and windows. He left one of the windows in the kitchen just slightly open, closing his eyes and appreciating the soothing, muted noise the torrential downpour turned into as he climbed into his single bed. He looked forward to a quiet weekend of a few chores and some time to himself but left most of the thinking to his morning self as he allowed his eyelids to shut and his tired body to relax and shut down. A few deep breaths later, Daniel was peacefully asleep...
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THUD
Daniel's body jolted up and his eyes were immediately locked on his bedroom door. He spared a glance at the clock on his nightstand. 3 AM. Silence crept its way through the apartment, Daniel staying perfectly still to listen for any further disturbances. A gentle, quiet shuffling hesitantly began emitting from his kitchen area, sounds of cupboards and drawers following soon after. Daniel reached under the nightstand next to his bed as quietly as he could, pulling out a small black case. He clicked it open, the metal of a small, stubby revolver sparkling in the moonlight pouring through his bedroom window. He slipped bullets into each of the four cylinders and waited to click the hammer, he knew that the intimidating click of the gun made an effective bargaining chip when convincing an intruder to leave. He crept down the hallway towards the corner just before his kitchen, noting the light he had most definitely turned off now illuminating a dark cloaked figure rooting through his pantry and shoving things into a large plastic bag.
He steeled himself, taking a quiet breath and swinging around the corner, announcing his presence with the priming of his revolver.
"Hands now, or I blow your bloody head off." He ordered, voice still deep from sleep. The figure froze. Pale, thin hands raised into the air.
"Drop the bag and turn around, slowly." The figure hesitantly let the bag fall to the floor. Daniel noted their decrepit boots and the large patches of sewn-on material on her sodden cloak as they slowly pivoted around and brought the hood from their head. Long, scraggy, dirty-blonde hair fell below shoulder level, a spotted face with sunken cheeks and tired eyes anxiously glanced around the room, not daring to make eye contact. A hoarse, weak voice spoke, "I'm sorry...I'm just hungry. I'll leave just d-don't shoot you fucking maniac." Daniel's grip upon his revolver faltered slightly. She had to be no older than 16. The way she held herself, the stern brow and sharp exterior, her sunken features and skinny frame, she reminded him of...
He lowered the revolver to his side, much to the quiet surprise of the intruder. He glanced over at the window that the girl had obviously made her way in through, much wider than he had left it. He closed the window, closed his eyes, and took a deep breath. He placed the revolver on the counter. He gestured towards the large wooden table.
"Sit down."
"W-what?"
"You said you were hungry?"