Cassandre Alistair trenched up the stairs to his apartment, closing his rain-drenched umbrella which had done little to protect him the from the freezing rain pouring from the sky. Droplets of water fell from his hair which was sticking to his face, and his clothes were soaking wet. He ignored the wetness and began fishing his keys out of his pockets once he got to his apartment door. He had just returned from the Facility, one of the schooling areas in the city. Facilities were assigned to every sector, where the Gov mercilessly observed them.
Darren was tired both physically and mentally. Overall he was just tired of running, he needed to rest, somewhere to take a break, but where? The rain poured down on him as he walked the streets where tall buildings hovered above. He put his hood up and his head down so no one would notice him.
He cursed under his breath when he realized he must've dropped his keys and immediately bit down on his tongue, remembering the strict rules against cursing. He kept himself from cursing again from the pain and began jogging downstairs, recounting his steps as he tried to find his keys. He eventually ended up outside, studying the sidewalk when he bumped into a hooded figure.
Darren stumbled back, keeping his head down and his face out of sight, "Sorry," his words were quiet.
"What…?" Alistair mumbled, looking up at the stranger. "Did you say something?"
He picked his head up instinctually and met the stranger's eyes, "I said I'm, uhh, sorry," Darren's eyes darted down to his feet.
"Oh." He paused for a second and considered asking, for what? but didn't say anything. He could feel his barcode burning on his arm. And then he blurted out, "Can I see your barcode?" Of course, it was rude to ask for someone's barcode. It gave away your name, your birthdate, your deathdate, your age and it was regularly updated due to a chip placed in your arm at birth. Getting the chip out required surgery, and it was no secret the Gov also used the barcode chips to track civilians.
Darren swallowed hard, suddenly nervous and it showed, "Uhh, why do you need to see it?" He took a step back. Stay calm.
Alistair documented everything Darren had done in the seconds it had occurred and thought about it. Something's not right here… "I need to see it, to check if you live in this building," he lied expertly, speaking casually to hopefully emphasize the trustworthiness in his voice.
Darren shook his head, "I don't, uhh, live here," He looked around at the buildings for an escape, anything to get him out of this. If he didn't act soon this guy was going to force his sleeve up.
"Okay, do you live in this sector?" he continued, taking a slow step forward. "If not, I'm going to have to report you. You're only allowed to be out of your sector for work. So, please let me see your barcode."
He put out his arm slowly, cautiously, "See for yourself I guess," Darren had been running forever, he could do it again.
Alistair watched Darren carefully, staring him in the eyes as he grabbed Darren's arm and rolled his sleeve up to look at the barcode. He quickly glanced down to search for it but didn't see anything. Surprised he froze, widening his eyes before realizing something. "You don't—" he started.
"Yes I know, Shhh," He pulled his arm back and pushed his sleeve down. "Please don't report me… I know their secrets," his voice was hushed.
"Secrets?" he said aloud, his eyes sparkling with curiosity. Also strictly against the law. He thought about it for a few seconds before deciding on something. "Help me find my keys."
"Your what? Okay," Darren was confused but he didn't have much of a choice anymore.
"You heard me, help me find my keys," he reiterated. "Or do you plan on staying outside in the rain for the rest of the night?"
Darren shook his head, "No I don't, I'll help!"
"Good." He looked up at Darren again, hardening his eyes as a warning and then began walking about as normal in case any Monitors were nearby, to make it seem as if nothing had happened. "Come on."
Darren trotted along behind him in search for anything that could even remotely be keys. He stopped and picked up a ring holding… keys. "These yours?"
Alistair glanced over his shoulder and nodded. "Yeah, those are mine, throw me them, will you?"
He tossed the keys, "So, uhh, now what?"
He caught them with ease and nodded towards the building. "Let's get inside before we catch the attention of any Monitors," he said, walking towards the building. "And keep your hood up in the building or else the cameras will pick you up."
He nodded, "Of course," Darren followed with a rock in his stomach… People knowing his secret was dangerous.
Alistair swiftly entered the building, letting the security system scan his barcode before ushering Darren in and following. He quickly made his way up the steps and unlocked his door, gesturing for Darren to get inside.
