[february 18, 1955]

once y/n was dressed in her uniform— a slightly oversized navy-blue blazer and matching slacks with a patch stitched over the breast pocket that bore the building's insignia— allen wasted no time leading her to her office. her boots clunked softly against the polished floor as she followed him down the narrow hallways, the fluorescent lights buzzing faintly overhead. each step felt heavier than the last, her mind swimming with the overwhelming reality of her new position. "here we are..." allen announced, stopping abruptly in front of a door with a small metal plaque that read security office. he pushed it open with one gloved hand, the hinges squeaking slightly as the door swung inward. y/n stepped inside cautiously, her eyes scanning the room.

the office wasn't much to look at, but it was functional. in the center of the room was a desk equipped with a small security window that looked out onto the building's entrance. a rotary phone sat on the desk, its dull beige color contrasting starkly with the darker tones of the room. mounted just above the phone was a large red button with the word 'emergency' etched into the metal beneath it. a calendar hung crookedly on the far wall, marked with circles and hastily scrawled notes.

stacks of folders were piled high on one corner of the desk, threatening to topple over at any moment. her gaze flicked to a sheet of paper pinned to the corkboard behind the desk—it appeared to be a list of names and apartment numbers. 'today's schedule...' she assumed. but what caught her attention most were the two buttons embedded into a sleek black panel on the desk to her right.

one was green, adorned with an open lock symbol, while the other was red, displaying a closed lock. they seemed to pulse faintly under the artificial light, as though silently reminding her of their importance. "curious about those, huh?" allen's voice broke the silence, startling her slightly.

she turned to find him leaning against the doorframe, arms crossed over his chest, his imposing hazmat suit still giving nothing away. "yeah," y/n admitted, gesturing toward the panel. "what are they for?" she then asked.

"fail-safes," allen replied, his tone as casual as if he were discussing the weather. "the green button unlocks the building's main doors. the red one locks them. simple, right? even if one of those things somehow managed to slip through security, an alarm will go off. it's programmed to detect any anomalies—doppelgängers included." he tapped the side of his helmet with one gloved finger. "so, worst-case scenario, you hit the red button, the system locks down, and we take care of the rest." once done with his little spiel, y/n nodded, though the explanation did little to ease her nerves before she moved to the desk and sat down, the chair creaking slightly under her weight. her fingers traced the edge of the desk as she tried to process everything—the buttons, the alarm system, and, more notably, the sheer gravity of her new responsibilities.

the silence stretched between them, and the weight of it compelled her to ask a question she'd been dreading. "am i going to be here...alone?"

allen barked a laugh, the sound muffled but still sharp enough to make her flinch. "don't flatter yourself," he said, his voice tinged with condescension. "you'd have to be insane to think they'd leave you up here unsupervised."

y/n's cheeks burned with embarrassment, but she kept her mouth shut. she hadn't expected him to be so blunt, though she supposed it was justified—after all, her only real training had been a single disturbing video. she barely felt qualified to sit in this chair, let alone be responsible for the security of an entire building.

allen seemed to sense her unease because he straightened up and added, "look, this isn't my job, but i'll be hanging around today. consider it a one-time courtesy." he jabbed a thumb toward the hallway. "if something goes sideways, you yell, and i'll be here. got it?"

y/n nodded quickly, grateful despite his gruff demeanor. "got it," she replied, her voice steadier than she felt.

"good," he said, pushing off the doorframe. "now get comfortable. you've got a long shift ahead of you."

as he turned and walked away, y/n leaned back in the chair, her eyes drifting back to the red and green buttons. she couldn't shake the feeling that, by the end of the day, she might have to use one of them.

all in all, the day had been dragging along at an almost unbearable pace. y/n sat at the desk, the faint hum of the security systems in the background the only sound accompanying her as she rifled through folders containing information about the building's residents. her uniform was stiff, the fabric itchy against her skin, but she was grateful for something to do—anything to keep her hands and mind busy. "izaack gauss..." she murmured to herself, pulling out a file and skimming through it. he was a man with a large grin and very prominent chin. next came robertsky peachman, a name that made her stifle a laugh. she imagined someone with a name like that had to be eccentric, though the file didn't give much away other than a brief description of his occupation as a shoemaker. and then there was lois stilnsky, a woman who possesses long bangs that cover her eyes completely.

as the hours crawled by, she plucked out file after file, growing more familiar with the names and faces of the people she'd be assisting—or monitoring, depending on how things went. it wasn't until much later that allen returned to the office, the door creaking open to announce his presence. he stepped inside, his heavy boots thudding against the floor as he leaned against the doorframe. his blacked-out visor made it impossible to tell where he was looking, but she felt his gaze on her nonetheless. 

"been busy?" he asked, his tone dry. 

"just reading up on the residents," y/n replied, holding up a folder. 

he watched her for a moment before speaking again. "good. get familiar, but let me tell you something." his voice dropped, tinged with a bitterness that caught her off guard. "if you've got a line of people out there, don't rush. take your time. i don't care how antsy they get—better to deal with some angry tenants than risk letting one of those things in. trust me, you don't want to know what happens when one of those bastards gets through." his words were sharp, and his posture stiffened as he said them. it was clear he despised the doppelgängers, and the thought of them slipping past security seemed to genuinely rile him. y/n nodded silently, his words lingering as she returned to the files. eventually, her fingers landed on one labeled francis mosses. curious, she pulled it out and flipped it open. 

the photo inside was grainy, but it was enough to grab her attention. francis wore a white button-up shirt with a neat black bowtie and a hat emblazoned with the word 'milkman' across the front. his dark hair was neatly tucked beneath the hat, and his black eyes, framed by prominent eye bags, gave him an almost melancholic air. despite the stoic expression in the photo, y/n found herself captivated.

there was something about him—his sharp jawline, the way his tie was perfectly symmetrical, even the faint crease in his brow. she caught herself wondering what color his eyes might be in person or if his voice was as smooth as she imagined.

was it weird to think this way about someone she'd never met? probably. but that didn't stop her cheeks from warming as she stared at his photo a little longer than she intended. 

"don't even think about it." allen's voice cut through her thoughts like a knife.

y/n flinched, snapping the file shut and turning to glance over her shoulder. "excuse me?" she asked, eyebrows furrowing. allen stepped fully into the room, crossing his arms over his chest.

"i know what you're thinking," allen said, his tone heavy with disdain. he leaned against the desk, his blacked-out visor tilted slightly toward her. "don't even think about getting involved with a guy like mosses. that man's been nothin' but a headache for me—and for anyone who gets caught up in his orbit."

y/n glanced at the photo in the file again, her brow furrowing. "what do you mean?" she asked, genuinely curious despite his cutting tone.

allen sighed, the sound muffled by the mask but still carrying the weight of frustration. "every new recruit comes in, sees francis, and thinks he's some kind of brooding, misunderstood saint just because he always looks dead tired. let me set the record straight—he's not. sure, he might seem charming to some of you newbies, but that guy attracts trouble like a magnet. and it's not just regular trouble. the alternates? he's their favorite target. he's had more doubles than anyone else in this damn building. you know what that tells me? either he's got a sign on his back that says 'easy prey,' or he's just too careless for his own good." y/n blinked, taking in his words. she wasn't sure whether to be annoyed by his bluntness or concerned by what he was implying.

"but...that's not really his fault, is it?" she asked cautiously.

"look," allen said sharply, straightening up and crossing his arms, "i'm not sayin' it's all on him. but you get too soft, too friendly with the people here, and you start slipping. that's when it gets dangerous. these things— these copies— aren't stupid. they're gonna use any weakness they can find, and if you're sitting here daydreaming about a guy like mosses, you're gonna end up on their list. i've seen it happen before." his voice dipped, carrying an edge of something deeper—maybe anger, or maybe a warning rooted in experience.

y/n swallowed hard, unsure how to respond. allen's words stuck to her like tar, unpleasant and difficult to shake off. instead of arguing, she quietly slipped francis' file back into the stack and turned her attention to a different folder, her fingers tracing the edges as she tried to shake the image of francis' tired face from her mind.

"just stick to your job..." allen muttered as headed toward the exit. "trust me, it'll be easier for both of us if you do. the last thing i need is another rookie losing their head over some resident." he didn't wait for a reply, the door creaking shut behind him as he left. y/n watched him go, her shoulders sagging as the tension in the room finally began to dissipate.

her gaze drifted back to the desk, her thoughts tangled. 'so francis gets a lot of doubles...' she mused. 'that's... something to keep in mind. not great for him, but it just means i'll need to be extra careful...' taking a deep breath, she resumed her work.

she managed to assist two residents next—twins who were easy enough to handle despite their constant bickering over who was supposed to bring the right paperwork. y/n felt herself falling into a rhythm, slowly but surely getting the hang of the system. but just as she started to feel confident, allen returned.

the door creaked open, and his heavy boots echoed in the small office as he stepped inside. 'when is this guy going to give me a break?' y/n thought to herself, suppressing a groan. it wasn't that she didn't appreciate his presence— on some level, it was reassuring to have one of the d.d.d. agents nearby— but his constant negativity was starting to wear on her nerves. she already felt overwhelmed trying to learn the ropes, and his jaded demeanor wasn't helping.

still, she tried to focus.

y/n sat rigidly in her chair, her nerves tingling as she carefully reviewed roman stilnsky's file. she followed every step of the checklist she had memorized over the course of the day: cross-reference his photo, verify his signature, scan his id. everything seemed in order, though she couldn't shake the slight awkwardness that lingered in the air as she tried to keep the interaction professional.

"how has your day been so far, mr. stilnsky?" she asked politely, her voice steady even though she was still finding her footing in this role.

"it was fine, i suppose," he replied evenly, his tone indifferent. "yours?"

"the same," y/n answered, offering a sheepish smile. she was never particularly good at small talk, and the interaction felt a little forced, but roman didn't seem to mind—or notice.

as she finished scanning his id, she began sliding his entry request and identification toward the small hatch for him to retrieve. but before the items even reached the slot, allen's shadow loomed over her. his hand shot out, stopping her mid-motion. "don't." he whispered, his voice low but sharp.

y/n froze, her eyebrows furrowing in confusion as she looked up at him. "why not?" she whispered back, her heart beginning to race. she glanced toward roman, who stood on the other side of the security glass, his features calm but his patience clearly thinning.

allen's gaze didn't leave the man in front of them. his stance stiffened, his gloved fingers curling slightly as if preparing for something. "sound the alarm," he ordered, his voice barely above a murmur, but there was an undeniable edge to it.

"what? why...?" y/n stammered, her voice rising slightly in disbelief. everything had seemed fine—roman's documents were in order, and his demeanor, while slightly aloof, didn't seem out of the ordinary.

allen's helmeted head turned slightly toward her, his tone cold and unwavering. "because that's not roman." y/n felt her stomach drop like a stone. her breath hitched as her eyes darted back to the man on the other side of the glass. roman— or whoever—or whatever it was— stood motionless now, his expression darkening as he noticed the sudden hesitation. a bead of sweat trickled down y/n's temple as her hands trembled over the panel in front of her.

the seconds stretched into an eternity as her mind raced. could allen be wrong? everything she checked had seemed perfectly normal. but the way allen's shoulders were squared, the tension radiating off him like a coiled spring, made her doubt herself.

"press the button," allen hissed, his voice low and urgent. "now." roman's— no, the figure's— expression shifted. his calm demeanor melted away, replaced by something that made y/n's blood run cold. his mouth twitched at the corners, forming a distorted grin that didn't belong on a human face. his green eyes gleamed, unblinking as if he'd been caught in some sick game. y/n's breath caught in her throat. her hand hovered over the emergency alarm button, frozen for what felt like a lifetime.

the man—no, the thing— on the other side of the glass suddenly raised a hand and knocked against it, the sound dull but menacing. "something wrong in there?" he asked, his voice calm but laced with an unnatural edge that made her skin crawl. without thinking, y/n slammed her palm onto the button. the alarm blared instantly, a deafening wail that pierced through the silence.

red lights above the console began flashing, bathing the room in a frantic, strobing glow. before y/n could process what was happening, a heavy metal barrier dropped down in front of the security window with a loud, mechanical clang, sealing off the view of the man—the alternate. y/n's heart thundered in her chest as she leaned back in her chair, her breaths coming out in sharp gasps. the alarm continued to wail, shaking the walls as allen grabbed his weapon, his entire demeanor shifting into something colder, more lethal. "stay here and lock this door!" he barked, his voice hard.

"wait, what are you going to do?" y/n asked, her voice trembling.

he didn't answer. instead, he stormed out of the room, the heavy door slamming shut behind him.

y/n sat frozen, staring at the flashing red lights and listening to the blaring siren. the realization of what just happened clawed at her chest, her mind racing with a single, terrifying thought: 'what if i had let him through?'