Another Day, Another Doppel - Francis Mosses x Reader

1 - New Beginnings

You awoke in a cold sweat, heaving and panting as you turned over, grasping at your bedside table's lamp. You turned in on quick, spinning around to get a look at your bedroom. Empty.

"Thank god," You whispered, taking in deep breaths. Suddenly you jumped again as your alarm clock began shuttering and shaking, the bells jittering with metal clicking. You slammed your hand down hard, watching as it stopped moving. You let out a tired sigh before crawling out of bed, not even glancing at the time.

You stepped around moving boxes and climbed into the shower, washing up and putting on your uniform before cleaning up the bathroom, and boxing up the remainder of your belongings.

According to the D.D.D., it was safer if you stayed in the slightly extended borders of the doorman's office while keeping your neighbors safe. That way, if any doppelgängers entered the complex, you'd be there to call an emergency.

You stacked the last boxes onto the small moving cart and began pushing them to the elevator. You climbed on and waited as the shaft slowly moved you down to the ground floor once more. Originally you were living on the second floor, where a new tenant was now moving into. You were the unfortunate soul to pass the tests of the D.D.D., being "attentive, with good long-term memory and an eye for small differences".

Frankly you couldn't care less, because as long as you did your job right, you no longer had to pay rent. And as previously a freelancer, you were glad to have extra pocket change.

After a few hours of moving in, you were able to settle down at your desk. It was 5:55am, and you knew they'd be coming at 6 to check in. You were exhausted from carrying boxes and didn't even have a chance to open them, just plopped down at your desk with a mug of coffee. You watched the instructional video while carrying boxes, and got the gist of your new job.

Be like Henry, but Better.

Easier said then done, but nonetheless you felt ready.

You were jumped from your thoughts when there was a pounding on the glass in front of you. You raised the metal shutters, revealing a D.D.D agent wearing a yellow hazmat suit.

"Welcome and congratulations on your new job."

The agent's voice was mid-pitched but muffled by the mask.

"As you can see on the introductory film, your job is to verify the entry of the neighbors of your building. Each day there will be a list of individuals who will request entry to the building. It is possible that there are individuals who request entry and aren't on the list..."

They went on to describe how to judge people's appearance and check their papers. That something as small as an expired date is going to tell if they are a real person or not.

"I wish you good luck." They mumbled before trudging off back outside.

You let out a sigh as you grabbed the day's list, looking over the hastily printed photos. Only four people were marked to enter that day. You glanced over the files, reading up on the woman taking your place in the apartment.

"Excuse me, hello!" A voice piped up as your head shot forward, seeing a woman standing before you on the other side of the glass. She slid an ID and an Entry Request through the slow in the glass.

She had reddish-brown curly hair and a deviated left eye. Her nose was round and was accompanied by a large smile. She wore a pearl necklace, a yellow dress with orange dots, and round yellow earrings.

"Hello there, Miss...Bubbles." You smiled, reading over the forms. Your eyes scanned each letter, checking them with each other to make sure they matched. Then you checked the stamps, the photos, and the dates. "What floor are you staying on?"

"The Second Floor. Room Three." She answered. "I'm moving in today." She grinned.

"That's the room I just moved out of," You smiled. "You'll love it."

"Aww, thank you." She smiled.

You grabbed the second floor file, flipping to Margarette's page, eyeing the information. You looked from the photo to her face, then the photo's with the papers she supplied.

"Alrighty, everything looks good. Enjoy the room." You smiled, before buzzing her in and sliding the papers back.

"Thank you! Have a good morning, hun." She nodded before taking her papers and bags and walking off. You closed the door once more and waited patiently, taking a sip of your coffee.

The next person walked in, catching your eye. You used the term person loosely.

He slid papers in front of you, greeting you with a muffled "Hello,"

"Alf Cappuccin, hmm?" You questioned, eyeing the ID before you. His picture matched his file. He had a decently large pink nose, a prominent mustache, and had a rounded face. He wore a monocle and hat to accompany his professional suit.

Although instead of grey hair on the sides of his head, he seemed to have bulging, misshapen temples protruding from his head.

"So Alf, your appearance. Your head, really."

"My head?" He questioned. "Oh, I slept badly last night."

"Well that explains it," You nod, tapping his papers together.

"So, can you open the door?" He questioned.

"Yeah, one second." You answer, pushing the emergency button. The metal shutters slammed down and locked with an accompanying siren ringing in the background. "3312," You muttered, dialing in on the phone. You could hear clawing on the other side of the glass as you awaited an answer. The D.D.D. representative answered, replying that agents were on their way. After a few moments, the siren was turned off and the shutters sprang back up. An agent stood before you once more.

"You may continue your job," They answered before trudging off once more.

It was going to be a long day.