AN: 6/2015... Hi! It's been a while! I decided to split up the long chapter 6 I've been writing for forever into 2 chapters, one short and one longer, because I'm finally okay with this first part. Please know that every review and every favorite or follow that this story has received so far has made me unbelievably happy! You're all so amazing!

And I hope that you enjoy this chapter and the next!

Ch. 6 - Non Sumus Automata

In the middle of the night, Dominic Harris woke up groaning, clutching the empty sheets beneath him, the body heat of the dream girl seemingly clinging to his skin. She'd felt so real. He could still feel the imprint of her hips under his hands, could still taste the salt of her skin on his tongue, and the sounds she made... It was as if she had really been there with him in his bed.

The sounds of his neighbors waking and bustling about their morning routines roused him from his drowsy, half awareness. When reality reasserted itself, he pulled himself into a sitting position on the edge of his bed and rubbed a rough hand over his face and jaw.

He ignored his body's persistent call for relief, but his thoughts still turned to her. It was Kenna Mueller in his dream. Her body against his, her voice calling his name. Or was it his name? He couldn't remember clearly, but it felt like his name.

God, the curves she'd exposed when she bent to pick up her dropped tools. He shouldn't have stopped to talk to her in the hall, he never liked running into his patients outside of the clinic, but something about her drew him in. He couldn't place his finger on what it was that seemed so familiar and he'd obviously spent too much time thinking on it.

Irritated at himself for his lack of control over his own mind and body, he huffed out a disgruntled breath and decided to stop wondering about the woman. Knowing how large the MegaBlock was it was unlikely he'd see her again any time soon. Even if she lived on the same level.

Kenna tended to keep to herself when starting a new job, not wanting to get too attached before her contracts were up and she had to move again. This strategy, so far, was crap. She always got attached and it always hurt a little to leave. This time was no different.

Four weeks in Arickman, working and living there, Kenna could honestly say she liked it. She liked her job and her students. She liked her new friends and coworkers. She liked her run down hab with its morning sun and clean walls.

She even liked the routines that she'd established for herself. Monday she completed a circuit of strength training and cardio before work and after work went grocery shopping. Tuesday she would only go to work and afterwards make a trip to washerette to do laundry. Wednesday she'd exercise again before work and later eat dinner with Jeannie's family. Thursday was her dedicated work day. She'd arrive extra early to tidy up her classroom and stay late to record grades and prep supplies, class work and homework for the next week's lessons. Fridays she'd train, go to work, then spend the evenings out. One Friday night she spent babysitting Jeannie's daughter, Hailey. Once she even attended a girls' night out with some of the ladies from work. She exercised at least once during the Saturday or Sunday. The rest of the weekends she explored Arickman's two hundred levels and ventured into the nearby buildings and streets.

Her new life in MegWest was mundane, even boring, but it was also full of purpose and felt almost like it could become home. Only a few concerns, some major, others not, held her back from completely settling in.

The parts of the city just outside of her sector grew less and less stable. Riots, block wars, protests, and general civil unrest fell across MegWest like a growing shadow cast by the Wall. So far the violence wasn't close enough to cause panic or evacuation in her block, but it was near enough to cause a buzz of disquiet among its population. Kenna herself had a vague, reluctant plan to grab her duffle and leave if things got too hot.

Another cloud hanging over her head came from the uncertainty of job security. Kenna's substitute contract was nearing its end and she had yet to hear from the school's admin if she'd be kept on as an on-call sub or not.

The last and most pervasive bit of bother was caused by one particular paramedic. She never sought him out, but when by chance they did meet she began to feel... something troubling. A strange intimacy, a connection alarming in its depth and greed. Even her dreams were filled with him.

The Bad Man is what they were calling him these days. He'd been given many names before, but he liked the simplicity and veracity of his new moniker. Yes, he was bad. He'd learned that lesson decades before. But above all his other traits, he considered himself a business man, and a darned good one at that. He held the strings that controlled 70% of MC1's black market and nearly every illegal firearms deal in the city as well. He discovered at an early age that he was gifted and that crime was something he just so happened to have a knack for.

His passion, however, was observing people, collecting their life stories in the vault that was his mind. He watched people, all their human flaws and foibles, and was endlessly entertained. Well, almost endlessly. Some people were more interesting than others to observe.

He picked the men and women for how they stood out, for how bright and special they were compared to the rest of the animals around them. He liked to watch the little dramas that unfolded in his pets' lives. It was hilarious.

When he grew tired of their predictability he began to force them out of their comfort zones, creating obstacles for them to overcome- or not, as the case may be. At first, he changed only one aspect of their lives at a time, a single variable, just to see how they'd react. He arranged for a man to get fired from his job, causing him to get evicted from his hab. He persuaded a married woman to have an affair with her brother in law, which, unfortunately, turned out to be less explosion and more melodrama. He made one memorable woman believe that her neighbor was spying on her in preparation to attack her. He particularly liked the spiral effect that had on her behaviors. Her paranoia eventually caused her to stab the man with a kitchen knife when he stepped into an elevator with her by chance.

As time went on, the changes expanded to encompass larger and larger pieces of their lives. He discovered that he could pluck people out of the world they knew completely and place them in a new one. He loved to keep the essentials the same, their personalities, general temperament and preferences, likes and dislikes, but change everything else- names, histories, memories. These people were a game he played by himself. A man had to have a hobby, he reasoned.

Sometimes, however, there were people who talked too much. It was a well known fact that he detested gossips, especially those who discussed his business practices. So to keep his business in order he kept an ear out for people who voiced their thoughts on him. Then he'd send someone to slaughter them. Or sometimes, when he was in the mood, he'd get his own hands dirty. Reputation was very important after all and it certainly wouldn't do to let them gossip.

The weak sunlight faded from his office, but the streetlights were too harsh and bright. He flicked a finger and the curtains drew together, blocking the glare completely. In the darkness he drew up the images of all of his pets. He chose one projection, his new favorites, with a flick of his eyes and the other light shows snuffed with a wisp of smoke, like blowing out a candle. Judges Cassandra Anderson and Joseph Dredd, now Kenna Mueller and Dominic Harris. They had bored him when they were apart, so normal and dull. So, he changed the parameters.

Simply placing them within a closer proximity to each other, within the same city block, started a reaction he hadn't expected. Like moths to a flame, they looked as if they were drawn to one another. He was delighted by their attraction to each other, but something would have to break up the monotony of their routines soon.

He gazed at his favorite new toys. He pulled a few of the strings he'd placed near them and waited with a shark's smile to watch them dance.

AN: Non Sumus Automata - We Are Not Puppets (?)

Ah! I know it's short! But...

What are your thoughts? Reviews are always appreciated!