Introduction 1

Iyla sat at her computer, bored with her work. She had been working since the morning, typing up a feature design document, but had hit a roadblock. She needed more information to continue, but someone else needed to send her more reference material for it first. She got up from the desk and stretched. It was 11:30 AM, so just a little too early for lunch. She paced her living room, which was also where her desk was located. The living room contained her desk, which faced the window, a three-seat couch, and a TV. There was also a large bookshelf, separating the space from the dining area and the door to her bedroom. After pacing for a bit, she stared at her books and knick-knacks on her bookshelf, wondering if she should pick up a book to read since she had the free time anyways.

But her stomach grumbled. Even though it was early, her muffin from the morning just wasn't enough to keep her going. Sighing, she decided to just take an early lunch and go out for some food.

* * *

Iyla grabbed her bag and walked out, making sure to lock her front door. After exiting the building, she wondered which way she should go for lunch this time.

Sun City was a bustling, metropolitan city on the west coast of the Republic of California. The neighborhood Iyla lived in had plenty restaurants and cafes, servicing a few big company buildings in the area. At this time of day, you could spot office workers filing out of their buildings like ants in search of food to bring back to their nests. Iyla was the same, though since she worked from home, she didn't feel the need to dress the part.

I wonder if I should just get something from the deli? But I kind of want something else!

She pondered for a bit, before coming across a sign in front of a cafe that she liked, but hadn't been to for some time. They were advertising new Cuban sandwiches on the menu.

It was a quiet place, not on the main street. On top of that, there was an alley right across from it, so it didn't make for the most scenic view for lunch. Due to that fact, only regulars really ate here, and many of the customers took their food to-go.

She didn't come here often enough to consider herself a regular, but the cashier recognized her anyways.

"Hey, Iyla! I haven't seen you in a while. How's it going?" asked the college-aged girl. She worked here part-time, and the outgoing girl had struck up a conversation with her last time when she recognized the anime t-shirt she was wearing.

"I'm fine! I just got stuck with work, so I figured I'd take my lunch break early. How about you?"

"Ugh, I wish I could do the same! Luckily it hasn't been too busy, so I've been sneaking some assigned reading in between." She held up a novel sheepishly.

Iyla smiled. She ordered one of the Cuban sandwiches and then sat down at a small green tables outside. Although it wasn't particularly a nice view, she couldn't help but enjoy the warm sunlight and clear day. Plus, she liked to people watch, since she spent most of her time inside.

* * *

She sat down and looked around. Just like her, many of the other customers had chosen to enjoy the nice weather and sit in the cafe's patio area. If you looked high into the sky, you could see a line of air taxis following predetermined paths, ferrying their passengers to their destinations.

A young woman walked out into the alleyway across from the cafe. Iyla turned, and made brief eye contact. She turned around quickly, and hurried off in the opposite direction.

Huh? Was there always a store there?

Not long after that strange occurrence, the cashier brought her sandwich and juice to the table. Iyla dug into her lunch heartily, suddenly feeling much more hungry than expected.

* * *

After finishing lunch, Iyla checked the time on her wristwatch. Her lunch hour wasn't quite over yet, plus since had taken her break early, it was unlikely that her coworkers would have answered her email even when she got back. She had time to kill.

She was curious about the store open towards the alley. Normally, a business would have had some kind of signage to let people know about their existence, but she only noticed the neon sign saying "open" after walking up to the entrance. It only lit up brightly when she walked up close to the store, blinking on from a previously unlit state.

Is it motion-sensing?

There were some various odds and ends in the window display. The store looked to be a retro antique store, carrying various analogue goods from long ago. She recognized one of the items as an old dial-operated telephone.

Curious, but most importantly, bored and free, she entered the store.