Lucas Trowman didn't sleep.
Not even close.
He tried—around two in the morning, then again at four—but every time he shut his eyes, it came back. Not a dream. Not even a memory. Just… there.
Clean. Sharp. Waiting.
[System Initialized]
By the time sunlight started leaking through the blinds, he'd already given up. Sleep wasn't happening.
Now he sat at his kitchen table, staring at the microwave clock like it had personally wronged him.
11:41 AM.
"…Nineteen minutes."
His fingers tapped against the table in an uneven rhythm. Fast. Then slow. Then stopping entirely before starting again.
The apartment felt off.
Too quiet.
Like the kind of silence right before something breaks.
Lucas leaned back in his chair, dragging both hands down his face. "Okay," he muttered, voice rough. "Let's go over this again."
Yesterday:
- Deal goes bad
- Two guys try to jump him
- Time… does something weird
- A floating screen appears
- He presses yes
- He gets…
"A fork," he said flatly.
Still sounded stupid.
Still felt stupid.
But the rest of it?
Didn't.
Lucas's eyes flicked back to the clock.
11:43.
"…If this is real," he said slowly, "then it happens again at noon."
Same time.
Same thing.
A system.
His stomach tightened.
"And if it doesn't…" He exhaled sharply. "Then I'm just losing it."
Honestly? That might've been the better option.
At least that made sense.
He stood up abruptly, chair scraping lightly against the floor, and started pacing.
Three steps to the wall. Turn. Three steps back.
Again. Again. Again.
"System," he muttered. "Random pulls. Once a day."
No instructions.
No explanation.
No control.
Lucas stopped mid-step.
"…No control."
That part stuck.
That part didn't sit right.
He didn't like relying on things he couldn't understand.
Didn't like variables he couldn't account for.
Yesterday proved exactly why.
A fork.
In a situation where he needed… literally anything else.
Lucas let out a dry laugh. "Yeah. Real helpful."
11:47.
The seconds felt louder now.
Ticking down.
Waiting.
He walked into the kitchen, grabbed a glass, filled it halfway with water, and drank it in one go. His hands weren't shaking—but they weren't steady either.
"Alright," he said, setting the glass down. "No more pacing."
He sat back down.
Immediately started tapping his fingers again.
"…This is stupid."
11:50.
Ten minutes.
His leg started bouncing.
He leaned forward, elbows on his knees, eyes locked on the clock like if he looked away, he'd miss it.
"Just show up," he muttered. "Or don't. Pick one."
11:52.
A knock at the door broke the rhythm.
Lucas flinched.
"…You gotta be kidding me."
Another knock.
"Yo! Open up!"
Lucas frowned, pushing himself up and walking to the door. He checked the peephole—
—and blinked.
"…No way."
He opened it.
Standing there, looking exactly like Lucas remembered—hoodie, restless energy, that same loose, almost careless posture—
Jesse Pinkman.
Jesse gave him a once-over. "Damn, man. You look like hell."
Lucas leaned against the frame. "Good to see you too."
Jesse smirked. "What, you been up all night or something?"
"…Something like that."
"Yeah, I can tell." Jesse stepped past him without waiting for an invite. "Place still depressing as ever."
"Make yourself at home," Lucas said dryly, shutting the door.
Jesse wandered a few steps in, glancing around. "So you working right now or what?"
Lucas crossed his arms. "Depends. What's the job?"
"Easy stuff," Jesse said, turning back. "Couple small moves. Nothing crazy. Quick cash."
Lucas didn't answer immediately.
His eyes drifted—again—to the microwave.
11:55.
"…Give me a minute," he said.
Jesse squinted. "For what?"
"Just—hold on."
Jesse tilted his head. "Man, you tweaking or something?"
Lucas ignored that, stepping past him and into the kitchen again.
11:56.
Almost.
He could feel it now.
That same tension from yesterday.
Like something was about to click.
Jesse leaned against the counter. "You gonna explain what's going on or…?"
"Not really," Lucas said.
Jesse snorted. "Alright, cool. Be weird then."
11:58.
Lucas didn't move.
Didn't speak.
Didn't even blink much.
11:59.
His heartbeat picked up.
Faster.
Louder.
And then—
12:00.
The world dimmed.
Not stopped.
Not frozen.
Just… lowered.
Lucas exhaled slowly.
"…There it is."
"What?" Jesse said, looking around. "What are you talking about?"
The screen appeared.
Clear.
Unavoidable.
[Daily Pull Available]
Lucas felt something settle in his chest.
Not panic.
Not confusion.
Confirmation.
"…Okay," he whispered.
It was real.
Jesse frowned. "Yo, you good? You're acting—"
"I'm good," Lucas said quickly. "Just give me a second."
Jesse held up his hands. "Alright, man. Damn."
Lucas focused on the screen.
[Pull Now?]
[Yes / No]
No hesitation this time.
"Yes."
The screen shifted instantly.
Light spun—faster than before—symbols flashing in rapid succession, too quick to track.
Lucas leaned forward slightly, breath held.
Then—
It stopped.
[Reward Acquired]
Enhanced Spatial Awareness (Passive)
Lucas blinked.
"…That's it?"
No item.
No object.
Nothing in his hands.
For half a second, he thought—
It didn't work.
Then—
Everything snapped into place.
Not visually.
Not sharper.
But structured.
He knew where everything was.
Not guessed.
Knew.
The exact distance to the wall.
The angle of the table.
Jesse's position—down to the inch.
The doorway behind him.
The blind spots.
The space.
All of it.
Lucas inhaled slowly.
"…Oh."
"Yo," Jesse said, snapping his fingers once. "Earth to Lucas."
Lucas looked at him.
And instantly picked up things he wouldn't normally notice—
Jesse's stance—loose, but slightly uneven
His eyes—wandering, not focused
His posture—relaxed, unaware
Not suspicious.
Just… Jesse.
"…Yeah," Lucas said.
Jesse narrowed his eyes. "You sure? You keep zoning out."
Lucas shrugged. "Didn't sleep."
Jesse snorted. "Yeah, no kidding. You look like crap."
Lucas smirked faintly. "Appreciate it."
"Anytime," Jesse said. "So you in or what?"
Lucas glanced around the room again.
Everything felt… controlled now.
Like he wasn't guessing anymore.
"…Yeah," he said. "I'm in."
Jesse grinned. "Knew you would be."
---
The drive felt different.
Lucas sat in the passenger seat, watching everything—but not nervously.
Efficiently.
He tracked:
- Distance between cars
- Speed differences
- Timing of lights
Without thinking.
It just… happened.
"…Yo," Jesse said, glancing at him, "you always this quiet?"
Lucas shrugged. "You always talk this much?"
Jesse laughed. "Yeah, pretty much."
"Then yeah," Lucas said. "Guess I am."
Jesse shook his head, still smiling. "Man, you're weird."
They pulled into a worn-down apartment complex.
Paint peeling. Stairwell cracked. Windows half-covered.
Jesse killed the engine. "Alright, quick stop. In and out."
Lucas nodded.
But before they even stepped out—
He already knew the layout.
Not from memory.
From instinct.
"…Second floor," he said.
Jesse looked at him. "Yeah…?"
Lucas shrugged. "Lucky guess."
Jesse snorted. "Sure, man."
They stepped out.
And the moment Lucas's feet hit the ground—
The awareness shifted with him seamlessly.
He knew:
- Which windows could see them
- Where someone could be hiding
- The safest path to the stairs
"…This is insane," he muttered.
"What?" Jesse asked.
"Nothing," Lucas said. "Let's go."
---
Inside, the hallway was narrow and dim.
Jesse walked ahead, knocking on a door halfway down.
Lucas positioned himself slightly off to the side.
Not obvious.
But intentional.
The door opened.
A guy stepped out, looking them over.
"You got it?" he asked.
Jesse nodded. "Yeah, man. You got cash?"
The guy hesitated.
Lucas noticed immediately.
Weight shift.
Eyes flicking.
Hand near his pocket.
Not relaxed.
Not clean.
Lucas spoke before thinking.
"Something wrong?" he said casually.
The guy blinked. "What?"
Lucas tilted his head slightly. "You look nervous."
Jesse shot him a quick look like what are you doing?
The guy frowned. "I'm not nervous."
Lucas held his gaze.
Measured distance.
Angle.
Movement.
"…Then show the cash," Lucas said.
A beat.
Tension.
Then—
The guy reached into his pocket.
Pulled out the money.
Clean.
Real.
Jesse blinked, then grinned. "Yeah, that works."
The deal went through.
No problems.
No surprises.
---
As they walked back to the car, Jesse nudged him.
"Yo," he said, "since when you talk like that?"
Lucas glanced at him. "Like what?"
"Like—" Jesse waved a hand vaguely. "All… serious and stuff."
Lucas shrugged. "Just felt off."
Jesse chuckled. "Yeah, well, it worked."
Lucas smirked slightly.
"…Yeah."
It did.
---
Because this?
This wasn't luck.
Not anymore.