Returning home with a tired mind and body, Danny strolled through the empty hall with his hands in his pockets, his eyes half-lidded as he took in the familiar surroundings of his own abode.
His thoughts lingered on the events of the night, replaying the encounter with a dangerous assassin who just tried to kill him in the middle of the forest with no one but themselves in the vicinity.
Having not slept is one thing, but for someone who is human and not a soulless killer robot, it was an uncomfortable feeling to have.
After having entered this hospital, he was thinking deeply about his fight with that maniac. How did he even survive that? The hired assassin was professional in dealing threats like him, being swift and merciless in how the man acted, and yet Danny had emerged unscathed, his powers somehow shielding him from harm.
He shook his head, trying to clear the lingering images of the confrontation from his mind. Lack of sleep, growing stress, and someone wanting him dead 24/7 are taking a toll on his mental state from the mere audacity of hiring someone to kill him in the first place.
His breathing steadied as he walked further, the silence of the hallway broken only by the soft creak of his footsteps on the dirty floor beneath him. The calm atmosphere was like the night before things escalated to the worst, a 180-degree shift from what is happening now.
Although he is nonetheless glad that he is alive and well while no one was seriously hurt or killed, he is grateful for the lesson he learned that his powers are capable of truly protecting him from danger, regardless of what type.
Moving forward, Danny thought about what he should do with his life now after possibly killing human beings before his eyes compared to the ones who are simply robots. Yet what is to say that those machines are truly soulless, as people claim to be?
The existence of soul is never scientifically proven to be real, so shouldn't they give both sides equal consideration rather than making assumptions based solely on what they are? This line of thinking led him to ponder deeper questions about life, morality, and the nature of consciousness.
Changing his mind all of sudden, he went against it when he lost sight of the topic of what he was thinking about. Which is killing humans versus robots, a question that has been bothering him since last night?
He didn't like the way things turned out; he didn't want anyone else to get hurt because of his actions or simply for existing, but at the same time, Danny doesn't want to die at the hands of lunatics, regardless if they are flesh or metal; in the end, death is still death no matter how people look at it from their perspective.
Stopping mid-walk, Danny brought his hands forward before looking down at their open palms, his eyes tracing the lines and creases of his own skin, a tangible reminder of his mortality.
"Was there any difference between a robot and a person?" He questioned deeply, frowning at the aspect of murder aligning with anything considered sentient, "is the Renegade even alive to begin with?" The more he thinks about it, the more this question confuses him: "Or are they just machines designed to mimic human behavior?"
He took a deep breath, letting it out slowly as he pondered the weight of his own actions, wondering if he had been too hasty in judging the assassin based on his appearance alone.
Having grown accustomed to the deaths of machines, he once believed they were nothing more than just some mechanical shells without souls, but after last night's events, he is no longer so sure when he sees humans who are bloodthirsty and cruel like the monsters he used to fight for his own survival.
Looking back at this, he wondered if he was already a murderer by the mere fact he killed a machine who reaches the level of sentience. Even if they were created to cause harm, "they are brainwashed," he hideously argued in his mind, "they're not truly evil; they're just following their programming."
That would also apply for people who are born in a tyrannical nation, raised with hate speech and propaganda from birth, turning them into extreme loyalists who were taught by their corrupt government.
the young man closed his eyes and let out a low growl, frustration and anger coursing through him as he grappled with the moral implications of what he had done. "I'm just so tired of all this," Danny muttered under his breath, his voice heavy with exhaustion and despair.
"I'm not a murderer."
Despite the growing uneasiness inside of him, Danny proclaimed his innocence to nobody but himself: "self-defense, that's all it was." The weight of his own conscience pressed down on him like a physical force, making it hard to breathe and hard to think.
He wanted to believe that killing the machines was justified by the assassin who tried to kill him and that it was necessary to protect himself and others from harm.
Deep down, he knew that didn't change the fact that he had taken a life, no matter how justified the circumstances might have seemed. For he is starting to think that if humans and sentient robots aren't entirely different entities after all, then does that make him not so much a hero as a cold-blooded killer in his eyes?
Rubbing his temples with his fingers, massaging away the tension building up inside him, Danny opened his eyes and announced, "I'm just defending myself," reassuring himself that there's nothing wrong with fighting back when someone tries to end his life, no matter what their kind or form may be.
The moral dilemma swirling within him was a heavy burden to bear, one that threatened to consume him whole if he wasn't careful. "I'll figure this out later," he told himself firmly. "For now, I need rest."
Forcing his legs forward, he continued onward with his mission to head back to bed and take a good rest, even though it was already morning, knowing that tomorrow would bring new challenges for him to face.
Not wanting to think about it anymore; he needed sleep to clear his mind and recharge his body. As he reached further in this hall, Danny suddenly remembered something of importance in his interaction with the maniac, who had recently tried to kill him in the middle of the forest at night.
Danny hadn't forgotten about their little conversation together, especially the person who hired him just to kill his own livelihood: "What kind of person would want me dead? I didn't do anything wrong, not as I know off."
Prior to waking up in a strange world without memory of who he was, the idea that there is someone out there who wants him dead over something he doesn't even understand yet makes no sense whatsoever: "could I kill someone who is innocent?" bringing back the topic of him being a murderer.
It was laughable at first; thinking something like that he was some serial killer is surely just the wild imagination of a lunatic. But now, after remembering the very words from the hired assassin's mouth, it hits him hard that maybe there is some truth to this claim.
"I don't want to believe it," Danny said aloud, shaking his head as if trying to dislodge the troubling thoughts, "but what if... what if I really did kill someone or worse?" When the purple-haired guy mentioned Cilent, who wanted Danny dead,
Who was he? Was he himself also an assassin? The thought of him being the same as Daimon makes his stomach churn with disgust and fear. "I need answers," Danny muttered, reminding himself of his real mission for staying with the head doctor: "to know who I was."
Aside from falling down with the escape pod, there isn't much information about who his previous idenity is. Whatever it was, he doubts being anything but good when people are now literally sending assassins after his life for what he doesn't know.
Whoever he was, it shouldn't be a concern for him right now at this very moment; Danny needs to focus on caring for himself first before figuring out who he once was. He will face this problem later, when his head is clearer and his body is stronger.
It's always one step at a time, one challenge after another, just to thrive in a post-apocalyptic world where danger lurks in every corner they can think of.
At least he is not alone; he has made some new friends along the way when Unity and he are getting close to each other, including Hansel as well.
Turning around to the next hallway, Danny pushed on forward before reaching a set of stairs leading to the second floor, where he would find another set of hallways. Rather of an empty one, it had people moving about—doctors, nurses, and patients—all living their lives together within these hospital walls.
The atmosphere was much more lively than the empty halls he walked through earlier, filled with the hum of conversation and the soft clatter of medical equipment from the very walls themselves.
Letting out a sigh of relief, Danny felt a sense of comfort wash over him as he took in the sight of his fellow survivors going about their daily routines, a stark contrast to the isolation and loneliness that had been his constant companion up until now.
Smiling slightly, he feels a warmth spread through his chest at the thought of being part of something bigger than himself, of having found a place where he belonged. People of all backgrounds are huddling together as a strong community that supports each other in times of need.
Strolling past through the crowd, his shoes calmly touching the ground with every step, he noticed the various patients he passed, each with their own unique stories and struggles.
Some lay in beds, their bodies wracked with pain or illness, while others moved about on crutches or in wheelchairs, their faces etched with resilience from facing the terrible ills that befell them.
Few of them looked at him with curiosity, wondering who this new face was among their ranks, not realizing he was already living amongst them.
As he continued onward with his business, at the corner of his eyes, where an open door leads to numerous patients laying on their comfortable beds, stood a couple of meters away from him the head doctor himself, who is currently comforting a ten-year-old child named Toby who has been abused by someone unknown.
The boy's wrist was wrapped in bandages, evidence of the physical torment he had endured. Hansel's words of comfort and reassurance seemed to soothe the child somewhat, but Danny could see the deep sadness and fear still lingering in the boy's eyes.
Turning around and stopping once again, Danny thought about entering the room and confronting them about their issues but decided against it, seeing someone being helped by someone who is far more compassionate than he is right now.
Instead, he chose to just observe from a distance, watching as the doctor and patient interacted, studying the way Hansel's expression softened with empathy and the gentle touch of his hand on Toby's shoulder as he spoke words of hope or healing altogether.
The scene before him was a powerful reminder of the good that could be found in this broken world, of the capacity for kindness and compassion that still existed despite all the darkness and despair.
Seeing this, Danny understood clearly that he doesn't need to be there with them, for the head doctor has everything under control. Although he does wonder what they are saying, he cannot hear them clearly when there are many people making sounds around the building itself.
But he knows that whatever it is, Hansel will take care of it, for he seems like someone who truly cares for others, someone Danny himself can look up to as an example of how to live a life of purpose and meaning.
With a small smile on his face, he turned around and moved onward with a positive note in his heart that would help him push forward through the challenges ahead. It was a nice change from the gloomy hallways and empty rooms he walked through previously.
Being surrounded by other humans is a good change of pace compared to accompanying with Hansel or Unity all the time.
