Episode 10 — Shadows Don't Sleep
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Cold Open — Morning Math
The city was half-asleep, buses yawning smoke into the air, bodegas unlocking gates like reluctant promises. Legend sat on the couch, blunt burning lazy, HUD glowing steady.
[CASH FLOW | +$1,700 Deposited]
Balance: $37,840 → $39,540
The number rose like it always did, but it didn't excite him anymore. It was background music, like a beat under verses he hadn't written yet.
Miles stumbled out of his room, hoodie up, headphones still in, rapping under his breath. He stopped when he saw Legend.
"Bro, I think we gotta do a video. People asking. I'm not tryna lose momentum."
Legend nodded. "Momentum's currency. You spend it or it expires."
"Exactly!" Miles said. "But we can't just shoot it on an iPhone. Gotta rent a space. Lights. Maybe dancers."
Legend snapped $1,500—Balance: $38,040—and slid the bills across the table. "Budget. Spend it like it's yours, not mine."
Miles's grin cracked wide. "I'm gonna make this city see me."
"Make it see the music," Legend corrected. "Not you."
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Scene 1 — Salina's Warning
Salina came out the bedroom, dressed sharp for work, blazer hugging her frame like it had opinions. She poured herself coffee, then leaned on the counter, eyes narrowed.
"You know men keep asking me who I'm with, right? They're not subtle. Some of them don't even hide their interest."
Legend shrugged. "You tell them the truth?"
She walked over, sat on his lap bold, kissed his cheek. "That I'm yours. Always yours. Even if it kills me."
The HUD pulsed quietly.
[Influence: Salina — Loyalty Reinforced → Permanent Bond]
He rested his forehead against hers. "Then let them talk. Lowkey doesn't mean invisible. It means untouchable."
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Scene 2 — The Syndicate's Test
That night, another call came. Syndicate boss. Voice gravel.
"Legend. Small job. Two drops. No muscle, just presence. We want to see if people listen when it's you carrying the bag."
Legend exhaled smoke. "And if they don't?"
"Then you make them listen. Payout's ten stacks."
Legend agreed, pulled on a jacket, and tucked $500 snapped cash into his pocket—Balance: $37,540—quiet insurance.
The first drop was smooth: a handoff in a parking lot, cash for favors, no noise. The second wasn't.
Two men at the spot, already arguing. They wanted more than the envelope. One sneered. "Syndicate sending bums now? Where's the muscle?"
Legend snapped $200—Balance: $37,340—and tossed it on the ground. "That's muscle. Take it or leave it."
The man bent, grabbed it, eyes greedy. The other still looked ready to test him. Legend cracked his knuckles, HUD glowing.
[Cash Knuckle Armed: -$100]
Balance: $37,240
The swing landed on the wall next to the man's face, bricks cracking. His eyes widened, bravado draining.
"Message delivered," Legend said.
They left quiet. The mission finished.
[Mission Complete: +$10,000] → Balance: $47,240
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Scene 3 — Miles's New Eyes
Back home, Miles was buzzing. "Bro, I shot the video! Clean as hell. But some dude at the studio asked who's funding me. Said if it's not him, I'll regret it."
Legend frowned. "Describe him."
Miles shrugged. "Tall, sharp suit, smile that didn't smile. Called himself 'an investor.' Left a card with no name."
Legend took the card. Blank white. Just a number. He burned it over the ashtray without a word.
"Was that important?" Miles asked.
"Too important," Legend said.
The HUD blinked.
[Collector Influence: Expanding — Now targeting associates.]
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Scene 4 — Salina Tested
Later that night, Salina came home shaken. She poured herself wine with a trembling hand.
"What happened?" Legend asked.
"Some man stopped me outside the train. Said I was wasting myself with you. Said he could offer me more. He… knew my name. My job. Even my old address."
Legend's jaw tightened. "What'd you do?"
"I laughed," she said, then climbed into his lap, straddling him, kissing him rough. "And told him I'd die before leaving you."
The HUD pulsed.
[Influence: Salina — Tested and Proven. Loyalty Absolute.]
Legend kissed her back, fierce. "Good. Because I don't lose what's mine."
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Scene 5 — The Collector's Shadow
When the apartment finally quieted, Legend sat alone, smoke curling, HUD dim. A knock came. Too soft.
He opened the door to nothing—just another envelope on the floor.
Inside: a photo.
Miles in the studio.
Salina outside her job.
Legend on the block, smoking.
Three lives, printed clean, angles sharp like surveillance.
The note read: I don't need to touch you to own you.
Legend crumpled the paper, snapped $100—Balance: $47,140—and burned it into ash.
The HUD flared red.
[Quest Escalation: Collector closing distance.]
[Recommendation: Stay lowkey. Build reserves. Protect anchors.]
Legend muttered, "Always lowkey. Always ready."
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Scene 6 — Closing Beat
He sprawled back on the couch, Salina asleep in the bedroom, Miles humming bars through his headphones in the next room. The HUD ticked again.
[CASH FLOW | +$1,700 Deposited] → Balance: $48,840
He snapped $200—Balance: $48,640—rolled the bills and stuffed them in a jar on the shelf. Emergency fund. For whatever came next.
The HUD whispered across his eyes like a warning:
[Survival Odds: 57% → Rising if lowkey maintained.]
Legend grinned around his blunt. "Then I'll stay lowkey forever."