The next morning came much too early, and Max was not at all prepared for the horrendous noise that his alarm made in the quiet apartment. The sound was familiar, it had woken him for dozens of shifts and patrols in the past, but inside a building, without the sound of war all around him, instead of a mecha cockpit, it just seemed out of place and overly aggressive.
He had set it to go off a full hour before he needed to be at work, giving him time to shower, dress and eat, but he soon realized that he had overlooked one important factor. He had arrived yesterday and unpacked all his gear, but this was not Stalwart. There was no stash of Ration packs, there was no Unit kitchen mere meters away, and he hadn't gone grocery shopping.