37 Another Fragment - An Enemy? (1/2)

”Subject 00457,” the girl grins. ”Exterminate the intruders.”

”H-hold on!” Anna—the hologram beside Ephraim and the task force—interrupts, which made the girl claiming to be the 'real Anna' to raise her arm as if to gesture the creature to halt. Ephraim looked over the creature—it was ghastly-looking, with deteriorating flesh and putrid smell. It also was five times larger than that of a normal person, its back bigger than it was supposed to. It also had a face, with two eyes and a dripping mouth. Compared to the other creatures Ephraim and the task force have encountered—this one looked . . . human.

”Hunchback, hold on a sec.” The girl says. ”What is it, Impersonator?”

'Impersonator?' Ephraim thought to himself as he glances towards Anna.

”Who are you?” Anna asks the girl.

”As I said, I am Project A. NN3331-a,” says the girl. ”Project ANN-a, or just simply . . . Anna.”

”How could that be?” Anna exclaims. ”I am Anna!”

”You humor me,” the girl exclaims. ”There is no way Anna looked like that,”

”I am her fragment!” Anna says, ”and I know Anna's programming. You're . . . different!”

”How rude,” the 'real' Anna says as she twirls her black hair. ”I am being mocked by a mere fragment. I never thought the day would come that such imitator would insult me,”

Anna scowls as the girl disappeared from their sight—and then,

”Looking for me?” She asks. Ephraim blinked and then Esmeralda squealed as she jumps back from her place towards Berthold, who supported her from falling. The 'real' Anna was now beside the Anna they know.

And it was such a sight to behold. The two of them portrayed night and day—Anna who had curly blond hair complementing her blue eyes and white dress—and 'real' Anna with her straight black hair paired with her blood-red eyes and rubicund-scarlet dress. Ephraim then met the bloodshot gaze of Realna—or Real Anna, he says to his mind to avoid complications.

”Oh,” Realna exclaims. ”How fascinating,” the girl then transported towards Ephraim in the blink of an eye. She neither floated nor walk . . . she just appeared right in front of him, their gazes locked to each other. Hers with evident fascination, and Ephraim with his usual measured gaze, with an appalled expression. This girl . . . did she just teleport towards him?

”Oh, you remind me of someone.” The girl says, and then as Ephraim blinked she dissolved into pixels until she once again was a distance afore the team, standing upright with the opened vault behind as she stood alongside the large creature she called ”Subject 00457.”

”All of you seemed like you existed in the era I liked the least,” says Realna. ”So it's better to wait for another decade than to tolerate all of you,”

”What are you saying—” Anna starts.

”Shut up, Mimic,” Realna exclaims.

”No, I don't understand this. Who are you?!”

Realna then swiped downwards, with tabs appearing in front of her—the ones similar to Anna. The entirety of the space appeared to tinge with a blood-red hue as the lights turned to a crimson shade. A warning sign appeared as more creatures from earlier started to swarm the whole vicinity.