“So…...what’s your name?” Elias asked.

They were eating combread in the dining area after the girl had woken up. Elias had gotten little sleep himself, drifting in and out of consciousness before he saw the girl move out from her bed. He had been too nervous to sleep close to her in one of the beds, so he’d fetched some thick blankets from the storage to lie on.

It hadn’t been good for his bones, but he didn’t care. There was finally someone in front of him.

“No name,” the girl muttered, nibbling on her food. Her jaws moved mechanically, chewing on the pieces of bread she’d torn like they were synced to a metronome. Not really normal, but at least she could communicate.

“Okay. Let me rephrase. Who are you?” he asked again, taking a bite out of his meal. “What are you doing here?”

“A mission. I must eliminate a hazard before it breaches the area,” she replied, pushing another piece into her mouth. She managed to make it look so tasteless.

“Hazard? Do you mean the Shadows?”

“Shadows?”

Elias flailed his arms. “The black corpses that move around.” His heart sank when she shook her head.

“No. Those are not why I am here. I am here for the one behind the Shadows.”

His hope returned. “Which is?”

“My copy,” she said bluntly.

“Copy?”

She nodded. “We share the same genetic code. I was created to deal with her in case things spun out of control. But she is much more powerful than me. If I die, another will take my place.”

“Oh.”

They ate in silence, but soon, Elias had another question.

“What were those dogs that attacked you?” he asked, glancing at her neck. The bandages and stitches were off, and all that remained were lines of pink flesh where the cuts had been.

“They came with me as support,” she said, “but something in the city hijacked their systems.”

“About that. Who sent you?”

Elias felt his heart beat faster as he awaited her reply. But she only blinked, chewing without a care in the world. Her expression never changed.

“All I know is that I was sent to eliminate the danger,” she said, wiping her lips. “That is my purpose in life. It does not matter who I am, or who sent me.”

“Was it Workman?” Elias questioned.

“I do not know.”

“Where did you come from?”

“I do not know. I was sent here through a vehicle.”

“And where is this vehicle?”

“It left.”

“Is there any way you can ask for help? Do you have any communication systems?”

“No. Seeing that there is an unknown interference in the city, all comms must be destroyed.”

“That’s stupid!” Elias cried with more emotion than he’d intended. The girl didn’t even react. Taking in a deep breath, he held his hands together and exhaled slowly.

“That doesn’t make sense,” he reasoned. “Whoever sent you couldn’t have sent you just for you to die.”

“I have an implant in my spine that transfers my memories when I die,” she answered. “I am a scout sent to collect information. I will do my mission.”

“And once you’ve completed it?”

“Then I will await further instructions.”

Elias opened his mouth, but the words failed to form. It was unbelievable to him that such a beautiful girl would be treated as cannon fodder, much less abandoned in the middle of nowhere. He felt anger against Workman who had let things progress like this—the supervisor of everything had sent him here without any explanation, and now her? It didn’t make any sense, but Workman was the only plausible culprit.

There was something wrong with the world, and he was too small to see it.

“You said you’re here to kill your clone,” Elias spoke, organizing his thoughts. Crystal had told him to seek out the root of the problem. There had to be a reason why he had been sent here. “You’re saying that your clone created all of the Shadows.”

“Yes.”

“Does that mean that you can create them too?”

The girl shook her head. “I do not possess her abilities. I merely have a small extent of her power.”

“Like healing,” Elias noted. “Can you shoot invisible bullets?” he asked, remembering the strange projectiles that had caused him anxiety for a while.

“I’ve never tried. I can use telekinesis, yes. But it tires me.”

“That—that’s absolutely incredible,” Elias breathed.

He had seen nightmarish Shadows that couldn’t possibly be explained with science, but superpowers? Suddenly, he felt like he’d discovered something his friends could never dream of—he knew he had become a part of something bigger, and his excitement began to boil.

“You are thrilled,” the girl observed, staring at his face like a mannequin, eyes unblinking. Despite her beauty, it sent small goosebumps over his skin. Was this girl even human?

“I am,” Elias agreed. “How could you tell?”

“What do you mean?” she asked. “It shows.”

“On my face?”

“No. I can feel it.”

Elias raised an eyebrow. “I’m not sure about you, but people usually show their emotions on their faces.”

“Really?”

“Yeah.”

“I see.”

The girl then proceeded to squint her left eye while showing her teeth, distorting her face into a funny shape. The bizarreness of the sudden performance made Elias forget to react, and he watched the scene unfold with a good amount of confusion.

“What was that?” he said.

“I expressed my gratitude,” she told him, reverting to her blank expression. “I suspect that you cannot see my emotions, so I conveyed it with my face.”

“No.” He placed one hand over his cheek. “That’s totally wrong.”

“I suppose it doesn’t matter,” she said, getting up from her seat. “Where are my clothes? I require my weapon and bags.”

“You’re leaving? You almost died.”

“I do not die so easily,” she stated. “Where are my belongings? I must go search for information.”

“......no.”

“No?”

“No,” Elias repeated, more firmly this time. He didn’t want her to leave. He couldn’t be alone again. “You won’t have to go out. I have all the information you’ll need.”

“That will be convenient.”

“Besides, I had a look at your equipment. You only have a handful of ammo and clothes that are soaked in blood. You can’t go out there like that. The Shadows will rip you apart during the night. And if you happen to come across that clone of yours—”

Elias gulped. “She’ll blow your head right off of your shoulders.”

“And it will be valuable data.”

He couldn’t believe his ears. “What?”

“When I die, the memories I possess will—”

“No, no, no, enough with that,” Elias interrupted, his head rotating through the hundreds of solutions he could offer to keep the girl from going. “You said that your machine dogs were hacked. What makes you think that your data transfer won’t be corrupted?”

He didn’t know much about technology, but he’d read about them in his books and seen them in movies. He just hoped his nonsense would make some sense to her.

“You have a point,” she agreed, “but why are you so nervous?”

“I don’t know. Maybe I don’t want to be alone again,” he said honestly. Somehow, talking with the girl had become much easier after realizing that she wasn’t exactly right in the head. Perhaps it was the difference between their values, but he knew he had to do everything to keep her from leaving. “You shouldn’t throw away your life like that. You were sent here to kill someone, but you’re this unprepared?”

“I was prepared when I had the dogs with me,” she said, “but with them gone, there is little I can do alone.”

“So you’re just going to commit suicide?”

“That’s a crude way of putting it. I will collect information, and I will strive to fulfill my mission. That is why I was brought into existence—that is the reason for my being.”

“There has to be more than that.”

She shook her head. “Sadly, I do not know of it. Do not worry so much. I will stay with you and hear what you have to say. Preparation is necessary, after all.”

And she’d said everything with a blank face. Elias wondered if there was an automaton beneath her skin. Crystal had been much more human, and she was an SPC.

Elias scratched his cheek, not sure of where to look while the girl watched him, chewing on her food. With a sigh, he took a swig out of his cup and emptied it, putting the item down on the table with a small thunk.

“You are worried.”

“I know, okay?” he cried, the blood rushing into his face. “You don’t need to spell it out for me.” He crossed his arms and gave her a good look. She looked back, impassive like a doll.

“You feel affection for me. Why? Did we not only meet today?”

“Okay, First of all, it’s a little less than affection,” Elias stated, his eyebrows rising. “Secondly, you’re the first person I’ve seen in a million years, so maybe it’s natural that I don’t want to see you go.”

“Surely you lie about waiting for a million years. The oldest person—”

“It’s an expression,” he told her. Some time passed before she spoke again.

“You are lonely,” she concluded.

“Heck, yeah!” Elias cried. “I am so, seriously lonely. I’d appreciate it if you didn’t leave so soon.”

“I understand. I will stay until you have told me everything,” she said. “I will leave after I have prepared sufficiently.”

“Well—I mean—fine,” Elias sighed, but he hadn’t given up yet. “At least let me help you with your mission. Two is better than one, right?”

“You might die.”

“That’s exactly what I’ve been—” he threw his hands up in the air, “oh, whatever. Yeah, sure.”

“Thank you for your assistance.”

“Could you not speak like that? It feels like I’m speaking to a robot. No, wait. Even robots don’t speak like that. The point is,” he summarized after seeing her bored face (whether she really was bored, he couldn’t tell), “you can be more casual.”

“I don’t know how to speak in a casual manner,” she stated.

“I can’t speak casually,” Elias told her. “See? Just condense your sentences.”

“I will try.”

“No, again.”

“I’ll try?”

“Better,” he smiled. In a moment of clarity, he wondered what he was doing. He shook his head. If there was only one person to talk to, he at least wanted to be friendly with them.

“You feel embarrassed.”

“Okay, enough with that—”

After so long, he’d found a person to talk to.

⤙ ◯ ⤚

He hadn’t been this wary since the day Crystal had died.

Carefully, Elias followed the girl through the streets of the city while tightly holding on to his MUP—now in the form of a spear. While he’d traveled with Crystal during most of his explorations, it was much different walking with a real person; her footsteps made him jump every time they made too much noise.

He’d never realized what a coward he’d become, but who could blame him? There was the danger of being blasted out of nowhere. The city’s cameras seemed to follow them wherever he walked, watching their every move. Not to mention the Shadows that could be lurking in the buildings.

Where had his courage gone? Where was his determination? Now that he’d met someone, was his resolve coming to an end?

“You’re anxious,” the girl said to him without even turning around. Her helmet was on now, and her voice came out muffled. “You can leave if you feel unwell.”

“Considering the fact that we could be killed in an instant, I think this much anxiety is healthy,” Elias said, his eyes not leaving the skyscrapers. “Fear is necessary for survival. I think you’re too rash.”

“I am simply doing the necessary.”

“You should be more scared of death, I think,” Elias advised, furrowing his eyebrows. He still hated himself for not being able to convince the girl, but he couldn’t just sit back and let her disappear. “Once you’re dead, that’s it. You cease to exist, and nothing can change it.”

“All things must meet their end.”

“Not this soon!” he whispered, trying to keep his voice in check. Speaking loudly didn’t make him feel safe at all. “How old are you anyway?”

“Biologically, approximately eighteen.”

“What do you mean, ‘biologically?’ Does that mean your mental age is different?”

“It has been two months since I’ve gained consciousness, so yes.”

“Two months?”

“However, I have memories that I have not experienced. So it makes it difficult for me to determine my true age.”

Elias could only shake his head. “That explains why you’re so...unique.”

“Thank you.”

He hadn’t meant it as a compliment, but he didn’t have the heart to tell her.

“You’re welcome,” he said instead.

They were walking to a place called a ‘data center,’ since that was the place she’d been instructed to visit once she’d entered the city. Why she’d been where Elias had met her was a mystery—perhaps she hadn’t known the way. They’d plotted out their path through the map on the monosphere, after all.

“I hope the city doesn’t have any other drones of destruction,” Elias muttered, eyeing the sniper rifle on the girl’s back. He hadn’t been interested in the weaponry that the world had (except in games), but there were bound to be ones that flew around. He doubted that either of them could hit a flying target.

“That won’t be a problem,” she stated. “I was caught off guard before, but I can hit everything I put my eyes on.”

“Really.”

“You don’t believe it.”

She turned around, her face covered by her helmet. “This,” she said, tapping on the armor, “has a built-in tracking system that allows me to determine the perfect angle to aim the rifle with.”

“Are you sure? It didn’t do anything when I wore it.”

“The helmet was designed to only work for me,” she told him, “to prevent enemy use.”

“I see.”

At this point, he didn’t really care. Heck, she had supernatural powers. So what if she could hit every shot she took? No, he wasn’t worried about her as much as he was worried about himself. He’d be gurgling in his own puddle of blood while she continued, focused only on her mission.

He wanted to leave and stay safe in his shelter, but he couldn’t. She was beautiful, and she was here. He’d lost too much due to his stupidity before.

“Why have you become downcast?” the girl asked, taking a step towards him. “Did not being able to use the helmet disappoint you?”

“Nah, I don’t care about the helmet,” he told her. “I just remembered something sad.”

“I see.”

If only Crystal was still here. There was little uncertainty with her around. She never left him to die, nor did she lead him towards danger. On purpose, at least.

“Then what do you worry about?” she asked again, coming even closer. He could feel her eyes on him even though they were covered behind her mask.

“The past,” he answered. “The present. The future. My life. I don’t want to die.”

An eerie silence descended on the conversation, but Elias kept his eyes on the visor until the girl turned around and began walking again.

“I do not understand your emotions,” she said, not giving him a second glance. “You are strange.”

“That’s what I’d like to say,” he sighed, finishing his sentence with a short laugh.

“We don’t have much in common. Yet why do you insist on helping me?”

“I told you. I’m lonely. It would be better to die than to be alone again.”

“Really? You would rather die?”

“Not literally—it just feels that way. I don’t know. Can’t you read my emotions?”

“They are undoubtedly fascinating.”

“Same goes for you,” he mumbled under his breath. His eyes widened when the girl thanked him. Of course, her ears had to be good as well.

After what felt like hours of walking, Elias raised his head when the girl pointed towards a structure in the distance and motioned to him.

“There,” she said. “That’s where the servers are. If we find a way in, we’ll be able to access everything there is to know about the city.”

It was a square building, surrounded by a thick, low wall. Well, low when compared to the city’s walls, but still tall enough to tower over them. He was beginning to worry about how they would get in when he spotted something that induced a small groan from him.

There had been gates—which were now torn open. The metal barriers had been bent and twisted out of shape, crushed by inhuman means. Out of the corner of his eye, he thought he spotted something like finger marks on the surface of the metal, as if someone had gripped it—and squeezed it into submission. With bare hands.

“Hey, uh, how strong are you?” Elias asked, looking around. Contrary to the wreck, the place was quieter than a graveyard.

“Strong enough to use my weapon,” the girl told him. “Don’t worry. I will protect you if anything happens.”

That was a surprise. “You will?”

“I must protect my allies, should I not?”

Elias nodded strongly. “No, that’s exactly right.”

The destruction was worse on the inside. Stumps of ripped wires and iron frames lay scattered around the walls, and a pop of electricity or two would make Elias flinch once in a while. The floor was covered in dust and rubble, and while some lights hung on the ceiling, many of them were shattered beyond repair. The two of them navigated through the dimly lit building and eventually, set their eyes on the source of what would have been their hope—if it hadn’t been so mangled.

“This must have been the servers,” she examined, picking up a piece of broken circuitry from the ground.

“This is it?” They’d come here for nothing? Elias didn’t want to believe it. “Isn’t there more? This can’t be it. A whole city wouldn’t have a server room that’s this small.”

It was a large room, perhaps bigger than the station, but the city was much bigger. All of the city’s regulations, trafficking, data transfer—all processed by a device the size of a large room. Had technology advanced that far?

And it was now all destroyed. No, he knew that technology was far beyond what he could imagine. But this couldn’t be it, could it? They had to find something.

“This is it,” the girl confirmed, throwing the scrap away. “The central processing system is destroyed. We will now have to explore the city the manual way.”

“The manual way,” Elias repeated.

“By walking around.”

“You don’t know how dangerous that is.”

“I won’t know until I try.”

“Look around you!” Elias cried, heat rushing to his face. There was this indescribable plug that had blocked his anxiety underneath, but his patience was running low. The pressure was going to make him burst. “Your clone can do more than just shoot invisible bullets. Heck, I don’t even know why she kept me alive. For entertainment? The point is, we’re not safe. At all. We can’t just walk around the city!”

She only stared, observing him—and his emotions, he thought. He took the awkward moment to breathe in and out.

“Alright, fine,” he surrendered, bashing his MUP spear into the ground in frustration. “Let’s get on with it. We can’t stay out here when the sun goes down.”

“Agreed.”

They made their way out of the building and headed for the streets once more. While Elias had been keen on taking the monosphere around the city, the girl had refused him, saying that it would hinder her ability to shoot and collect information. It wasn’t difficult for him, walking so much; his legs were experienced. But the thought of dying without even knowing it made every step sag with worry.

Eventually, while the girl used her gadgets to examine a nearby building’s camera footage, he reconstructed his MUP into a shield. It sucked that the shelter didn’t have any helmets, and he regretted not bringing his bulletproof jacket with him. He’d worn the shelter-provided one out of habit, since they were that much more comfortable. He doubted that his old jacket could protect him against the thing that had destroyed Crystal’s bulletproof drone, but it would have made him feel a little more comfortable.

“Why are you so anxious?” the girl asked him, returning from her short exploration. “There is no one nearby.”

“There is a sniper out there who killed my friend. I think I told you that,” he muttered, testing his shield by rapidly putting it over his face. He was still strong enough to use it properly.

“Don’t worry. I don’t sense anyone,” the girl assured. “I will tell you when someone comes near.”

He snorted. “I doubt you could see people through walls.”

“In fact, I can.”

“Huh? How?”

“I don’t see them, but sense them—much like how I read your emotions. Life gives off certain waves by existing, and I can feel them.”

Elias placed a hand on his hip. “Let’s say that it’s true. But snipers can shoot up to two kilometers. And your detection range is?”

“Quite a lot. You can trust me.”

“I recall that you were about to be killed when I first met you.”

“Machines are harder to detect because they are not alive.”

With nothing tangible he could see, Elias couldn’t exactly fully trust the girl’s claims, but she didn’t have a reason to lie to him. Probably. He wasn’t sure, but it was a fact that she did have supernatural powers. He’d seen her heal, and he’d seen her lift a cup with her mind.

Besides, if the mysterious entity wanted to kill him, she would have done it sooner. Why hadn’t she barged into the station he was staying in and pulled the building down on his face? So far, he was safe.

Probably.

“If you can do this detection thing,” he said, connecting the dots, “then so can the other clone. And you said she’s more powerful than you.”

“Yes. She can do everything I can and more.”

“Aren’t we kind of screwed then?”

“Maybe. But it has been a while since her movements were detected. Either she has been sleeping for a very long time, or she is dead.”

“Oh, really?”

The girl nodded. “Using power takes a lot of energy. The abominations she has created—Shadows, you call them—were all created through her power and are maintained by it. To control a city’s worth of people would mean expending it tirelessly, lest they lose their essence and decompose.”

“So she can’t control dead bodies.”

“Not that I am aware of.”

“That’s good,” Elias said, feeling lighter. Come to think of it, he had been seeing fewer Shadows through the cameras of the station. There had been nights when no Shadows had appeared at all. It was one of the reasons why he’d come out to explore—a small motivation to keep him going.

How foolish must he have looked in the eyes of the girl? Lack of information was a terrible thing.

A terrible thing.

They explored the city some more, mostly the girl leading him around in search of traces of her clone. They ate when her stomach growled, which was unexpected for Elias since it was so different from the image he’d had of her. Then again, she had a body that could lift a large rifle with one arm. She was bound to burn through a lot of fuel.

She looked so much better without her helmet, and he couldn’t help but admire her while she nibbled on her packet of combread.

“You are less anxious now,” she commented. “Does my appearance please you?”

“What kind of question is that?” Elias frowned, quickly turning to his bag. He fetched a candy bar from it and offered it to her. “I was wondering how you managed to make your food look so bland. I don’t think combread tastes that bad. Try some of this.”

Honestly, he was a little sick of it, but like normal bread or rice, it had become a staple for him. He could enjoy it to some degree. Yet she ate it like she was eating paper.

She accepted the candy bar and peeled it, taking a small bite. Again, her expression didn’t change.

“This is sweet,” she remarked, inspecting it. Somehow, watching her eat reminded him of a memory from long ago.

“Yeah,” he agreed.

For the first time in a long time, he felt comfortable. He felt like he had a place in the world, sitting there with a girl whose name he did not know. Had the circumstances been less abnormal, he could consider it a date.

Did you just really think that?

“Let’s go.”

“Huh? Yeah,” he responded, getting up. After stuffing the remains into his bag, they began to walk again, entering different buildings they passed. Thankfully, they didn’t run into any Shadows.

Before the orange sky transformed into blue, they returned to the station. After closing all of the entrances, he prepared for his evening training routine after preparing his MUP staff. The girl had gone inside to do whatever she’d been instructed to do—probably looking over the results she’d collected through the station’s computers.

Sweat rolled down his back as he put more force into his swings than usual. Was he conscious of the girl? Maybe, but that wasn’t it. There was finally hope. Hope that the nightmare could end—hope that he could finally return to his old world.

There, Crystal would be waiting for him.

“What are you training for?”

When he turned around, the girl was in front of him, holding a towel. She’d changed into loose pajamas provided by the station, which he hadn’t expected.

“Self-preservation, maybe?” he replied, setting his pole down with a huff. “And there’s nothing else to do.”

The last part was a lie, since he’d found new books to read. But he wanted to show off, if only a little.

“Your movements don’t flow,” she said, walking over to a bench. “You have too many openings. You should fight with a gun, not a staff.”

“Well, I don’t have ammo,” he sighed, eyeing the towel. It wasn't for him?

He turned his head when the girl suddenly took off her shirt. When he took a peek, he saw that she was wearing a tight undergarment similar to her jacket, but with no sleeves and thinner fabric.

He had no idea where she’d gotten it. Last time he’d stripped her, she’d only had sports underwear on. That sounded weird. Had he known she was alive...well, he hadn’t. He doubted she would care either way, given her complexion.

Wait...hadn’t her heart stopped beating?

“You won’t improve if you practice alone,” she stated, stretching her arms. “Since you’ve helped me, let me help you. It’s preferable if my ally possesses a means of defending himself.”

“I’d be honored,” he thanked, shaking the thought away. “Are you sure you want to fight bare-handedly?”

“It will be more than enough. Come. Swing it at me.”

With a shrug, Elias flexed his muscles and threw an overhead strike towards the girl. He almost shouted when the pole stopped mid-air and a hand touched his neck.

“The greatest advantage of a staff is its length and its versatility,” she explained, rolling her fingers around the item. Elias let go, and the staff reappeared in her hands.

He noticed that she was holding the staff so that its base was pointing towards his eyes.

“By holding it like this, you can fool your opponent,” she said, throwing the weapon. It swished by his ear, causing his hair to flutter. He hadn't been able to react to it.

“Each strike must connect to the next,” she went on, twisting the staff. Suddenly, his other ear felt the whiz of wind.

“I can do that much,” Elias told her, grabbing the pole. “I could take on twenty Shadows if I tried.”

She let go of the weapon. “The Shadows are easy to hit.”

“Good for me.”

“I suppose.”

“It’s not like I’ll be the one to fight your clone, right?” he said, doing some cool tricks Crystal had taught him. The fast swinging motions were horrible for combat, but they put on a good performance.

He felt blood rush to his face when he dropped the staff, causing it to crash on the floor. He picked it up before the girl could say anything.

“I think I’m done for today,” he announced, wiping some sweat on his sleeve. “Did you take a shower? You could take one first.”

“Do you have anything else to do?”

“Not really. Why?”

“Why not take a shower together? It would save time.”

“Yeah, no,” he refused, wiping more sweat off with his shirt. “That’s not appropriate. Didn’t they teach you about morals?”

“Not particularly.”

“Guys and girls don’t shower together,” and saying it made him recall another bad memory, which he frantically struggled to push away. “Go first. I can do more muscle-training.”

“Okay.”

After she’d left, he went ahead and began to do push-ups. A few minutes later, he realized with a groan that she’d offered to help him and even went as far as to bring a towel with her in case she sweat. She’d taken her shirt off, and he’d sent her away to take a shower. Was he out of his mind? A beautiful girl had come to instruct him and he’d refused her out of stupid pride.

It hadn’t felt good when he couldn’t see her strikes. Even with everything Crystal had given him, he was useless in the face of everything.

He jammed a fist into the ground while doing a plank. In the end, he couldn’t solve anything.

It didn’t help that the girl could read his insecurities. Gosh, he wanted to be reliable, not pathetic. The time he’d spent with Crystal had made him a complaining, reliant individual, and he felt it crawl up his throat like vomit. He didn’t like it.

Would she tolerate him? She wasn’t normal either. He wondered if she could become irritated.

“I’m done,” she said, appearing out of the control room, her hair still wet. “Are you okay? I felt many things from you.”

“I’m perfectly fine,” he said, slapping his cheeks. He hadn’t known that she could feel him through the walls. “Normal people like me tend to go through lots of emotions when thinking.” Probably. It couldn’t only be him, could it?

She nodded. “I see. I’m glad that the sight of me has—”

“I’m going to go take a shower,” he interrupted, rushing to the shelter.

I could never grow used to this. Wait, didn’t Crystal do the same thing?

Sighing, he hoped that they wouldn’t be killed before he learned more things about her.

He wasn’t aware of the numerous eyes that watched him from beyond the station’s walls. The whole city had its eyes on him—and they waited, still as frozen corpses. Not a single one had its attention elsewhere.

Elias slept in the bed opposite the girl’s that night. It didn’t feel as exciting as he’d expected.

And he was glad for that.