XX-04 Awakens
XX-04
"You're awake. How's your body feeling?"
My head turned naturally toward the voice.
There was a woman who looked like an adult crouched there.
[XX-02]
On the half-rotted, tattered top she was wearing, there was such a name tag pinned to it.
I glanced down at my own chest—
[XX-04]
I realized there was a name tag attached to me too, differing only by the last digit.
A flurry of questions flashed through my mind.
What did this name tag mean?
[XX-03]
Where was [XX-03]?
Unfortunately, coming up with a clear answer seemed nearly impossible.
"Hey...? You're really okay, right...?"
Judging from the fleeting glimpses I'd caught before regaining my senses, perhaps she and I had both ended up here as test subjects.
"Can you see me, by any chance?"
The woman waved her arm right in front of my face. My guess wasn't entirely off—her arm was covered in various marks... probably scars from needle injections.
My arms were the same.
"I... think I can see you fine."
Even though I hadn't opened my mouth, she answered on her own.
"Do you remember anything?"
The woman, who nodded a couple of times, asked again.
Memories.
That single word dragged everything dormant in my head back to the surface. Strangely, every scene came back with crystal clarity.
From my five years as a soldier to being shot by my company commander.
Emotions began to boil up inside me bit by bit. I wanted to spill it all out loud, but...
"......"
I never opened my mouth.
Why?
If she was truly in the same boat as me—a test subject locked in here—pouring out everything and leaning on each other would likely be a huge help.
"Huh? If something comes to mind, will you tell me?"
But I could sense it instinctively.
The woman in front of me was unmistakably human.
And I was no longer human—something else.
Not because of how my body looked, but I just knew it.
The strange, wriggling wrongness inside me turned that feeling into certainty.
"No way, you don't remember anything?"
Her tone subtly urged an answer. It was getting hard to ignore her, so I nodded slowly.
"I see... But it's okay! Memories can be recovered over time. I was the same at first."
The woman thumped her chest and flashed a wide smile. Strangely, the face of the company commander who shot me overlapped with hers.
Odd. Her smile didn't feel forced, yet it gave me that vibe.
Maybe this was an aftereffect of the experiment, a symptom of no longer being human.
"......"
I turned my head to survey the place—this seemed like a detention cell.
"Hmm... It's a bit rundown, huh? Still, it's livable enough."
The floor was made of cold alloy. It felt ridiculously sturdy against my skin, as if designed to prevent any escape.
The surrounding walls were the same, exuding a damp, humid chill.
Naturally, no windows or outside light, so the moldy stench that stung my nose constantly tormented my senses.
The only vent-like opening letting in faint outside light was...
"Ah... That? It's where they slide in food. They monitor through it sometimes."
Probably the small barred slot above the thick iron door.
I tried to stand and approach it.
Thud...
My shortened limbs lowered my viewpoint drastically.
My stride was completely different now, so the first two steps were unsteady. All the muscle I'd built up was gone, making it hard to keep balance.
I finally reached the door and leaned against the cold metal, stretching my hand up—but it wasn't easy to reach the slot.
Even standing on tiptoes with a grunt—
"......"
Hmm, no good.
Escaping through that slot would be impossible. Even setting aside the reach, it was way too narrow for a person.
I shuffled back to my spot and sat down, examining my body closely again.
My hands were small and pale, without a single callus. Long, stiff silver hair draped from my shoulders past my waist, rustling over my skin.
I'd roughly grasped the changes. Just as it appeared—a frail girl's form.
Of course, checking my face was tricky. No way a dump like this had a mirror.
"Huh? Did something get on my face?"
So I stared intently at the woman's face.
More precisely, her eyes. As if hearing whispers I shouldn't, I could now see what wasn't visible before.
My eyesight had improved, just a bit. I peered piercingly at my reflection in her pupils.
They were red.
Large, vivid red irises embedded in a pale face. That was the new me.
I nearly lost myself in the sight, but it didn't last long.
Bang! A brutish noise crashed in, an unwelcome intruder.
The iron door flew open roughly. The sole exit opened much sooner than expected.
But I couldn't even dream of running.
Thud.
Three heavily armed soldiers blocked the way.
They wore advanced gas masks—more sophisticated than what I knew—and thick body armor.
Clank. The lead one entered the cell, his gear clashing gratingly.
"[XX-04]. Come here."
He aimed his rifle at me.
The black muzzle glared murderously. I didn't know what ammo was loaded, but one hit would surely kill.
"Didn't you hear? [XX-04]. Come here!"
The barrel targeted my forehead dead center.
Yet I maintained a composed—almost stupid—posture.
Because my recent memory resurfaced.
'No way, you don't remember anything?'
I'd answered affirmatively.
If I pretended to be a researcher, they'd have monitored the subject 24/7.
So acting clueless should at least not backfire.
"Hurry!"
A barked order. His trigger finger trembled. He might actually shoot.
As I started to stand, the woman whispered in my ear.
"...Better go with them. Nothing bad will happen, so don't worry too much."
Encouragement based on experience... or prodding in disguise. No need to hesitate anymore.
I stood and complied.
Clank!
Cold metal shackled my wrists and ankles. A thick blindfold, three layers deep, blocked my vision completely.
Precautions against accidents, probably.
With razor-sharp restraints and a rifle barrel against my back, I was led slowly to another unknown place.
Thud!
We arrived at what was probably another room. Shackles stayed on, blindfold too.
Instead, my upper body was strapped to a chair.
Vision blocked, my hearing sharpened.
"......Hurry!"
"Didn't...!"
Fragments of voices leaked through the wall. Soon the door opened; someone else entered.
Not stiff boots, but the wet slap of bare feet against the floor.
Bang!
The door slammed shut, and the newcomer burst into sobs.
"Nooooo...! I! I'm not...! Not a monster...! I'm...! Human...! Let me out......!"
Her desperate wails filled the room.
She called herself human.
But I knew.
I could feel it. Waves from her weren't much different from mine.
She was a perfect anomaly. She probably knew it too.
"Guhk...!"
About five minutes. Exhausted from wailing, she approached me.
Probably carrying out orders from outside.
"Sorry....... Sorry......"
The woman in front of me muttered endless apologies.
Then—stab.
Something pierced my arm. Sharp and narrow. A needle.
Thud.
Not a great sound. Her clumsy hands tore veins as the needle punctured skin—unpleasant, but not really painful. Maybe my brain wasn't synced with my body yet, or another change.
"Hic...!"
She started sobbing pitifully again. I turned my head toward her as much as possible.
Couldn't see her face, but I tried to meet her eyes.
'It's okay... You're okay.'
I don't know why I sent that comfort her way in my mind.
But faintly, I knew we were connected.
"......"
Her sobs faded. Breathing steadied.
She stopped denying herself or wailing in terror.
This might be my special ability.
Without speaking, I began conversing with her. I figured I could learn a ton from her.
**
One researcher watching the scene let out a gasp of surprise.
"...Are they communicating?"
It was hard to believe.
At least visually, [B-077]'s mental state had returned to normal.
Normally, she'd toss the syringe aside mid-injection... but not this time. Clear proof.
[B-077]
In simple terms, a "self-regenerating humanoid anomaly."
Her amazing regeneration gave her immense value as a test subject, but...
SUBJECT:[B-077]
Subject exhibits severe cognitive and psychological instability. Consistently non-compliant with standard control procedures and direct orders, repeatedly producing meaningless vocalizations and impact sounds, causing extreme auditory disturbance (noise) within the isolation cell.
Her batshit crazy mental state was the problem.
"Yeah... I can see it."
But not now.
The researchers were stunned by the astonishing sight. [XX-04] had stabilized [B-077]. Yes, the two anomalies were communicating.
"Better results than expected? [B-077]'s vitals have stabilized nicely too."
So it was natural for smiles to spread across their faces.
[XX-04] seemed very likely to become what they wanted. Success wasn't far off.
Of course, that wasn't the goal of this experiment.
Ssssh.
Through the reinforced glass, [B-077] injected the drug into [XX-04].
A specially made drug that amplified an anomaly's abilities for a very short time.
The reason was simple.
They needed to confirm [XX-04]'s ability for sure.
A rite of passage for any newborn anomaly.
Experiments continued until grade and traits were fully grasped. [B-077] had to play her part until then.
Hiss...
Soon, murky smoke began seeping from between the girl's silver hair.
Within expected parameters so far.
The smoke was sucked out through the ceiling vent.
Clunk! Thud!
It should have just been smoke traveling through the vent, but oddly heavy thuds followed.
The smoke moved to another, much safer detention cell.
Naturally, the researchers' and guards' eyes followed.
"......"
Everyone watching swallowed hard.
Some grinned with twisted glee; others shrank in fear.
The smoke was no longer just "smoke."
Like liquid or solid, it started clumping together, bearing witness to a miracle of birth for all.
-Kieeeek...!
Soon, a repulsive, grotesque sound filled the cell.
Thud—!
A new anomaly appeared before everyone's eyes.