Leave The Monster Alone

"Is it only me or are there really two Suzy's I saw?" Rika was not the only one who felt like that. The look in the other two's faces also told the same story as her. They had seen two of the same people as her.

"Twins?" it was not that difficult to imagine. Twins were rare but not that rare to come across. But that was not the main point that was problematic.

"Forget twins. They look like female copies of the weird person Mark went on the mission with" everyone knew who Alan meant. Rika even shivered at remembering that horrible experience of hers.

"She does look a lot alike but it can be a coincidence. Maybe they're from the same region and we're not just used to seeing them. Maybe it's us who could not tell them apart?" there had to be a reasonable explanation for all this.

There was no way such a thing was a coincidence. Not in this world where the selling point was the character design as well.

"We'll know once we get to the base. There is no use stressing yourself on this topic" Mark was the one who had calmed down first. There were various reasons for this he could think of but nothing that had happened at this point of the game.

As far as he knew, the supernatural element was still not unlocked by these people so it was not any medicine or potion at all.

"Please use your legs from here" Mark stopped as soon as Suzy's voice reached him from above. The female jumped down as soon as the vehicle stopped, her dead eyes looking at them.

The party got out almost cautiously. Suzy just kept on looking with those dead eyes of hers and a tilt of her head.

"Suzy will inform the commander that guests have arrived safely. Suzy will hold guard here while Suzy leads you inside to the commander" the words made no sense to the party at all. How could this child keep guard outside here and lead them inside as well?

"So you'll lead us inside?" Rika asked to clear out the confusion but the child shook her head in a negative way. So she was not going to lead them inside? Or was she not going to guard this area?

"You go inside. Suzy will meet you near the entrance and take you deeper. Suzy needs to go check the area now" the female stopped paying attention to them, her flexible body once again focused on climbing.

It was a weird encounter for sure but not the weirdest they ever had.

"Let's go inside for now" Mark finally made the decision and moved toward the direction Suzy had pointed out. They were inside a parking garage currently, the dimensions nothing less than a full-fledged hall at least.

The door was opened for everyone to walk through and the company easily made their way inside. They had not moved very far when they saw the familiar face of Suzy.

"Suzy, you're back? What about the perimeter check?" Rika asked, her voice suspicious. She asked what they all had been thinking about.

"Suzy never went out. Suzy was waiting for guests to arrive so that she could lead you inside" it was getting a little spooky when the other spoke like that but there were a lot of clues in her words as well.

"So Suzy, do you have a sister?" Rika tried to make small talks with the girl to lessen the awkward feeling she had been feeling. The girl just creeped her out but in a totally different way than the two at the precious base.

While those had a dangerous aura, this girl had a mysterious aura that spoke of danger and to keep their distance.

"Suzy has no sister but she had a brother once. Now Suzy has no one but herself and Suzy is lonely '' no sister? Then had she somehow teleported outside? Or somehow multiplies? 

Did such a crazy power really exist at all?

"Suzy had brought you to the control room. Suzy is not allowed beyond this point so Suzy will leave now" the female bowed and left. None of the party members stopped her retreat because there was no use.

Mark knocked at the door even when there was no need to. The door opened as soon as he knocked and a high-tech office came into their view. It was similar enough to the one in their own base which indicated that this base was important as well.

"So you're the party Liam sent here? You might as well come inside. I sent everyone else away before we had a talk so you can talk freely here" the only one inside the room was a young adult female.

She would have been called attractive but not in a traditional sense. Unlike Rika, she was not really petit but she was not overly buffed like Vodi as well. She was tall, smart and a well-maintained female.

Her neck-length hair was swept back while her clothes spoke practicality. Her face was bare but still clear of any imperfections and her voice was strong and clear.

She was the perfect face for a celebrity and maybe she had been a minor one once as well. 

"There was no real need to send people away for our sake. We are just here to restore communication after all" Rika could not help but admire the other female. She looked like someone who had her life held together.

Her aura screamed power and confidence, something Rika felt like she lacked and wanted to improve upon.

"How did you hear from Alan? Weren't your comms broken?" Alan was the only one who had picked up on this fact. The kid was smart, way too much for his own good sometimes. 

"We have our own ways to achieve that but it's not that efficient at all, kid" the kid could not say anything in the face of the calm glare he received. It just made him forget his words so he just went quiet.

"Liam told me you had a research department that had made some breakthroughs. I'm sure Rika can help you in that regard" Mark knew he had to get the female alone if he wanted to talk business here.

That meant that Rika and Alan had to be distracted for that to work.

"Yes, they've done amazing work. If Miss Rika is interested then we can head down there right now" Rika's expression turned excited all of a sudden. The mystery was forgotten and all her attention focused on the research room now.

"Yes, please. I have some hypotheses I would like to run through with some of these experts" the female had too many ideas that she had never been able to explore alone. As good as her usual team was, not all of them were super good.

And it never hurts to get another perspective.

"Alan, you and Kuro can lead her there. Also, look into that Suzy case while I distract the commander" Alan's expression said that he knew exactly what Mark was playing at here but he would let it go for now.

But the teen did expect an answer as soon as this talk was over. 

Mark would have ordinarily given in to that pressure but not now when he had so much he needed to know about. Not to mention, this base was hiding far too much for Mark to feel comfortable allowing anyone to walk alone.

"Rika, wait for me. You don't even know the directions" the teen followed the excited researcher who seemed lost in her mind. This place looked good and reliable so Rika was excited to know what else they had found while researching.

Alan had to make an effort to keep up with her and Kuro just walked at her own pace with an amused look in her eyes.

As soon they were out of the door, it shut down and the female collapsed in front of Mark. Her expressionless face turned tired all of a sudden and she seemed to have aged by years.

"Oh god, how does Liam do this all the time. It's so tiring to always act like I know what I am doing. Anyway, Liam gave me the brief about you so I know you are aware of the situation overall" Mark just gave her a non-verbal confirmation.

The female looked relieved at his agreement.

"Good, good. I finally have someone who knows what they are doing. So tell me, do you have any questions for me? It's best we clear the air before we go any further" did Mark have questions for her?

He had several of them but he was not sure where he should even begin to ask them. Should he ask about the base condition? About the resources they had? Or about Suzy and what was going on there?

But before that, he had another bigger question.

"What is wrong with your communication array exactly?" The main reason they were here after all was the communication array.