AN: Thank you SO much for your comments last chapter. I enjoyed them as I laughed maniacally...I mean, um...got warm, fuzzy feelings and felt incredibly guilty.

Trigger warnings: I don't actually know if this is a trigger, so I will say this is a "weird as fuck" warning. I've been looking forward to trying this out and I think it's going to be interesting.

Enjoy !

I stared at her, dumbfounded and speechless. This can't be real…she can't be real. She died – Aloy found her body. She had been older – at least ten years older. The woman before us couldn't have been Elisabet Sobeck – she was way too young. Then again, Ted looked pretty good for his age, too. But not this good.

I could see Branwell smirking behind her as a still stunned Aloy spoke first. "You're…h-how is this possible? How are you here?"

Elisabet smiled. I'd only seen her smile in the recording my dad took when they met in the park after she'd left FAS. All the holovids I'd seen her in on Aloy's focus showed her sad and depressed – she'd had this haunted expression that carried over to every recording. Which made sense, given the weight she had to carry. But this Elisabet didn't seem to carry that heaviness. She seemed…calmer. More confident. I couldn't explain it, but while her smile should have been comforting, instead it seemed out of place. A creeping dread began to grow in the back of my mind. "Normally, I'd expect an introduction in return but I don't mind explaining a few things if you really want me to."

"I get the feeling you know who we are," I said.

"You'd be correct," Elisabet said with a nod. She activated the Focus above her ear. "Okay, then. 'Rebecca Adeline Johnson'. Typically goes by 'Becks'…hmm, that's cute. Born October 12, 2046 in Denver, Colorado. Youngest child of Robert and Sarah Johnson. One older sibling: Dennis. Enrolled in university at age 17 for engineering with a focus in hardware-software integration. Candidate for FAS internship, but did not complete the application process due to…parental refusal." The Focus shut off. "Probably for the best, honestly. You would have been working on the Chariot line and we all know how well that turned out."

I heard Branwell and his guards chuckle again. I didn't see the humor in whatever the hell they were laughing at, but maybe they had some inside joke about the fucking apocalypse. Not sure how that could be funny, but I wasn't about to pretend to understand them, either.

"And…you." Elisabet turned to Aloy, who seemed completely mesmerized by her presence. "'Aloy', right? We've heard of you. In fact, I should probably thank you. You kept the HADES protocol from executing." She glanced back at Branwell for a moment before turning to us again. "We should have been more careful, really. But…I can't take responsibility for something I didn't do. Fortunately, there's no chance of that mistake happening again."

What? "You sent that signal? You broke GAIA?"

Elisabet shook her head. "Of course not. My colleagues did – former colleagues. Obviously, it didn't work as they expected and so here we are."

Something wasn't right. The dread I had been pushing back amplified. "You're not her. You can't be."

"Becks!" Aloy exclaimed.

I ignored her – met "Elisabet's" gaze. "No! Dr. Sobeck respected the Alphas. I watched the vids and read the notes - the team made it very clear they didn't want to build a cloning facility so why is he here?" I pointed an accusing finger at Branwell.

But Elisabet didn't seem offended. In fact, she didn't appear bothered at all by my accusation. "I am Elisabet Sobeck as much as she is," she said, her tone calm as she nodded toward Aloy.

No fucking way. "You're…you're a clone!"

Elisabet smiled again – that same crooked smile Aloy so often showed. Any other time I would have felt comforted by it, but there was something about this Elisabet – something…unsettling. I didn't like her and I didn't want to be here anymore. "You say "clone" like it's a bad thing, Becks, but you have no issues carrying on a relationship with one."

I saw Aloy bite her lip – she was clearly disturbed by all of this. More than that, though, she seemed disappointed. This woman was not her "mother". In fact, this Elisabet really didn't show that much interest in Aloy at all, despite the fact that they shared the same DNA, the same face, same…everything.

I glared at Elisabet, angry at all of this bullshit. "Why now? And why remove yourself from GAIA's administrative access?"

"Oh, I haven't. There's a small, nearly negligible difference in our genetic makeup," she answered, gesturing casually at the space between her and Aloy. "GAIA had record of the more unique aspects of Aloy's genetic print and so I removed it. No offense, but I think I've got a bit better handle on the system than you. After all, I designed it."

"You didn't design shit," I snapped.

"But I did, Becks," she argued. "When Far Zenith created me, they imprinted all of the knowledge I would need to be successful. My mind, my body – all designed to be everything that the original Elisabet Sobeck was and so much more." She looked at Aloy. "GAIA's copy attempt was good, but let's be honest – there was only so much you were going to be able to understand with HADES unshackled and the registry corrupted."

Aloy took a deep breath. "I understood enough. I fixed the registry and HADES was stopped.

"The fact that you see that as an accomplishment shows how little you know."

I don't think I'd been so pissed at another person since meeting Ted Faro. I didn't like this woman or this Far Zenith. Whatever they were planning couldn't possibly be good. "When?" I demanded.

She understood. "My creation? Before Zero Day. I was kept in a cryo facility along with the rest of the team until the final stage about nine months ago. That's when Dr. Branwell here took care of making sure I had all the resources I needed to proceed with our objective."

I sighed. This was insane. Where the fuck are all these cryo facilities and where is everyone else?

"Which is what?" Aloy asked, still frozen in place, bewildered by everything that was unfolding.

Elisabet scoffed. "I don't believe I owe you that information. The fact that we're still standing here talking is a courtesy that myself and Dr. Branwell have extended to you. But I'm ready to move on. Now, Becks." She faced me. "If you could come with us we can proceed to the next stage of the process."

I actually laughed. "Right. Like I'm going anywhere with you psychos."

"I won't ask again. You're going to come with us or I will have my guards drag you to a cell." Elisabet's voice was flat out cold, now – all traces of pleasantness having vanished.

Aloy finally seemed to snap out of her trance. She raised her bow with lightning speed and aimed the arrow at Elisabet. "L-like hell you will."

I noticed the hand pulling back on her bowstring was trembling.

The clone rolled her eyes. "I don't have time for this. Guys…?"

The guards pointed their guns at Aloy.

"Hey!" I cried.

"Put the bow down and walk away, Aloy. Those bullets will punch through that fancy armor of yours before you can take a single shot at me," Elisabet said.

Aloy didn't budge. "I've survived worse."

Terrified, I looked at the guards – all of them ready to pull their triggers at Elisabet's command – and then back at Aloy. Her hazel eyes betrayed her fear and hesitation. I wanted to cry. I wanted to scream and curl up in a ball and go back in time – Aloy had been right: we never should have come here.

"You have three seconds to put your weapon down before they put you down," Elisabet warned. "One."

Have to do something. "Please, stop!"

"I'm not backing down, Becks!" Aloy declared.

"Two."

Shit, shit, shit!

"Three-,"

Fuck. "Stop!" I yelled, the cry repeating itself as it echoed throughout the room. "I'll go! I'll go just…don't hurt her."

Aloy stared at me – her eyebrows arched and her lips slightly parted as she slowly lowered her bow. "Becks, no."

Elisabet gave a small nod. "Good. You'll come with us, then." The smugness in her tone – I wanted nothing more than to punch her in the face. Be nice to see how these implants hold up then.

"Let her go, first," I said, my voice beginning to break as I met Aloy's eyes. She shook her head, her voice almost a whisper. "Becks, I'm not letting them take you."

"Jim, take her to the processing chamber and keep her there until I'm ready," Elisabet ordered. She turned to Aloy. "And show this one to the door and seal it after. I want all entries closed."

"Of course, Liz," Branwell said. He muttered something to the guards that I couldn't hear before all lowered their weapons and two began to approach me while the others retreated back through the door from which they came.

"Wait!" I said, maintaining eye contact with Aloy. "A-at least let me say 'goodbye'."

The guards hesitated and looked to Elisabet for their directive. She gave an annoyed sigh and shrugged. "Fine. We don't have all day, though."

I shot her the best death stare I could muster before going to Aloy. I took her hand.

"Becks, don't do this. Please," she begged, gripping my hand while holding her bow at her side.

Reaching up a bit, I rested my other hand on her shoulder before leaning up to kiss her. I tried my best to ignore everyone around us, watching. Aloy hesitated for a moment before she moved her lips against mine. The kiss was soft and timid – I could feel the shallow breaths she took, the tension in her chest and arm. I knew she wanted to tear these people apart. She'll come back for me. She has to. I had no plan, no idea what they wanted with me, and for all I knew they were just going to take me to some back room and shoot me. I could only hope that Aloy would find some way to get back in and get me out. If I don't find a way, first.

"Ugh, let's go," Elisabet called.

I pulled away, still clinging to Aloy's shoulder. "I love you." I felt strong arms clamp down on mine before I was roughly yanked back. "Ow!"

Aloy's eyes flashed with rage. "Hey! Get your hands off her!"

I thrashed and tried to break free – panic escalating within me. "Aloy!"

"Get her out of here," I heard Elisabeth bark from behind me. A hard pressure settled on the side of my neck. There was a loud click followed by pain and an odd, tightening sensation that spread to the rest of my body. I could hear Aloy's yells but they were muffled as the world closed around me.

I awoke to the low, consistent hum of a machine and a bright, white light shining down on me. My eyes adjusted, though my skin felt cold. A chair.

I was in a chair, reclined all the way so that I was lying on my back. I turned my head.

What the fuck?

I had been strapped down. My armor and clothing had been taken as well – I was dressed in a thin white tank top and black shorts. The leathery upholstery of the chair sent a chill up my arms, which were bare save the IV that had been put into my right arm. I gave the room a quick scan. White walls, linoleum flooring. A few dark blue cabinets hung over some countertops. A chair on wheels sat in the far corner. Everything was clean – sterile – and reminded me of a doctor's office. A fucking psychotic doctor…probably more than one.

No. I needed to get back to Aloy, needed to find a way out of there. I jerked my left arm, hoping the increased strength from the implants would be able to break the strap.

Nothing. I tried again, and again. But they wouldn't budge.

The door opened. Dr. Branwell walked in, holding a clipboard and giving me a brief smile before closing the door behind him. "Good to see you up, Rebecca. How are you feeling?"

"Fuck you," I spat. "Let me go."

Branwell frowned and set his clipboard down on the counter. "You know I can't do that." He took a seat in the chair and folded his hands in his lap. "The good news is that GAIA was spot on: your implants are remarkably well-integrated. Of course, we did have to find some restraints that would hold up against them." He gestured to the straps that held me down and chuckled.

"Where's Aloy?" I demanded. "And where's Elisabet?"

Branwell stood up. "As promised, she was escorted out of the facility and the entries closed and sealed. She was unharmed. Dr. Sobeck is busy attending to the other major project of this facility."

"Which is what? Who the hell are you guys?" I continued to struggle with my restraints.

"The answer has not changed, Rebecca. Far Zenith heads the repopulation effort for Earth following the devastation caused by the Faro Plague. We had the first phase awaken a little over twenty years ago. The newest phase, including myself, awoke around nine months ago. We have thousands in a cryogenic facility waiting to be brought out of sleep…as soon as the world is ready for them of course."

I shook my head. "What do you mean? The world is fine. People live all over the place, now. Where are these thousands of people?"

Branwell walked over to the machines near my chair where the IV was connected. "The world, Rebecca, is not fine," he said as he inspected the machine. He pressed a few buttons. "There we go. Now, our goal is to make sure that while our other project is progressing as intended that we don't neglect the people waiting, especially as we rebuild. It could be a long time and, well, our other initiative is in my personal opinion: far more fun." He walked over to the cabinets and opened one of them before reaching in and procuring a metal headband-looking thing.

"The hell is that?" I said. I began to feel weak again. Asshole probably cranked up whatever is in that IV.

"Our initiative, of course," he said, as though it was the most obvious fucking answer. He returned to my side. "I will need to put this on you. No worries, though! It's completely painless."

"You're not putting anything on me. Let me go and maybe I won't smash your face in."

Branwell raised both eyebrows. "Goodness, perhaps a counseling session would have been ideal first? In any case, Dr. Sobeck's already finalized this runtime so I couldn't change it even if I wanted to. And I wouldn't want to. A surprising amount of information about you was available, lucky for us." He leaned in and put the headband on me – fitting it around the top of my head.

"Get…away from me." I tried to move away but my thoughts and reflexes were quickly becoming sluggish.

Branwell stepped back. "This might feel a little strange at first, Rebecca, but I assure you it's perfectly safe."

My thoughts became hazy. He kept talking to me, but I couldn't understand any of it. Need to get out. Need to find Aloy.

"Becks." Someone was calling me.

Lights. The room was gone, as were my restraints. Everything was a blur – speeding past me; I couldn't move. I heard voices – they surrounded me – talking, laughing, yelling.

"Becks…hello?"

Need to get back. But I couldn't remember where. Why did I have to go again?

"Becks?"

She was there…I had just seen her. I had to find her…had to find-

Who?

"BECKS! Earth to Becks!"

I blinked, my eyes refocusing on what was in front of me. A windshield. Outside of it, a grassy field. A park. Kids ran around everywhere – a few played on the swings near a baseball field. I looked up. The sky was blue – finally, a sunny day. Which was fine. As much as I liked the rain, a break from it was nice.

What?

A hand came down on my wrist. I jumped.

"Jesus, Becks! The hell is up with you?"

I turned to my right. She stared at me from the passenger seat, signs of concern showing behind the bluish green eyes I knew so well. She wore her long, blonde hair back in a ponytail. Her fair skin had a light sheen of sweat on it – no doubt from her jog earlier.

I shook my head. The hell is up with me? "I'm fine. I'm uh…sorry. I guess I spaced out for a bit there."

She giggled. "No shit. I was literally sitting here calling your name for a full minute. I thought you went catatonic or something." She leaned back in her seat, her black workout pants and purple tank top stretching with her. "I'm starving. Can we eat, babe?"

I pushed the button to start the hovercar engine. "Yeah, sure."

Wait. "Uh…Jenna? You just…called me 'babe'."

She tilted her head and gave me a bright smile. "Yeah? And?"

"I put the car into gear to lift but kept my foot on the brake. "Well, um…is that uh…normal?" Why wouldn't it be? What was wrong with me?

She laughed again before leaning over the console between us and kissed me. I froze and was barely able to reciprocate when she pulled away.

"You're cute," she declared. "Now, stop messing around and let's go eat."

Something still felt…odd. Like I forgot to do something. I shook it off. Need to figure out that fucking calendar on my Focus. "So…sushi?" I suggested.

Jenna practically bounced in her seat. "Oh my gosh, yes. Oh, your mom called while I was on my run. Apparently, someone doesn't answer their calls." She gave me a knowing look as I released the brake and began to take us out of the lot.

Mom. Did she-

"Yeah, yeah. What'd she want?" I asked.

"She wanted us to stop by the house later. I told her we'd drop by after dinner."

I shrugged. "All right. But yeah, first…food." I reached over and took her hand.

She squeezed it. "I hope there isn't a wait. I swear if it's longer than ten minutes I'll run in and start stealing food from other people's plates."

I laughed as we flew onto the main street, the sushi restaurant only a few minutes away assuming traffic wasn't a nightmare of course.

More AN: ...go ahead you can yell at me. You know you want to.

See you soon! Would love to know your reactions! You are all amazing people who put up with my weird shit.