“Michael wait, we need to talk.” I let out a sigh and stood at the edge of the railing, still on the balls of my feet. There was this uncomfortable metal piece at the top of the stairs, which was digging into my wet skin.

“Alright, make it fast, I gotta go do stuff.” I grumbled, as my mother stood up from behind the desk and walked closer.

She ‘whispered’ in her usual loud voice, “We’re moving… You should tell your girlfriend to go back home for a while, so we can get things sorted out.”

“Haha~, yeah, no fuckin way.” I snickered, shook my head and told my mother: “In fact, before you guys even finish the deal with uh, whoever the fuck is stupid enough to buy this place, Ana and I are moving out. We’re gonna rent an apartment or something, I don’t really know yet. I mean, I’m sorry I won’t get to stay with you guys until I’m in my forties, but I think it’s for the best if I start ‘living my life’ the way you always say I should.”

“What? Are you being serious right now? Michael, you ain’t got no money, no job, and how well do you really know that girl anyway?! You can’t just move away without any planning… Even your brother prepared for a year or two before moving to Buffalo!”

She seemed pretty upset, so I sighed and told her: “Listen, I did get a job. Ana and I work for the same company, and since we can work ‘from home’, we can basically go anywhere we want. We have about eight thousand saved up and we make a few hundred a day… It’s plenty enough to rent an apartment out in the sticks somewhere… Maybe Florida, who knows? We haven’t decided anything yet though, so stop freaking out! I gotta go get dressed and plan for stuff… Oh, and there should be a package arriving for Ana and I, sometime today. It’s a work thing. I love you, goodnight.”

Even though I was just waking up, my parents were obviously going to sleep. My father was already unconscious on the couch, while the gate was up, since they let the cat back inside. It was annoying to move the gate around, but I was used to it. I was going to end up washing my hands a dozen times anyway.

I was thinking about the future as I went downstairs and performed my dual towel ritual. My computer was already running and the screen was brightly illuminating the room… By my standards at least.

“Phew~, life is weird.” I smirked as Ana, then chuckled as Michael. The two of us were once again wearing white t-shirts and dark boxers. Ana had a green one, while Michael’s was black. Then we walked back over to our seats.

As Michael had to go empty out the big red mug, put on the side of the sink and make a new drink, I focused on Ana. Although I did want to write some ideas down, I knew that there was a much more important ‘job’ that I needed to get done.

“Holy fucksauce…” When I looked at my email, I saw that there were a bunch of new messages. 

[Service@MiscellaneousBank.com: You received 100.00 USD from an anonymous donor.]

[Service@MiscellaneousBank.com: You received 100.00 USD from an anonymous donor.]

[Service@MiscellaneousBank.com: You received 100.00 USD from an anonymous donor.]

[Service@MiscellaneousBank.com: You received 100.00 USD from an anonymous donor.]

The first four were obviously for the creampie compilation from the night before, or was that technically the day? You get the point.

[Service@MiscellaneousBank.com: You received 500.00 USD from an anonymous donor.]

[Service@MiscellaneousBank.com: You received 500.00 USD from an anonymous donor.]

[Service@MiscellaneousBank.com: You received 500.00 USD from an anonymous donor.]

However, the next three kinda scared me. That’s fifteen-hundred motherfucking dollars! For talking about my dreams!

“I’d be rich if I got that much money each time I told someone about my crazy-ass dreams…” I may have said that, but I was plenty satisfied with making fucking and storytelling my ‘future’ career.

[Service@MiscellaneousBank.com: You received 100.00 USD from an anonymous donor.]

As I talked to myself, the instant messenger popped up. I knew it was time to have an important discussion.

[∞: Thank you for your… Insights. Although we can observe you, it is impossible for us to read your mind. If you did not cooperate, we would never be able to gather so much useful data.]

“Yeah, I figured as much. Hence why I decided to tell you…” I smirked, narrowing my eyes a bit for emphasis, “So what’s your plan? Thank you for buying this shithole by the way. I was afraid my parents would be stuck here for the rest of their lives. I’m fine with moving anywhere, so long as there’s internet, electricity, food, water and warm weather.”

[∞: There are a myriad of reasons why you cannot continue staying with your parents. Most crucially, you are dangerous. Although you currently seem stable, we know too little about your specific condition. It is entirely possible that, just like in your dream, your bodies could separate telepathically. You could also gain new and uncontrollably abilities. Most importantly, you may divulge classified information to your family members. We can censor your speech and prevent you from communicating through digital means, but we cannot stop you from telling secrets to people who living with you… We hope you understand that this is not something so childish as a matter of National Security. This project concerns the survival of Humanity as a whole. We cannot allow any interference from hostile entities, terrestrial or otherwise.]

“Did you seriously just imply that aliens might try to abduct me? That sounds kinda hot…” I snickered, but Infinity apparently didn’t understand sarcasm.

[∞: We are merely speaking hypothetically. Your Security Clearance is not high enough to know whether extraterrestrial life exists. Regardless, it would not be strange if various governments wished to abduct and experiment upon both of your bodies.]

“Yeah, I get the point. Beyond all that, I wanna leave because I’m legitimately concerned about whether I’ll either go crazy or become some kinda super-virus carrier. I don’t mind starting an Apocalypse, but I don’t want my parents to suffer in the process… So what are my options? Is there any specific research facility you’d prefer that I go to? Oh sorry, I meant ‘cheap housing’ hahaha~! Seriously though, I don’t mind. Especially if the doctors and nurses are female…”

[∞: The properties that you may rent or purchase at affordable prices are not research institutes. They are merely properties in strategic locations… Relatively close to Infinity International Biotech Corporation facilities. They have also been meticulously prepared for observing Experiments. Although cybernetic cockroaches and mice are extremely effective in regards to stealth, conventional microphones and cameras are much more efficient overt surveillance tools. We would still utilize robotic or cybernetic means to perform tests on you or acquire samples from you… If you were insinuating that we would allow other employees to come into physical contact with you, then we apologize, for that would be extremely dangerous. At least for the time being, we cannot allow you to come into contact with other Experimental Subjects or critical personnel.]

“That’s fine, heh~, I’m a germaphobe… Remember?” I snickered, “Besides that… Even if I’m alone, there’s still two of me. I’d probably be fine even if I was completely isolated from any other human contact. Can I keep writing and stuff? For that matter, do I need to keep Ana a secret?”

[∞: Obviously you must not reveal the true nature of Anael. However, it would instead become less suspicious if she was present on social media to some extent. Although it would be interesting to test how long you could survive in extreme solitude, the risks are too great. You might be a failure, but it may also be impossible to reproduce that failure… Thus, you are in many ways, far more valuable than the successful Experiments. Especially since you do not seem to be dying. Most of the other failures do not survive this long. Anael is almost seven years old.]

“Okay, how ‘bout we don’t talk about how this full-grown woman is actually only seven? As far as anyone else is concerned, she’s the same age as I am!” I grumbled, almost forgetting the rest of what Infinity said.