IDENTITY: NINE

ALEX POV

My eyes were still closed, but I was already awake. It seemed like I was lying in a bed with the familiar smell that hospitals always have. If I was not mistaken, I was at the school clinic after I collapsed and had those strange dreams.

Was it really just a dream? It doesn't feel like it. I can't explain what it was. Wait. This smell. This familiar smell.

I slowly opened my eyes, and they first met the very white ceiling illuminated by a not-so-big light. I also noticed the rising curtains on both sides of me, separating me from other patients.

Once again, I caught a whiff of a familiar fragrance. It felt like I'd smelled it before, but I couldn't quite figure out whose scent it was. The sound of flipping pages caught my ears, and I followed it with my gaze. And then I saw him, a man silently reading his book about Greek Mythology with his legs crossed. Even though the book covered his face, I knew exactly who he was.

The moment it sank into my mind that Sky was sitting there, engrossed in his book, a question popped into my head. A question that I wanted him to answer. After little Alex told me about my past and how he thanked Sky for releasing him, countless questions emerged in my mind.

I decided to start with him to lessen the burden of those questions. I slowly got up, causing a sharp sound. When I was seated properly, I looked at him. I was about to call him, but it seemed like he noticed my standing up. He slowly closed the book and stared at me. My head ached again, but not as intense as before; I could endure it now.

"Sky?" I called him.

"Yes?" he replied. I just stared at him, searching for the right words to ask the question I wanted him to answer.

After a few seconds of contemplating, I found the right words. "What are you?" I asked.

I didn't receive an answer. Instead, he closed the book and put it in his bag. He took his bag, and as if he was about to leave, he patted his shoulder. I wondered why he didn't answer and why he was leaving. He walked a few steps and stopped at the end of the bed.

He tilted his head and looked at me. "Follow me if you want answers."

******

We were walking on a familiar path. If I was not mistaken, this was the way to our recently visited abandoned house. But why there? I remember the first time we went there, Sky mentioned something about "answers."

Lost in thought, I didn't notice that we'd already reached the place. I looked at it and instantly felt a strange feeling, like a sense of belonging. We entered, heading straight to the second floor. As expected, we went to the last door with a secret passage. I was the one who opened the door since, last time, it only opened for me.

The door made a mechanical sound again as it opened slightly. I pushed it, and we entered. I let Sky do his trick, where he pressed something on his watch, opening a door in the wall. Just like before, the place hadn't changed.

We didn't waste time and descended the stairs to another door we didn't know how to open. Sky just stared at the door when we arrived, and I stared at him. I still couldn't believe that this man knew something. Even more surprising was that he seemed to know who I was.

"Are you sure about this?" he asked.

"I don't know, Sky, but I have to know. After all, I've been waiting for this moment. To find out where I truly come from."

He faced the door again and gestured with his hand. I was surprised when the door suddenly opened.

Didn't he say he couldn't open it? Was he lying?

But it was dark inside, and a cool breeze was coming out.

"Beyond this door lies the answer that you've been seeking. About me, about yourself, and others." I just nodded at Sky, and he signaled me to enter. Despite my hesitation, I followed him. I walked towards the door, and as soon as I stepped inside, it immediately illuminated where I stood.

"Identifying..." a robotic female voice suddenly said. After a few seconds, the lights started to flicker. The room, once dark, was now bright. I could see the inside—it looked like a high-tech laboratory. Everything here was white and advanced.

"Welcome, Number 1," the robot greeted me, and I slowly walked in. I was amazed and surprised by what I was seeing. I thought I could only see this in movies. It was too much for my brain to process. "Welcome, Number 2." I looked back at the door and noticed that Sky had just entered.

So, we were named after numbers?

"Initiate Cloaking System!" Sky commanded while looking up at the ceiling.

"Cloaking System initiating... initiating complete."

"What's that for?" I asked him as he was busy inspecting the equipment.

"It hides us," he replied briefly.

"From the government?"

Sky paused and looked at me again. "So they told you already?"

"They?"

Sky walked towards a rectangular device that looked like a table. I approached it, too, and he pressed something. The lower part of the table lit up, revealing a screen. I realized that this table was actually a screen.

"We call them Alters." An image of a smoky figure appeared on the screen, moving irregularly. It looked like it had a heartbeat due to the pulse it was emitting. "They are the embodiment of our conscience. They often resemble a kid version of ourselves. They have their own will, meaning they can choose and decide."

"Are they dangerous?"

"Yes," Sky replied directly, sending shivers down my spine. "They can actually kill you but prefer not to. Because—"

"They'll die if we die." I fell silent upon realizing that what the child said was true.

"You asked me what I am, right?" I nodded, and he pressed something again. This time, it was an image of a boy. Along with this image were his name and other information about himself. But I was surprised when I remembered the face of the boy who escaped with me during the facility attack. "That's me."

It was Sky! So, we actually knew each other before? Why can't I remember?

"Actually, you and I have known each other since we were kids. You used to be my playmate during playtime. Others call me Two, except for the man who gave me this name," he explained.

"My alter told me that only I succeeded in the experiment. What does that mean?" I asked, furrowing my brows.

"There were 50 human volunteers in this experiment." Sky pressed another button, and 50 images of different people appeared on the screen. They were of different ages, just like my alter told me. I also saw the three people who escaped with us. "Including me and you, Alex." The image of a baby appeared last. Next to it was another baby whom I suspected was Sky.

"We are the only baby samples in the population," he declared, surprising me.

"Meaning..."

"Yes. We are the result of In-Vitro Fertilization."

"Our parents?"

"They didn't give us information about our parents. They tend not to tell us."

I... I don't have parents? Then, who are those I saw in my memory? That couple?

"But I have this memory that I had parents."

Sky let out a big sigh and pressed the three faces on the screen. They were the ones who escaped with us during the attack. "Number 16, 19, and 34. Does she look familiar to you?" Sky asked, pointing at Number 34. It was a woman in her 40s, and she did seem familiar. Sky clicked on the photo, and the woman's information appeared on the screen.

As I read it, my eyes widened in shock. "Vemine Chavezz?"

I looked at Sky with wide eyes, waiting for him to say I was mistaken.

"She is Lola Vemine," Sky announced. I never expected that Lola Vemine, whom I thought was just an ordinary old woman, was actually part of the experiment, just like me. That explains why she didn't have wounds that night. "Lola Vemine used her ability that night to save herself." My eyes were still wide as I tried to understand and process the information I just received. "Meanwhile, Numbers 16 and 19 were the ones who took good care of you. They made you live like a normal kid and even let you study."

"Where are they now?"

"I heard from Lola Vemine that after you killed a kid, you were in a coma for ten years. You were eight years old when you killed a student. After ten years, you woke up, and on that day, Numbers 16 and 19 were found dead inside the room where you were. Lola Vemine learned about what happened to them, so she decided to save and take care of you," the young man explained.

"So, Lola Vemine already knew me, yet she acted like she didn't. But why?"

"To protect you."

"Protect me? From what?"

"From them." The logo of a well-known organization worldwide appeared on the screen—the Glias. "Everyone knows them as an organization made by the World Government to enforce the law and stop acts of immorality worldwide, but no one knows what they're up to."

More information about the organization appeared on the screen, revealing details about a project. "Project Evolve. This project intends to create soldiers skillful in war, and their objective is to use the data about us to accomplish their goal."

"But how can they do that if they already killed th—" My eyes widened as I realized something.

"Your guess is right. They were not killed. They were captured." I couldn't believe I lived my entire life in a lie. I thought I was just an ordinary human when, in fact, I'm not. This part of myself is so new to me. My brain couldn't fully process the information I just learned. This is too much. "You should rest. We'll continue later."

I agreed and headed to a sofa near the door. I sat down, leaned back, and closed my eyes. I tried to remember when Numbers 16 and 19 were my parents, but I couldn't recall anything. That's why I felt so comfortable in this house because I used to live here with them.

"Here, this will make you feel better," Sky said, offering me a chocolate. I was about to stand up to get it since he was a few meters away, when I suddenly stopped. The chocolate floated towards me. I stared at it in amazement as it approached me. When it was close enough, I took it. I looked at it again, still unable to believe what I had just witnessed.

Then, I looked back at Sky, who was walking towards the sofa opposite mine. "Telekinesis, the ability to move and bend things with the use of the mind," he explained while I stared at him in awe. It took me a couple of seconds before I returned to my senses.

"What else can you do?"

"I can talk to you without using my voice," he replied, but I didn't notice his mouth moving.

"Telepathy," I whispered.

"Exactly." Wait, how did he hear that? It was just a whisper. "It's called Clairaudience. I can listen to even the tiniest and farthest sound within my range. And also, using my telepathy, I can read anyone's mind."

He can read anyone's mind. Wait—

I face-palmed when I remembered something. My face started to burn, so I just lowered my head.

Stupid, Alex.