Anomaly

(POV – Protagonist)

Things have been getting stranger and stranger since I got back to the base. If you ask me, nothing really serious has happened, at least not as far as the base itself is concerned. However, outside, on the surface, the rain hasn’t stopped.

Although it started out moderate, it’s now intensified, stronger and more uncontrollable than ever. And recently, I heard on the news that they’ve been talking about it.

Strangely, this rain seems to be affecting only this city. Sure, there’s been some rain in other areas throughout the week, but nothing even comes close to what we’re facing here. The worst part is that, even though I know this is an anomaly, I still have no idea where to begin looking for its source.

If it keeps up at this pace, is there a chance the city could end up submerged, like Atlantis? I know it sounds impossible, but when you remember that the rain itself is an anomaly, things start to look a lot darker.

Anyway, it seems like the facility has an impressive resistance to all kinds of natural disasters. After all, if something happens and the anomalies manage to escape, what comes next would be far worse than any natural catastrophe.

Of course, when I talk about natural disasters, I’m not referring to the anomalies. Honestly, I doubt the base has any sort of intervention prepared to deal with them.

By the way, I know this doesn’t really have much to do with what we’re talking about right now, but have you ever heard of ventriloquism? The kind where someone makes a puppet move and speak, making it seem alive? Well, something like that is happening in my room, but unlike ventriloquism, there’s no one controlling the puppets. Almost all of them are moving by themselves, going back and forth, while Nekra seems entertained, somehow helping out.

I’m not exactly sure when this started, but today, when I woke up, I felt something heavy on my face. To my surprise, it was a puppet. When I looked around, I saw several others moving, walking back and forth, even greeting each other.

The scene, while kind of funny, also had something amusing about it. I mean, even video games are starting to lose their charm, and it’s hard to find something more interesting around here, since I spend almost all my time in the room.

Of course, I didn’t have to think much to guess who might have done this. I mean, besides me, there’s only one other person in the room. Obviously, Nekra was the one responsible.

But, even though I already knew that, I decided not to care and just let it be. To be honest, I was even having fun watching the puppets interact with each other and follow Nekra. It was almost like watching a mother duck guiding her ducklings.

Of course, this whole situation didn’t go unnoticed by the researchers, who crowded behind the glass, with clipboards and other equipment, as usual. As always, I just ignored them, but, once again, I couldn’t help but notice that Laura wasn’t among them. I mean, Laura is the head researcher. Shouldn’t she be there with them?.

Well, anyway, it’s not like I know exactly how things work inside the facility, which is a little strange, considering I’ve been here for quite some time. But the truth is, I’ve never really been interested in that.

However, from what I’ve observed, it’s clear that, in general, Nekra and I are the most monitored. But that doesn’t mean that other anomalies aren’t being studied as well.

Speaking of Nekra, she has a naturally withdrawn nature. In other words, she tends to isolate herself in a corner, only talking to me when I’m the one who starts the conversation. Even when I try to strike up a chat, she answers briefly, without going deeper or extending the conversation more than necessary.

At first, I thought she simply didn’t want to talk, but over time, I realized that’s just the way she is. She doesn’t see anything wrong with it. Anyway, what I’m saying is, I’m getting bored, so I end up spending my time observing Nekra.

(Maybe I should go out and explore a bit?) I thought, while my gaze stayed fixed on Nekra, who was guiding the puppets. Gently swaying my feet, I sat there on the bed, thinking that if I went back soon, everything would probably be fine.

Of course, it’s not like I’d just disappear like I’ve been doing so far... or rather, it seemed like Emily had been scolded because of me, and that made me feel a little guilty. That’s why she talked to me.

However, after a few words, she herself seemed a little uncomfortable, as if the situation had gotten weird for her after reflecting on what was going on. Emily still hasn’t realized that I can understand everything she says perfectly, and maybe that made her even more uncomfortable and embarrassed.

Anyway, Emily made a deal with me. She said that, whenever I left, as long as I showed up on the cameras every once in a while, I’d get candy when I came back to my room. As she talked to me about it, she pointed at the cameras, and it was clear what she meant, even though she didn’t use words to explain.

Of course, the reason I accepted the deal definitely had nothing to do with the ice cream that came with the candy. I mean, both Nekra and I were sharing the candy equally. By the way, speaking of sharing, I clearly remember Nekra’s reaction to the first piece of candy I gave her. Honestly, it was so cute that it still makes me smile just thinking about it.

(... not that I can smile, to begin with) I thought, while carefully observing the movement on the other side of the large glass.

However, the approach of two people caught my attention when the door next to the large glass opened. I slowly tilted my head to the side, in a thoughtful gesture, while trying to come up with some explanation for the sudden appearance of Laura and Emily, accompanied by a man I honestly had never seen before in the facility... although, to be fair, I didn’t usually pay much attention to people anyway.

***

(POV – Emily Parker)

As she analyzed some data on her computer, Emily slowly reclined in her chair, adopting a relaxed posture as if she wanted to prolong the moment of pause. She stretched her arms to the side, feeling the relief in her tense joints, and, with an automatic gesture, grabbed the cup on the table.

She brought it to her lips, but to her surprise, the usual liquid that quenched her thirst simply wasn’t there. She looked at the empty cup, a feeling of strangeness forming in her stomach, as if the world around her had momentarily shifted out of place.

Emily let out a brief sigh, gently placing the empty cup back on the table. She then refocused on the graphs on her computer. As always, the data was noticeably irregular, each line and peak more chaotic than the last, and the overall trend seemed to be growing darker by the minute.

However, despite the lack of concrete information, Emily felt a small wave of satisfaction as she realized she had found a clue. Something, perhaps, that could explain why the rain was behaving in such an unpredictable manner.

On the screen next to the graphs, there was a detailed map of the city, with multiple blue points scattered across the area, almost like an endless network. Yet, in one specific spot, a single red dot stood out, vibrant against the background.

Emily, focusing on the graphs, made the connection. The rain, which seemed so irregular and random, had originated from that very red dot on the map. The pattern was clear now: it all started from there.

If anyone stopped to think for a moment, they'd realize how unusual that was. Normally, rain spreads evenly, not from a single point like this. Something was definitely off.

However, with the intensity of the rain increasing every minute, it had become practically impossible to leave the base and investigate in person. That’s when Laura decided to send a team to handle the situation as quickly as possible.

Emily stared absently at the computer screen, almost lost in her thoughts, until the sound of two firm knocks echoed through the office door. Before she could react, the door swung open, and Laura walked in.

But, contrary to what Emily had expected, Laura’s expression was far from calm—there was something concerning in her face, something that didn’t go unnoticed.

“What’s wrong?” Emily asked, shifting in her chair and locking eyes with Laura.

“Victor won’t be able to join the mission. Remember he went to visit his sister?” Laura asked, letting out a deep sigh.

Emily nodded, quickly recalling the situation, then raised an eyebrow, curious: “Yeah, I remember, but what does that have to do with what we’re discussing?”

Without answering Emily’s question, Laura simply handed her a few papers. Emily grabbed them quickly and started looking them over with focus. As she examined the documents, her expression darkened more and more.

Although the data usually arrived quickly on her computer, situations like this—where information kept piling up without stop—made it more efficient, even necessary, to receive it directly on paper.

“Haa... Did the rain really pick up that much in such a short time? Seriously, what the hell is going on here?” Emily muttered, letting out a frustrated sigh.

In short, the graphs were much worse than Emily had anticipated. The strangest part was that the anomaly seemed to be concentrated in one specific area of the city. As always, the pattern was so random that Emily couldn’t figure out the cause.

The worst part, however, was that the epicenter of this anomaly was exactly where Victor was located. It would be incredibly risky for him to leave his position and venture out into the increasingly intense storm.

“I don’t know how or why this happened, but we need to act fast from here on out. We can’t tell if this situation could spiral out of control here as well. I’ll send a team immediately to investigate the area where we found the anomalies” Emily said, rising from her chair with determination.

Emily passed by Laura and headed toward the door but stopped when she realized Laura wasn’t following her. On the contrary, Laura seemed visibly troubled by something. Emily, however, had no idea what was bothering her.

“Umm... Boss, can I make a suggestion?” Laura asked cautiously.

Emily briefly raised an eyebrow, confused, trying to guess what the suggestion could be. But in the end, she simply nodded, confirming. If she was honest with herself, any suggestion at this point would be welcome, even if it came from a talking cat... For some reason, Emily found that thought strangely specific, but she decided to ignore it and move on.

“Why don’t we use the little anomaly to our advantage? As far as I know, we’ve been developing plans since we classified it as special. I think now would be a good time to make them official... Besides, for some reason, I feel like the little anomaly could solve the problem even if we don’t do anything. Wouldn’t it be better to make it official once and for all?”

Emily lowered her gaze, thinking about the suggestion. Of course, it wasn’t like she had never considered this idea before. However, unfortunately for her, despite being the General Director of Management, there was still a hierarchy to follow... or, in other words, limits to be respected.

(Those damn higher-ups always block me when I try to propose this, saying we don’t know enough about what we’re up against)

Emily couldn’t help but wonder if those old idiots were serious. She had lost count of how many times the [Angel of Death] had to clean up the mess left by the higher-ups. And, to be honest, it had been a lot.