Seeing Double (MI Universe)

Chapter 2: ... The more they stay the same

Anna smiled softly as she stared down at the sleeping baby in the crib beneath her. Her restless mind had finally forced her awake earlier in the morning and at first the fear of waking up the other members of the household kept her confined to the guestroom where performed a few stretches and practice moves to see how well she could utilize the memories in her head. Like everything in her fresh life, it felt odd to "know" the techniques for years but just start to put them into practice today. Still, in spite of that, or more likely because of it, she felt she mastered the techniques enough to get her by in a fight. After all she was able to break out of a W.E.E. compound just seconds after being "born".

Unfortunately, the exercises did little to calm her troubled mind so after she was done she decided to explore the house a little more. She did feel a little bad about sneaking around someone else's house, but in a way it was her house as well so she shouldn't feel that bad. Besides, Kim told her she was family and what did family do best other than snoop around each other's homes?

Her exploring led her to the basement where she found the main room had been converted into a exercise/training room filled with training dummies, punching bags, weights and various other things that any crime fighting cheerleader or former thief would need to keep in shape. She was tempted to let out some of her frustrations out on the punching bags, but again the thought of waking up the others put a halt to that plan. Instead she went back upstairs and eventually found her way into Shin's room. She had practically tip-toed over to the crib then leaned against the railing to stare down a the sleeping infant.

She didn't know how long she had been in standing there like that and she really didn't care. For some reason looking at the small, pale green baby calmed her troubled mind. She wasn't sure if it was Kim's motherly instincts towards Shin that did it or just Shin herself, but either way she was happy.

"So I guess if I am Kim's sister than that would make me your aunt, huh?" she asked softly, more to herself than the baby. "But I guess in some way since I am Kim's clone I could also be considered your mother. Or one of them at least." She sighed and hung her head. "This whole thing is confusing."

She looked back down at Shin to see her fidgeting slightly in her sleep and the smile returned.

"But you really don't care do you?" Anna asked again, this time reaching down to carefully stroke the small tuft of red hair standing out amidst the more dominate black hair. "Nope you just care about your own little world. Must be nice. Selfish little thing."

"Better be careful, that's my daughter you're talking about," a good natured scolding came from behind her.

Anna turned to see Kim leaning against the doorframe with her arm crossed over her chest. Like Anna she was still dressed in her sleep attire which also consisted of a light tank top and a pair of sweat pants. Kim smiled at her clone/sister before pulling herself off the doorframe and walking over to the crib as well.

"Hey I didn't mean anything by it," Anna defended herself.

"I know, I was just joking," Kim replied as she looked down at Shin herself. "Still, you can't blame me for being a little overprotective."

"After everything you went through just to see that she was born? No, I can't."

"So you remember too, huh?"

"Yeah. Like I said, the recent memories are the most clear, it's the earlier stuff that's fuzzy."

Kim nodded a bit absently as she continued to look down at Shin.

"She's beautiful, isn't she?" she asked, though it was more rhetorical than anything else.

"Yeah. You're very lucky," Anna replied.