Midnight Hype

Day Forty One (Pt 5)

"VENUS!!"

Ericka yipped in her relief, rushing over to the incubator, Drac seemingly lost in thought while staring at a desk.

"Oh my precious baby I-" Ericka continued to coo while preparing to open the incubator, when she froze. There was an information tag attached to the glass, although the room was dark, Ericka could make out words in the dull orange light. What immediately twisted her brain was what was written in the name spot.

Ericka? But...that's ME...

"Um...I..."

She continued staring, absolutely muddled as Drac made his way over to her.

"Are you seeing this? She asked him softly, and he nodded in response, peering down at the card.

"Hmm...could this have been the same incubator from when you were a baby?"

"No, can't be, the birth date is marked as yesterday." She mumbled as she tapped the card with a nail. Although they both found it utterly confusing, she proceeded to lift the lid and scoop Venus up, overjoyed to have Venus in her arms again.

Venus didn't seem super enthused with being disturbed from her nap and started fussing.

"Shhhh...it's okay, mommy's here." Ericka soothed, Venus quieting down after hearing her mother's voice,  Ericka perking her ears at the sound of what she thought was Drac quietly chuckling before going silent once more. She felt him rest an arm around her and tug her closer.

"Isn't that wholesome?"

An unfamiliar voice chimed from over near the door, making them crack their necks around to see a man in the doorway, face shadowed as he was backlit from the outside.

"Um...Who are you?"

"What? You don't recognize me?"

Ericka seemed to analyze his features. Glossy bronze hair with two small swoops on the sides, slightly pink toned skin, and penetrating grey eyes. His outfit was a dingy white lab coat with a simple grey undershirt and khaki belt, complemented by ruffled khaki pants and polished black boots.

"N...No..." She murmured uncertainty, starting to feel her body pulse with uneasiness.

"Shame you don't recognize your old man when you see him." The man jeered, sliding a hand on the dresser before resting against it.

"Wh...great grandfather? I-"

"It wasn't difficult honestly, just moved my consciousness from one body to another as I was getting fairly old anyway. It's not like I haven't done it before either, I had to preserve my genius one way or another-"

"Why."

"Huh?"

"Why did you name her Ericka?"

"Hmh, you think you're so special with that name?" He cackled, "many others had the same name, dear. But none were as spectacular as you, I'm afraid."

"W-What are you talking about? We have other family?"

"Uh, no. There is no 'family'. They exiled me when I turned eighteen after finding out I was infertilite...they're all dead now...and because of me there's no one to continue the legacy-"

"Then...how am I alive? Where are my parents? My grandparents? My-"

"THEY DON'T EXIST-...they never did."

"...What-"

"Y-...You aren't my great granddaughter. None of you were."

"...There were others?"