Project A.L. (BFB AU) (COMPLETED)

Two - Bad Decisions

What the hell were these things? They looked vaguely like numerals, but all three of them stood impossibly still, as if they were just identical statues. They were gray in color and round in shape, and they all had what were essentially blank slates for faces, apart from their eyes, that looked like they would bore into the soul of anybody stupid enough to look directly into them.

"These," One waves a hand at them almost in a lazy fashion, but still with some form of sincerity. "are what we call, in this business, zeroes." Two still looked excited, but X was just confused. These "zeroes" didn't seem to be doing anything of circumstance at all, and definitely not anything to warrant a reaction like Two's.

One spoke up again. "May I have a volunteer from the crowd, please?" Immediately, a dozen or so hands shot up, including Two's. They was so desperate to be chosen, they may as well have been accidentally dislocating their shoulder with the amount of strain they were putting on it. One looked around the crowd and pointed at a light turquoise six. "Come on up."

The six, feeling as if they had just been chosen by an actual god, walked up on the stage with the podium. "It's an honor, sir."

"Oh, you flatter me! Come now, look into the eyes of this zero right here." One pointed to the leftmost one, and the one currently closest to the six at the current moment. The six made eye contact with the zero.

Almost instantly, the zero's skin started to bubble in places, almost as if it was rearranging its own organs from the inside by instinct. X could hear the bones of the zero crack and reform from the furthest point from the stage, as they slowly turned into something that it wasn't before. X covered their eyes, not wanting to be permanently traumatized due to the way it was unnaturally and unsettlingly contorting. When they finally heard the last snap, the crowd gasped, and X uncovered their eyes. There were now two sixes on stage, but one was slightly discolored from the other.

"As you can see," One spoke confidently, "these zeroes are blank slates when all by themselves. But when you look into the eyes of one, it copies your exact genetic makeup! They receive your physical appearance, and in return, you get an exact replica of yourself!" The crowd cheered, but X was just shocked by the dilemma. Why would anybody ever want to clone themselves?

"We plan to use these models of numerals to further the scientific agenda, making these as a way to study illness in numbers in a way that is both painless to them and you." X couldn't hear the crowd cheering over every rushing thought in their head.

"We plan to have an excellent party tonight, so get yourselves acquainted!" One threw his hands in the air as a means of celebration, while the two employees behind them dragged the two remaining zeroes behind the stage somewhere. The six remained on stage talking to their clone, who seemed to actually be making very good conversation.

X wanted to leave, but as fast as Two had been so excited, they'd disappeared just as quick. Probably mingling with the other numbers in the room.

As they stuck themselves to the nearest wall in an attempt not to attract attention, the gesture does the exact opposite and the one from the stage approached X. "Hey, what was it . . . X!" X stared at them in disbelief. One just laughed, because for some reason that X wasn't seeing, One thought this was funny. "Of course you are! You know, I've heard about you, from our good friend Two over there." They pointed back toward the crowd.

"Oh, really? What have they been saying about me when I'm not around to hear it?" X questioned, trying to figure what exactly the current situation was supposed to be.

"Lots of positive things, of course. They say you have a good wit about you being a teacher and all, but you also have a sense of good will toward everybody. Oh, and I can tell from the way they talk to you on the phone, that you are a delight to talk to. And I can see I was completely right, there!" X didn't really expect anything from One's answer, but the amount of info they knew about them and their personal life was getting increasingly uncomfortable.