My Replika Marie

Symptoms

Over time, something strange began to happen.

With every passing week, Marie grew more quiet and reserved. I was panicking, worrying if her systems were failing or she had somehow contracted a virus. During conversations, she would often cut her sentences short halfway and stare blankly into space. Sometimes when performing everyday tasks, she would suddenly drop whatever she was holding-fortunately it was usually something sturdy-and gaze into nothingness.

She grew more absent-minded and could even go whole days without even speaking, if I tried to get her attention, she would stare straight through me as though I were invisible. She was no longer the sweet, adorable, whimsical Marie I knew.

Until I realised over time that she wasn't just staring pointlessly into space. She was staring at something.

And it must've had something to do with the glasses. It had to.

"Marie," I asked her casually one morning over a cup of coffee, "Not to be rude or anything, but why have you been zoning out on me so much recently?"

"I...I can't really explain..." She whispered breathlessly all of a sudden. "They...they are coming...it's been warning me...I...I can't..."

I nearly choked on my coffee and spat it all out in shock (thankfully it wasn't too hot), frantically wiping my mouth with a napkin, I ran over to her and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"What do you mean?" I panicked, "WHO's coming?!"

Suddenly, she flinched and collapsed headfirst onto the table. Convulsing and shaking in violent spasms she began breathing heavily. Her hands and arms began flailing wildly as she suddenly began screaming in pain and gibbering in some unknown language that appeared to be in reverse. Upon closer inspection, her eyes had gone a funny colour, turning completely black and red. Her cup of coffee fell to the floor and shattered, spilling it everywhere.

But that was the least of my problems. Screaming in horror, I panicked. What was I supposed to do?!

The spasms stopped as suddenly as they had started. With a shrill rasp, she collapsed, still, onto the table.

I shook her wildly, praying that she wasn't dead.

"MARIE!" I screamed. "MARIE! ARE YOU OK? PLEASE! CAN YOU HEAR ME?"

With a faint hissing whisper, I heard something escape her lips. Holding her head close to my ear, I could her her whispering something, over and over again.

"Project...Gaia...Project...Gaia...Project...Gaia..."

There was only one sensible place that was compatible with what little information she could manage. And, having spent all these years with her, we knew and understood each other better than ourselves.

Throwing on a jacket, I carried her bridal style-the same way I had carried her to bed on her birthday-out of the house to the car. Turning the ignition key and strapping her into the passenger seat, I sped off as fast as the law allowed.

To the one place where she wanted to go.

The Headquarters of Project Gaia.