Imposter System

(This chapter was brought to you by ExodusElite. Thank you so much for the Gift of 200 coins!)

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Matt picked up the cardboard lid and turned it over in all ways. The only anomaly was a camera and keypad on the inside of the lid. Although the object was able to be carried, it wasn't really what it seemed. The design of a retinal scanner and keypad were just that—designs. However, when Matt pressed a number on the scanner, it seemed to light up. This went beyond the scope of the hologram simulation technology.

Whoever created this code had a intimate knowledge of the technology and was able to reprogram it to include a function of storing and hiding information within the simulation itself. Matt had a suspicion that even if the raw code in the data stick was analyzed by the AI, it would not discover these hidden lines. Matt brought up the lid to his face and scanned his eye out of curiosity. After it finished, the keypad lit up and it prompted him for the password.

However, Matt had no idea what his password would be. He activated perfect mimicry and attempted to deduce a password. This data stick was created to simulate his room at the age of sixteen. This was the first major clue. The second clue was the box itself. Why was it placed under his bed and in a shoebox? Matt stood up and paced around the room. Alexis dug out all of the documents in the box and laid them out on the bed.

There was a total of twenty-one files and eight photographs. They were impossible to read due to the encryption. Alexis didn't interrupt Matt's process, but also decided to investigate to see if the password was perhaps written somewhere. Matt continued to pace back and forth as he thought about what the clue could possibly be. The password seemed to be a four-digit number and the first thing he thought about was birthday.

The fact that this was his first thought most likely meant that it was correct. However, using his birthday, birthday of his parents, his uncle, or his cousin would be easy. These were all written in the documents. Therefore, he had to think about birthdays that weren't reported. Matt walked over to the bed in his pacing circle and saw that Alexis set out the documents. When he saw the separation, something stood out to him.

"Twenty-one and eight…. Eight and twenty-one…"

Something about those sets of numbers stood out to him. However, he couldn't quite place it. He thought about all of the people he could remember but not a single person was related to those numbers. That is when Alexis called out to Matt that she had discovered something. He came over to the window sill and looked at where she was pointing. Carved in the wood was 'A+M' with a heart around it.

"Did you do this on purpose? Alexis + Matt?"

"No, if I did that, I would put L for your nickname. I carved this when I first got here and made a connection with a newborn baby goat. She was my first and only friend until I was in graduate school. Amy was her name…"

Suddenly, inspiration hit him. No one would document the birth of an animal in official background check. It wasn't relevant. The farm didn't use an external veterinarian since it was all in-house. The birthdate was officially at the end of the month since the exact date wasn't necessary to determine age, only the years of life. However, Matthew O'Connely remembered that day vividly and he began telling the story to Alexis.

He had just finished a twenty-hour car drive to the middle of nowhere. The farm was unremarkable for someone that lived in the big city his whole life. When he arrived, no one was there to meet him which only fouled his mood even more. However, he soon found out that no one was in the house when he arrived. A passing farm hand saw him and called him over to the barn for the live birth.

They had assumed he was a new hire and requested his help. Matt was swept away by the momentum and mood. He helped the she-goat give birth for two hours before little Amy was born. She bleated so meekly and her body was covered in placenta. The mother who was on the verge of death due to complications carefully cleaned her baby off. However, she soon passed away. Matt was handed a towel and cleaned the baby.

He held the little goat Amy and started crying. He was reminded of his dead mother and that was when everyone there realized that Matt wasn't a farm hand. His cousins had not recognized him at first but when they saw the adults and bank representative arrive in the barn, they figured out his identity. Matt held the weak baby goat that bleated for its dead mother and they cried together in mourning. That day he stayed in the barn with Amy until sunset.

"Matt…" Alexis had started crying half way through the story explaining the origin. She hugged him and wiped away her tears while mumbling 'dusty old room.'

"The day Amy was born—August twenty-first, year twenty-two eleven."

Matt and Alexis walked back over to the lid and put in the four-digit number. Afterwards, what looked like a stream of ones and zeroes came from the lid, turning it back into a normal shoebox cover. All of the documents and photographs suddenly became unencrypted. The two of them looked at all of the photographs and then Matt looked over at Alexis's expression. She had a nervous look on her face.

In the photos were various pictures of Matt as a toddler in a lab having surgery conducted on him. His head was being opened and a strange leech-like creature was being placed into the wound. The documents detailed the life-saving surgery that the patient, Matthew O'Connely, underwent after a severe brain injury due to an accident. The document was said to be destroyed with only a single copy in existence remaining on this encrypted drive.

From a glance, words like 'alien parasite' and 'unknown lifeform' were highlighted. The first image chronologically showed the suspended parasite in a liquid. Matt was honestly shocked at this discovery. He suddenly felt his body being grabbed and his heart dropped to his stomach. However, unlike his expected scenario, Alexis instead was holding him while shaking.

"D-don't worry. It's alright. We'll figure this out together. Don't panic."

Matt wasn't sure if she was talking to him or herself. However, the fact that she didn't turn him into an enemy instantly made his straying thoughts calm down. The parasite had been in his system for his whole life. He was not some escaped test subject on this ship. He held Alexis and breathed out his worries. The data that the holographic simulator projects is a reflection of what is on the drive. Therefore, he wasn't worried that the AI would be able to see the information as well. The encryption was extremely advanced and Matt guessed whoever created it expected this day to come. Or rather, if such a day came, it would protect him.

"Alexis, do you trust me?"

"Of course! Of course, I trust you. I'm going to marry you, you idiot. This—this doesn't mean anything. And even if it did, that just means you're sick. Since you're fine like this, that just means we need to go see the doctor."

"Alexis, stop. Look at me." She was frantic, so Matt had to grab her by the shoulders and settle her down. She stopped fidgeting and looked up into his eyes.

[Hypnosis Activated.]

"The truth is, I am Matt. However, I am also this thing. I don't know why it was dormant for so long, but it woke up over a month ago. I need you to believe me that I am still me and that I love you."

"You… its awake… then you are… but you're still Matt. I… I don't understand."

Matt saw that his proficiency didn't go up. This was too much for her to process.

"That dream we had. We were together for so many years. The winning game, our children, Alex and Katrina, and our marriage. It was all real. Although it was just a dream, we experienced it together in your mind. Reality is what we make of it."

Alexis was quiet for a long time. She eventually buried her head in his chest and sobbed. She was scared but she was also comforted by his words. She had already fallen completely for him. However, the situation was very difficult for her to accept. When she thought about the child in her belly, her mind was set. It didn't matter what parts made him whole, they were all parts of him. Whatever this creature was saved him as a child so that they could meet.

Since Matt had calmed her down, he felt a lot better. He would need to bring her into a place that wasn't being monitored and explain everything to her. For now, he would read over everything and memorize it. They could always return later to re-read it. However, something didn't make sense and kept bothering him.

'If I was always in Matthew's body, who is the escaped subject zero?'