Cybil (2018) #projectsuper

Chapter 55: Wonderful World

Marcia felt unease at the city around her. Truthfully, she simply felt out of place. She actually felt even more like a freak of nature than usual. Being surrounded by all of these normal people.

Of course, it had been her constant complaint that she had been holed up for far too long in Techno Land.

"Why are we here, again?" Even through her thick trench coat, she still felt very much like she'd be out of place anywhere except a Terminator movie.

"Because you wanted to be," Ana casually sipped her decaf. It was still creepy how she could answer her without even regarding her.

"Yeah, but how many people do you think are staring at you and me?" Admittedly, she was more concerned for herself in this regard, as at least Ana could pass for a normal human being.

"You have got to stop tossing around that word, 'normal', by the way. It has long become obsolete. Worthless."

Marcia growled. "Stop that!"

Ana ignored this and gestured toward the pastries in the middle of the table. "You know, you can eat some of these whenever you want..."

The cyborg raised an eyebrow. "You realize that I'm an undead revenant, right?"

"Don't sell yourself short, child. You were only mostly dead. We revitalized you enough. Technically, you are alive..."

"Alice?!" Marcia exclaimed. "What was all of that about it costing millions to resurrect me?"

The Asian woman casually waved it away. "Please. You were in a coma. We just iced your barely moving body for a while."

"Why do that?" Marcia was really curious now. "Why not just let me die?"

Ana seemed startled by the question, as if she hadn't been expecting it.

"There's something important you're not telling me, isn't there?" Her voice was a hiss showing hints of both anger and fear.

Ana regained her composure. "What I can tell you is that you are here for a purpose, and the sooner you embrace that, the better."

"Embrace... Do you know that--"

"Do not dare finish that sentence." the older woman's tone seemed calculated to cut off any further discussion. "You are what you are. Make the best of it."

Marcia sat back in her chair, pouting like a child who didn't get their way. At least she felt human in that moment.

"Besides," Ana continued, "We are not the only ones with things that make us different. Alan's talking with one such case right now."

"You read that boy's mind?"

"Just to check on him, mind you. It takes a little sifting through his rather scrambled thoughts, but..."

Ana looked out towards the surrounding commotion with Marcia following her gaze.

"See him in the crowd there? Use your scanner."

It took her only a moment to lock on to Alan's DNA signature. The odd boy was talking with some girl on a bench around his age. Upon closer inspection, the other girl's arm seemed to go around his shoulder in an unnatural, superhuman way.

"She can stretch..."

Ana nodded. "Indeed. If you look closely around you, everyone's got their own story to tell."

Marcia, to her own surprise, smirked. "Like you. What is your story, by the way?"

Ana laughed. What a rare sight. "For another time. Now, are you going to eat these, or am I going to have to call the boy and his friend here to do it for you?"

"I can eat?"

"We didn't eliminate all of your bodily functions when we brought you back, though you don't need to eat and drink for survival anymore. We just got rid of the more unnecessary ones, such as those for reproduction and other secretions."

"Ana?"

"Yes?"

"Please, never bring that up again."

"Agreed."

Marcia hesitated for a moment before eating one of the pastries. It tasted sweet for her liking, but she was too happy with the whole "being able to eat" thing to really care.