Chapter 735 Failed 001: The Broodmother

Ritsuka's eyes were wide as the Broodmother announced herself. His mouth was agape and she didn't even indulge in his reaction. She turned back to look at Lee Seng, spitting out random numbers like she was some sort of… Computer.

"W-w-w-w-w-w-w-wait. You're… Chee Chang? H-how his M-mom died years ago." Ritsuka stuttered. He tried to stand but his own legs and arms were failing him. Broodmother turned and faced the Biohuman linked with Lee Seng.

"Didn't you hear me? I am a Failed One. A Failed experiment from the Creator's early days. I was molded after the User's mother. I am—"

"Lee Seng! Ritsuka! Where are you?!?" A group of voices shouted. The Broodmother's eyes instantly flicked away from Ritsuka and down the path. She turned and moved to hide behind the cocoon.

"Don't say anything. Two of them will attack me with no hesitation if they find out who I am." Broodmother ordered.

"Why should I do that?" Ritsuka asked finally finding the strength to stand.

"Do whatever you want, 11-001. I will not answer anymore questions if you choose to do that." The Broodmother pulled behind the cocoon and melded with the Dark Matter as Keng, Manny, Evan, Olivia, Liz and Lily rushed down the forest.

"Ritsuka, what the hell happ— What the fuck is that?!?" Manny pointed. Ritsuka turned as the group slowed to a stop. They were all looking at the cocoon Lee Seng was in like it was some strange phenomenon.

"Did you hear the strange voice earlier?" Liz asked. Ritsuka gave them a surprised look.

"How did you—" Ritsuka began to ask as Keng moved to the cocoon, inspecting it.

"Where's Lee Seng?" Keng asked.

"Well…" Ritsuka rubbed his neck and turned to look at the cocoon. "In there." He pointed at it. All of his friends surrounded the cocoon, studying it.

"Why?" Olivia asked. "Does this have something to do with that voice announcing a diagnostics or whatever?"

"Is that what she meant by 11-001 through 11-005 and the Anomaly..?"

"What're you mumbling about, Ritsuka?" Evan asked, standing in front of him. "Did something happen? Why does it smell bad in here?"

"Was there a fight? There's… dead hobgoblins around." Manny pointed.

"Where's Lee Seng, then?" Olivia asked.

"He's in here… I think." Keng answered. He stood next to the cocoon and tapped on it. "Whatever happened, he must've done this."

"He… I… Argh!" Ritsuka rubbed his head.

"Are you okay, at least?" Liz asked Ritsuka.

"All of this is so messed up. I… I can't even… Get out here and explain to them what you explained to me!" Ritsuka shouted at the cocoon.

"W-what?" Evan stumbled backwards. "Wh— Is someone here?" The group began to look around.

"Keng!" Lily jogged forward towards the group. "These hobgoblins are cursed. There's signs of fire like the curse turned into flames and tried to eat away at the forest! What do we do?"

"A curse?" Keng whispered. He looked over at Ritsuka. "Is this true? Are these hobgoblins cursed?"

"Lee Seng said so." Ritsuka nodded.

"Why's he in there, then?" Manny pointed. "Did something happen to him? Did he get cursed?"

"His powers… It…"

An audible sigh came from the cocoon. Everyone stopped and turned to look at it as the Dark Matter began to shake. The group pulled their weapons as Ritsuka watched.

"What's happening to it?" Manny asked. "Did a hobgoblin get inside or something? Ritsuka?"

"I…" Ritsuka gulped. He couldn't exactly tell them. If he did, he wouldn't get any answers from that Broodmother.

"I guess you can keep your mouth shut." Broodmother's voice echoed around them.

"Who's that?" Keng asked. "Friend or foe?"

"Would you really ask that question?" The cocoon shook as Broodmother stepped out from the cocoon. All of the group's weapons and powers turned to her. She lifted her hands and watched as Manny's eyes grew wide. "Do not worry, friends of Lee Seng Chang. I am not a—"

"You're an impostor!" Manny shouted. He flew forward, swinging the sword in his hands at her. Broodmother didn't bat an eye as the sword flew at her. Manny stopped it short of her neck, huffing and puffing with adrenaline and shock coursing through his body.

"Manny, what's goi—" Liz began to ask.

"WHO ARE YOU? WHY DO YOU LOOK LIKE HER?!?" Manny shouted. Broodmother smiled and looked at the blade. "Tell me before I cut your head off."

"Do it." Broodmother responded. "I want to see you do it. Kill me, Damion." Liz, Evan, and Olivia narrowed their eyes as she turned her head away from Manny and to Keng. "It's good to see you, again, dear. Thought I died, didn't you?" Keng's face was filled with shock like he just seen a ghost. He gulped and stumbled backwards, pointing at her.

"Y-you…" Keng quietly spoke. "Y-you're her."

"Yes, her." Broodmother nodded. Her skin slightly touched the blade, nicking herself. A black substance poured down her neck, instantly disappearing. "It's been awhile, Anomaly. It seems like I've missed a lot. I've been trapped within the User's head for quite some time. I've finally grown back to a capable state."

"What're you doing here? I thought you were just… Some figment of the… Protocol… I thought…"

"The Protocol?" Manny repeated Keng's second to last word. "She's the Protocol? I thought he…"

"He did." Broodmother responded, turning back to look at him. "I'm only here because he's in such bad shape. What even happened to him?"

"He—"

"Why're we telling this… thing anything?" Evan asked. Broodmother looked at the tiniest Biohuman amongst them and nodded. He turned to look at the others, who were defensively holding their powers or weapons at her. "Who is she anyways? Why do you look like you know her, Manny? And why do you know her, Keng?"

"It's a…" Keng's voice trailed off. "Very long story."

"Very." Broodmother nodded. Manny sucked in a sharp breath and pulled the sword away. He sheathed it and kept his head down.

"Is she bad or not?" Liz asked, lightning crackling around her body. For the amount of time they've been standing here and watching this strange woman, she had no ill intention. She didn't even exude any blood lust or sign that she was going to act. Manny took some breaths before he answered the group.

"She looks like Lee Seng's… Late mother." Manny whispered.

"What?" Olivia's eyes widened. "S-she's… her?"

"She looks like her. She's not her." Manny corrected, looking at her. Broodmother nodded.

"Manny is right. I am not her. I look like her." Broodmother agreed.

"And how do you know her Keng?" Evan asked.

"She's in Lee Seng's Soul world. We met a couple times when she tried to kill me once and then try to strike a deal with Lee Seng." Keng replied.

"I wasn't trying to kill you." Broodmother chuckled. "I was testing the Anomaly that exists within the User's body."

"What are you then?" Liz asked. "A human? A Biohuman?"

"Ha! Oh no, dear. I'm neither. Maybe I was a human at one point, but I will never be a Biohuman. Oh no, we're different." Broodmother wagged her finger. "I am Broodmother, Failed Experiment 001. My form took on the User's mother as a way to let me reside within him."

"You're a failed experiment? Are you like that… creepy eye thing that was inside of me?" Manny asked.

"Them?" Broodmother chuckled. "No. I'm not like the other failed experiments… Well, we aren't all the same, but I know very little of that. I am a fragment of who I sued to be. I know nothing of that sort and only know I came to be because of the User."

"Were you the voice then?" Olivia asked. "The one who said something about 'diagnostics' needing to be run on him?" Broodmother nodded, folding her arms together.

"Correct. I am the system, the… Artificial Intelligence, I guess, that keeps the User up to date on anything and everything regarding his Protocol abilities… You could say I'm a very rare case in extremely rare cases."

"What did you mean by 11-001?" Ritsuka asked. "You called me that earlier. You called Keng an Anomaly earlier, too. What do these… titles mean?" Broodmother pointed at Keng.

"Anomaly because he is an Anomaly. He was put into the User's body after I was there for years." Broodmother shifted over to Ritsuka. "11-001. You were the first to be mutated by the User." She moved her hand over to Manny then Liz, Evan and Olivia. "The rest follow in the order up to 005. The User has mutated your abilities to what it is now. I sense a strong presence of his energy within you all. It's successfully molded and turned into your own energy. A wonderful thing to see, honestly." Broodmother nodded, folding her arms, again.

"He really did mutate us." Olivia whispered to Liz.

"Why did he do that?" Evan asked. "He could've killed that Deimon and saved himself, but he—"

"You'll have to ask him that yourself, Mr. Trainor." Broodmother sighed. "I only just regained my full consciousness. He has successfully paired with the Protocol and we are one. You could say I'm just a figment of his imagination. The voice you hear is probably the voice he hears when I talk to him. I do not know why things happened the way they did, but the User has always been like that. He's always been… Kind."