Chapter 736 Lookalikes

"Baby, we're here." Lee Seng's mom hovered over Lee Seng as she shook him awake. The young Lee Seng's eyes opened, groggy and for a moment, confused on where he was. Mom unbuckled him and pulled him into her arms. He was too big to be held, but Mom knew her sleeping prince would throw a fit if he didn't ease himself awake.

She closed the door and started into the white building. Young Lee Seng groggily blinked as he settled into Mom's shoulder. He tiredly watched the sea of cars from his Mom's shoulder, not noticing anything out of the ordinary. Mom took them into the large building as Lee Seng closed his eyes.

The next thing Lee Seng knew, he was still asleep on Mom's shoulder. He could hear people talking as she quietly held him.

"I don't think this will work, dear." Mom told her husband. Dr. Chang was staring at paperwork next to his wife. He had asked her to come in to consult her about something. "None of this makes sense. You've already got the serum, why do you want this to be perfected?" Dr. Chang looked up at his wife and his tired son. It was clear he hadn't slept for a while. Dr. Chang's hair was a bit messy; his outfit was half-untucked, and he had loosened a couple buttons at the top.

"There's something about the Biohuman serum that reacts to this specific experiment." Dr. Chang told Mom. Lee Seng smacked his lips and the adults thought nothing of it as Lee Seng shifted in Mom's arms. "If I can somehow pair it with the Biohuman serum, maybe I can save them."

"Honey," Mom called Dr. Chang. "I know you feel bad about all those people, but I don't think you can save them… They're too… too far gone. It's better to just put them out of their misery like you promised them in the contract."

"But I can save so many people! I know I can! This serum was already too inhumane to begin with! If I can return them to their human-selves, they can live normal lives!"

Mom sighed and looked at the paperwork. She watched her husband grab some paperwork. Lee Seng groaned as he turned to see the paper.

"Baby, are you awake? Are we being too loud?" Mom asked Lee Seng. Lee Seng rubbed his eyes as he stared at Dr. Chang pulled some paperwork. It wasn't the first time he saw his dad like this. Dr. Chang turned to look at his son and smiled at him.

"Is Daddy being too loud?" Dr. Chang asked. "Are you hungry, Lee Lee? Want something to eat?"

"Mmm." Lee Seng nodded. Dr. Chang nodded and set the collected paperwork on the table.

"Daddy could use a break. Let's go eat, 'kay?" They stood up and Mom turned around. Lee Seng's eyes naturally wandered to the paper. It was a picture of Mom.

"Mommy?" Lee Seng observed aloud.

"Yeah, baby?" Mom adjusted Lee Seng in her arms as her husband held the door for them. Lee Seng pointed at the paperwork and looked at Mom.

"Your picture."

"Hm?" Mom turned around and looked where Lee Seng was pointing. It was the stack of papers Dr. Chang had put it together. Dr. Chang looked at it and realized what Lee Seng was referring to and quickly moved to cover it.

"It's nothing, Lee Lee. Just someone that looks like Mommy." Mom lied. "Do you wanna walk with Mommy and Daddy? We're gonna go to the cafeteria to eat maw maw (food)."

"Mmm!" Lee Seng nodded.

--

[Diagnostics Complete! DME Flow levels are low. Past injuries have caused the User to sustain some damage… There is permanent damage that cannot be undone… DME Flow levels stabilized at 88%...]

Broodmother turned to look at the cocoon. It was starting to crack. The group watched as Broodmother muttered something under her breath. The cocoon shook and the cracks began to mend.

"I must go." The Broodmother told the group. She turned to look at them. Her hand disappeared into the cocoon. It slowly ate her arm as she turned to enter it fully.

"W-what's wrong with him?" Keng asked. He was the only one who seemed to ask the questions on his mind.

"Self-conflict." Broodmother answered. Without another word, Broodmother put her other hand on the cocoon and melted into it. The group watched as the woman disappeared, leaving them with a pulsing cocoon of Dark Matter.

The memory shifted and Lee Seng was now standing in the cape cod house. He took a glance around and noticed everything was in place. He slowly spun around and noticed a very familiar woman sitting on the couch. Lee Seng jumped, backing away from the woman as she tilted her head at him. There was something… uncanny valley about her. She wore a skintight suit, and her skin had the same color complexion as him and her eyes mimicked his. Her hair fluttered around on its own. It was strange. Could hair even do that?

'Mom.' Lee Seng thought. He felt onto the coffee table, pushing stuff off it as he tried to scramble away from the woman who looked exactly like his mother.

"I can't be." Lee Seng whispered. The woman watched him. The longer they stared at each other, the more Lee Seng found a bit off. She didn't have a mole under her eye. The roots of her hair were slimy instead of actual hair. Her eyes were more purple than dominantly red and blue. And most importantly… She had the number eleven shining by her heart.

Lee Seng fell backwards, landing on his back. He groaned as the table flipped on its side. Broodmother shifted and stood up. Lee Seng could hear her steps. She was quiet and almost sounded like she wasn't walking. Broodmother peeked into Lee Seng's view and tilted her head.

"Ah!" Lee Seng screamed. He panicked and flipped himself onto all fours and scrambled over to the edge of the couch and behind it. Broodmother straightened herself and followed Lee Seng with her eyes. Even though she couldn't see him, she could accurately tell where he was going. He was heading for the front door.

Broodmother leaped and landed in Lee Seng's way. She looked down on him, curiously. Lee Seng flipped and scrambled backwards, keeping eyes on her. Broodmother's form slowly showed its true form to him. Her hair turned into tendrils and large slugs appeared on her body. They moved around as tendril wings grew off her back.

"I… I know you." Lee Seng whispered. "You're… You're supposed to be dead!" Lee Seng threw his arms up to protect himself and waited for the inevitable. The Protocol hadn't died and wasn't over! It was finishing the job. Lee Seng waited and waited until the panic was replaced with a curiosity.

'Why isn't she doing anything?' Lee Seng wondered. He slowly peeked from the shelter of his arms and noticed she was extending a hand to him.

"Come on. Up you go." Broodmother finally spoke. She looked at the grown adult like he was a child. He was clearly scared of her, and she knew it, but she ignored it. She shook her hand, waiting for him to grab it. Lee Seng slowly removed his arms and looked at her shaking hand. "Come on. Not much time, User."

"Hm?" Lee Seng looked at the Broodmother, confused.

"What? Shocked, the voice in your head is me?" She grabbed Lee Seng's hand and pulled him up. She held his hand for a while longer and shook her head at him. "You would really be dead if it weren't for me, y'know." She let go of his hand, practically pushing him to the side as she made her way to the couch. "After almost getting obliterated by that damn pest, I thought things would go to shit! But you handled it like a champ and now you have the Protocol and that pest's unnatural mutation!"

'That's not my mom at all…' Lee Seng thought.

"Mutation?" Lee Seng asked, walking around the couch, planting a seat at the end. Broodmother turned to look at him and nodded. She pointed at his heart.

"Right there. It's at the most crucial point of your Flow – your heart." Broodmother answered. "Don't tell me you didn't see it, User." Lee Seng looked down at his chest and stared at it. He touched it and didn't feel anything out of the ordinary. Lee Seng's look apparently told Broodmother enough. She sighed and shook her head.

"I guess we're doing it this way, then." Broodmother sighed. She stood up and walked over to Lee Seng. Lee Seng looked up and watched as his mom-look-a-like stuck her hand out.

"Doing it how?" Lee Seng asked.

"Your heart." Broodmother motioned for Lee Seng to take her hand.

"But my heart is right here." Lee Seng looked down. Broodmother groaned in frustration as she grabbed Lee Seng's hand and pulled him up with ease. She pushed their hands on his heart. A low buzz grew as Lee Seng's energy began to light up all around them.

"Whatever you do, don't take your hand off of mine until we're done, got it?" Broodmother raised her eyebrow.

"Why?"