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| Nina followed this "Anna" person. She kept sparking something familiar in her head. Her looks, figure and even hairstyle, though wet and dripping, seemed too familiar to be just a helping hand. She felt that she should loathe this woman, hate this woman, banish this woman to the darkest depths of hell, but she had no reason to. It's impolite to hate someone you don't know. Just then, Anna stopped, whisking out an arm behind her to signal Nina to stop.
"Guards!" she whispered to her. There were 2 guards, dressed in a kind of black armour clothing, with guns at the ready and plenty of ammo.
Anna jumped to the darkest side of the tunnel, with Nina following.
"How are we gonna get past them?" Nina asked quietly (so as not to attract the guard's attention)
Anna thought for a moment, then a smile came across her face.
"Don't worry" Anna replied, "I have an idea". She gave a slight giggle at her idea.
She stood on the edge of the tunnel's end (whether exit or entrance) and just waited for the guard's to notice her, which didn't take long. These guards worked up to 20 hours a day, so a naked woman just turning up on their post would be surprising.
"Well, hello there," Anna purred, "I'm kinda lost"
Nina looked on at Anna's flirting with the guards. Another spark of familiarity, another spark of hatred, yet no sparks of jealousy. But then, would you want 2 middle-aged men dressed as soldiers drooling over you?
Just then, the sounds changed.
"HIIYA!"
"URGH!"
The guards were lying on the ground, down and out. Anna dragged them into the tunnel, and started to take one of the guards' armoured suits off.
"What are you doing?!" said Nina, with some shock in her voice.
"Getting us something to wear" Anna replied, "Unless you wanna walk around this freezing place in the nuddy."
Nina raised an eyebrow.
"They can keep the underwear," Anna sighed, "Who'd wanna see that anyway?"
After the two got fully suited up, you couldn't tell whether they were male or female, nevermind their identities. They left the tunnel, leaving the guards in their vests and boxers lying dazed in the tunnel. They walked around the laboratories and saw what you'd expect in any laboratory. Dangerous chemicals, smelly gases, men and women in long white coats and glasses, yep, your average laboratory, apart from a certain dinosaur and kangaroo locked in two separate cages in the corner. Nina looked back at the complex she had left. It was dark, dusty and almost falling apart, how long had she been in that freezing pool. Anna was more focused on finding an exit, though she thought about her sister's condition. When she came out of the pool, she expected Nina to lash out at her in a fight like old times, not reply with "Who are you?". This was serious, though Anna lost many an argument (as did her sister from time to time) she enjoyed their little sibling rivalries. Mainly the ones where she won, like the high school Christmas Disco fiasco involving the punch bowl. She and her boyfriend became the school's couple of the year. Nina, not very happy, picked up the punch bowl and doused Anna in it. Anna smiled underneath her dark helmet. She didn't like it at the time, but not only did it symbolise a win in the long-going rivalry, it was a precious memory. Just then, they came up to the exit.
"Shit!" Anna exclaimed
The exit had guards asking for ID, not to mention a vocal-recognition test to ensure the ID. Though it was mainly for the scientists, she was sure guards coming in and out of the laboratories were tested as well.
"Why have we stopped?" Nina asked, but Anna couldn't reply. Like spacesuits, you had to speak to your partner through a walkie-talkie device within your helmet at a certain frequency. The helmets in the laboratories were soundproofed to cut out noise, but the noise of what was unsure, the loud bangs or the screams of pain?
Anna walked tentatively towards the exit, with the unsure Nina following behind. They got to the exit, when a guard popped up, a voice sounded through both their helmets.
"Did you find out the problem with the doors at the old complex?" the voice spoke.
Anna, nervous, replied in the gruffest, masculine voice she could muster.
"Nah, haven't found out yet" she replied, "We were going to sort it out after ourlunch break"
The guard, underneath his helmet, put on a thoughtful face.
"Your voice sounds a bit lower then usual Naoka" the guard stated, with his face still thoughtful
"Oh, er" Anna fumbled, then she faked a cough, "sore throat" she croaked
"Ah, I understand," the guard said, reassured, "Off you go."
Anna was safe and sound and made her way out, Nina followed her but was stopped by the guard.
"You haven't said much" the guard stated, "What's your problem?"
Nina, nervous, put a hand to her throat and shook her head.
"Laryngitis?" the guard guessed
Nina nodded
"Ah, I see, well, off you go then" the guard replied.
Nina and Anna were both scot-free. They headed towards the double-doors at the end of the wall and had entered an elevator. Anna, with a sigh of relief, took off her helmet and pressed the button symbolizing the top floor. She slumped against the edge of the lift and sat down, with Nina doing the same.
"Finally, a way out of this place!" Anna sighed, "When I see that Kazuya, I'll-"
Anna then noticed Nina's puzzled look at her.
"What's the problem?" she asked
"I still don't know who you really are" Nina replied, "All you've told me is that you're called Anna."
"You didn't recognise anything from that name?" Anna questioned, in surprise
"Only the feeling that I should recognise you," Nina answered, "But apart from that, nothing at all.
Anna thought for a moment again. Nina looked on.
"Do you know your own name?" Anna asked her.
Nina thought, but came back empty-handed
"No, I can't remember anything!" she said, with the emotion fading in on her face.
Anna looked at her upset sister. Her old personality of impatience and independence was either hidden or replaced with the confused, emotional shell of her sister. What had happened to Nina in that capsule? Anna looked up and spotted something that drained the blood from her face and the shock fill her face. A security camera was perched in the corner of the elevator.
"Quick!" she yelled at Nina, "Put your helmet back on!"
Nina looked up, puzzled.
"Huh? What's going-"
"Just put your damn helmet on!"
The elevator stopped and the doors opened, with eight guards, 4 in black, 4 in green, with guns aimed at them, just before the two of them could put their disguise back on. Anna's earlier hope of freedom was lost.
Just then, an old man in a maroon coat and white waistcoat and trousers shoved his way through the guards. His face was gaunt, haggard and wrinkled with age, yet his build of body had not decreased in any way. He looked at the two and gave a thoughtful frown, he recognised them on the spot. He spoke to the head guard.
"Send them to the changing rooms and give them keys 224 and 225. When they're dressed, send them up to my office." He said in his grated, deep, booming voice.
The two women had heard what the old man said and couldn't believe what they were hearing, nor the way they were treated when two of the guards pulled them out of the elevator and prodded the barrel of their guns into their backs, barking orders to move. But more curious to both of them was what did the old man want?
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