Chapter Text
It was a sharp contrast to go from the noisy city streets to the long, deserted corridor of the building, which once the main door closed behind you, plunged the place into an almost solemn, or more like dangerous, silence. The neighbor's footsteps began to echo almost noisily as he made his way along the checkerboard-paved corridor, white, soiled by the years, and another indescribable color that was a mixture of gray and beige.
The slightest sound made by a neighbor walking down the corridor was amplified by the total absence of supplies. The walls, painted a plum color, a mixture of mauve and pink, were devoid of any decoration whatsoever, save for damp stains, peeling paint here and there, or suspicious marks whose origin was best left unknown. Above his head, the ceiling was covered with tile patterns, but this time no checkerboard, just grey squares glued together and lined up. Only a few light bulbs falling from the ceiling, held in place only by a cable, illuminated the place dimly, giving the impression to all who passed that they were in prison, except that this time, the difficulty was not in getting out, but in getting in.
The corridor, which seemed infinite but wasn't, bore a new door at its end, but this time it wasn't a simple swing door. The door was made of reinforced metal, with no windows, or any means of seeing what was behind. The handle was also made of metal, but there was no keyhole to indicate that it could be opened with a key. No, this door was entirely automated, a little jewel of new technology designed and engineered to be impenetrable unless authorized. And it could only be opened by a button in the security room next door.
Considering the large tempered-glass window embedded in the wall just a few meters from the entrance, the corridor wasn't quite so empty after all. Just below the window was an opening, a small hatch through which one could barely slip one's hand to hand over the documents needed to have a chance of getting inside the building, where all the innocent, defenseless, stupid residents were all to be found.
Reaching the security glass, the mysterious neighbor stopped, his gaze settling on the office behind the glass wall. There was a large wooden desk, as dirty and old as the rest of the building, with a mess of documents on it, a pen lying around, and a rotary-dial telephone whose handset rested carelessly on the desk rather than on its base. On the left-hand side of the desk was the control box for opening and closing the armored door.
The neighbor's eyes fell on the new Doorkeeper in the chair behind the desk. The person was slumped in the chair, almost lying in it, his outstretched crossed feet disappearing under the desk while their arms were placed on tjeir stomach with one hand loosely holding their other wrist. The Doorkeeper's face was tilted forward, the black cap with the word "security" written in large white letters on it placed on their head before tilting down in front of their eyes, plunging their face into the gloom and making their features indistinguishable. The neighbor could see a few strands of (h/c) hair, but it didn't matter.
The Doorkeeper was asleep, their breathing slow and regular, as if the threat of Doppelgängers wasn't constantly present. As if the apartment's former inhabitants hadn't suffered a Doppelgängers attack that had claimed the lives of some, including the former Doorman. The neighbor didn't know whether the new Doorkeeper was stupid, lazy or simply unconscious. But sleeping while occupying the most important position, the first line of defense in the fight against the Doppelgängers and preventing them from taking over humanity, was pure recklessness.
But the attention of the neighbor standing in front of the security window was quickly drawn to the red light emanating from the armored door's opening control box. The button that triggered the opening of the door, a huge green one bearing the pictogram of an open padlock, was pressed. The only other button on the control box, a button decorated with a small drawing of a closed padlock, shone its bright red glow on the surrounding area and the silhouette of the sleeping Doorkeeper. The light from the closing button seemed to beg the Doorkeeper to wake up and close the door.
A twisted smile appeared on the neighbor's lips, revealing teeth more than a little abnormal and quite different from those of a normal human being. Not wasting another second, the neighbor turned in the direction of the armored door, seizing this extraordinary opportunity to enter the apartment without being questioned, without risking being caught and eliminated by the Department of Doppelgängers Detection. Trying to make as little noise as possible, the neighbor made his way to the door, a deranged smile on his lips as he promised to give a quick, but not too painless, death to the Doorkeeper who had served him the building's inhabitants on a silver platter.
Everything was more than perfect, the neighbor's hand reaching for the handle to open it, but just before his fingers had time to touch the armored door's handle a rather high-pitched electronic buzzing sound resounded, the noise of mechanisms and safety devices falling into place making sure the door in front of the neighbor wouldn't open. The neighbor panicked slightly, a mixture of anger and panic seizing him as he grabbed the handle to try and open it anyway. After several unsuccessful attempts, the neighbor let go of the handle, retracing his steps to stop in front of the security glass, trying not to show the murderous emotions he was currently feeling towards the Doorkeeper.
Your hand gently moved away from the opening and closing control buttons as you settled back comfortably into the cushions you'd brought from home to place in the armchair. The D.D.D. had provided a chair, but it was the kind of uncomfortable wooden office chair that creaked at the slightest movement you made and whose wheels pushed you three-quarters of the time in the wrong direction. Letting out a sigh, you lifted your face slightly in the direction of the neighbor(?) who was standing in front of the security window, your hand which had been pressing the closing button lifting to come and push with one finger your cap out of your field of vision, leaving your eyes (e/c) to meet directly those of the neighbor(?).
"Well, Mr. Ciprianni... I don't remember you being exempt from showing me your papers in order to enter the building." You declared calmly, your eyes fixed on Angus Ciprianni's(?) face.
"Oh... You seemed to be sleeping so peacefully that I didn't have the heart to wake you up only to make you read boring and useless papers." Angus declared with an amused chuckle.
"Boring and useless ? I probably wouldn't have said that about the documents that decide my life and death. But if it means so little to you, you don't mind if I see your ID and entry request, do you ?" You replied with a small smile.
"N-No, no of course." Replied the neighbor(?).
You leaned back in your chair, crossing your arms as you watched the person behind the glass take out documents and slide them through the hatch. You reached out a hand, placing it on the documents he was handing you, but your eyes remained fixed on the man in front of you for a few seconds. Your left hand slowly lifted to the control panel on your left. The wall-mounted panel consisted of three small rectangular buttons lined up underneath, and a large red button protected by a square glass cover. The three small buttons featured a wire fence icon on the left, a metal curtain being lowered on the right, and a flashing beacon on the right.
You pressed the small button on the left. A slight beep sounded, and the button lit up red until suddenly a metal fence suddenly and noisily emerged from the floor, from an almost invisible gap hidden among the lines formed by the check patterns on the floor. The mesh barrier rose rapidly, pulled by a system of pulleys, cogs and complex electronic components and technologies concealed in the walls and ceiling, before anchoring itself in the ceiling with a metallic thud that echoed throughout the corridor.
The wire fence that had been set in place was made of a metal almost as strong as that which made up the armoured door. The fence was blocked in the walls by sliding slots that allowed vertical movement but prevented horizontal movement. In the ceiling, a system just as sophisticated as the rest, preventing anyone from pulling the mesh barrier downwards, meant that the only entrance to the building, which was in fact the only exit, was now inaccessible to anyone standing in front of the security window.
You saw Angus(?) look in the direction of the fence which had lifted a few meters away from him, trapping him between the mesh barrier and the armoured door closing access to the apartments, a touch of concern crossing his eyes before quickly disappearing. You saw him swallow his saliva before his eyes landed on you again, one of his hands remembering to straighten the hat he had on his head and a nervous little smile splitting his lips as he breathed out :
"Uh... What the...? Is this really necessary ? I mean, you haven't even looked at my papers yet..."
"Don't worry, it's part of the procedure. The D.D.D. has put this new security measure in place to protect the neighbors who are in the airlock from potential Doppels attacks." You paused for a moment, a welcoming smile still on your lips.
You finally took your eyes off the neighbor(?), lowering them not to consult the documents he had given you, but to look to your left where the day's list was hanging. Your eyes roamed over the different faces on the list, before coming to rest on the small photo of Angus Ciprianni. You clicked your tongue, he was on the list of those who had to apply for entry today.
After consulting his apartment number, you pushed back your chair, moving to the other side of the desk to open the file for floor 01. You grabbed the resident information sheet for apartment number 03, placing it on the desk in front of you as you pulled Angus's(?) ID card and entry request towards you. You began by analyzing his physique, comparing it with the photo on his information sheet. His moustache was there, his eyes were the right shape and their color seemed to be the right one. It was hard to tell because of the black and white photo, but since you'd already had the chance to meet the real Angus Ciprianni, you knew it was the right color. The neighbor(?) in front of you had no moles, no worms either. Nothing that would make it obvious he belonged to a species other than human. But that didn't mean you were going to let him in.
Lifting his ID, you first looked to see if the D.D.D. logo was present, so you didn't have to waste your time consulting other information if it was. But the logo was there. You then consulted the name, surname and number on the ID card, comparing it carefully with the information you had in the file. Once you'd certified the ID card as "authentic" and flawless, you pushed it back towards the hatch, letting it rest there while you concentrated on the entry request.
The logo was present, the first and last names were right, even the apartment number was right, but when you took the job that the Angus(?) in front of you claimed to do and compared it to the job he was supposed to do, you could clearly see that something was amiss. You let a small smile appear on your lips, an amused sigh escaping you as you leaned back in your chair and looked up at the fake Angus, your fingers lightly tapping his entry request.
"How was the job today Mr. Ciprianni ? Not too difficult, I hope ?" You asked, reaching for one of the checklists on the table.
"Huh ? Ah ! It's been great ! Lots of customers to serve and it's always difficult to prepare all these dishes in such a short time, but I'm used to it after all these years !" Declared the mimic, letting a more confident laugh leave his lips.
You hummed a reply, stealthily raising your eyes to the Doppelgänger before starting to tick the various boxes on the checklist, marking the options of identity, appearance and his presence on the today's list as all positive. But you stopped at the entry request option, tapping the lead of your pen between the two boxes allowing you to approve or disapprove his entry request. You leaned back in your chair, keeping your hand and pen on the checklist paper, your eyes staring intently at the Doppel.
"Oh really 'Angus' ? Used to it after all these years ? Hmm..." You huffed, almost pensively. "You know I find it just a little strange because, according to your file, you've never, ever worked as a chef." You finished with a knowing smile.
You saw the Doppelgängers' expression freeze, his smile suddenly fading to one of shock. His breathing quickened slightly as he watched your hand rise, checking the negative box next to the entry request. You lifted the completed checklist, turning it and pushing it towards the fake Angus so he could look at it while you still wore a winning smile on your lips. You leaned towards the emergency button ready to press it but stopped yourself just short, snapping your fingers as if you'd just remembered a few things.
"Oh. By the way, there's another reason why this barrier was put in place. It's there to prevent the Doppelgängers from escaping when the emergency button is pressed." You continued, saying matter-of-factly. "The D.D.D. realized that sometimes, by the time they arrived to carry out the cleaning protocol, the Doppels were escaping. Now that's no longer possible."
You were amused to see the mimic's dumbfounded expression, his perfect mask copying Angus Ciprianni's face, melting slightly to reveal more monstrous eyes. With a flick of your wrist, you opened the small glass cover that protected the emergency button before slamming your fist on it. The siren immediately began to sound, the red light above the control box flashing like a police flashing light. A metal curtain, made of the same material as the armored door, quickly descended in front of the security window, adding another layer of security for you. But you knew it was also to prevent you from seeing what was going to happen when the D.D.D. arrived and they carried out their cleaning protocol.
Before the curtain had time to completely block the Dopper's view of you, you raised your hand to your forehead and gave him a little military salute with two fingers. The metal curtain then closed with a metallic clang, signaling its secure closure. You let out a sigh, grabbing the handset lying on the desk to lift it up and wedge it between your ear and shoulder, your left hand dialing 3312, the number for the Department of Doppelgängers Detection.
You could barely hear the phone ringing with the alarm blaring, so you grimaced in annoyance, coming to press a finger in your unoccupied ear to try and block out as much noise as possible and concentrate on your caller. You still found the alarm siren far too loud, but it was a way of blocking out the noises that were and would be coming from the Doppel next door. You'd already had the chance to hear some of the less than savory comments of the Doppelgängers you'd discovered, and sometimes their cries, whether of anger or pain.
-"You have contacted the D.D.D. A group of agents has been sent to your building. Please wait for the cleaning protocol to run."-
"Yeah, yeah." You replied with a sigh.
You removed the handset from your ear, placing it back on the base of the phone before looking at the mess on the desk. It was the third mimic you'd stopped entering today, and the second you'd stopped in a row, so you hadn't had time to tidy up. Especially as you'd allowed yourself a little cat-nap, since your dear colleague had fallen ill and been unable to take up his shift, you'd only had four poor hours' sleep.
Deciding to start tidying up, you grabbed the fake neighbor's ID and entry request, as well as the checklist you'd filled in. You finished filling in the last document, putting your full name and signature at the bottom of the checklist, letting anyone reading the document know that it was you who had been in charge of the selection. Grabbing the stapler from the first drawer on your right, you stapled the documents together, placing them just in front of the hatch before returning the stapler to its drawer. You then retrieved the identity cards for Angus and Selenne Sverchzt, as the Doppelgänger before this one had just passed itself off as the young model, forgetting that not every human being had a mouth full of sharp teeth as his only facial feature, and placed the documents back in their folders with the correct floor and apartment numbers.
You looked up as you heard three rapid beeps in the office you were in, signalling the arrival of the D.D.D. You'd only been working in this building for five days, but you were still impressed by the speed with which the D.D.D. intervened. In the old building where you'd worked, in a completely different part of town, you'd have to wait at least fifteen minutes for the men in yellow suit to arrive. And sometimes you had to wait even longer, which sometimes led you to deactivate the siren to avoid the headaches, which allowed you to hear the macabre threats of Doppelgängers enraged at being caught by you, but also the reminders of order from the Department of Doppelgängers Detection.
The button activating the protective mesh barrier deactivated, and the red light behind it stopped illuminating. You still didn't know how they were able to deactivate the various functions of the security panel without having access to it, and it wasn't for lack of asking the D.D.D. But your curiosity had always been rewarded with vague, cold answers telling you that you didn't need to know and that you should simply 'follow protocol'. The sound of the gate lowering was heard timidly behind the sound of the alarm, which was still going off, accompanied by the sound of muffled voices and other sounds of mysterious origin.
After a little over five minutes, during which you'd had time to restore your office to a normal state, only for a few hours until the next neighbor showed up, the siren suddenly stopped, the sudden absence of noise making your ears ring as the protective curtain lifted to reveal the silhouette of a man dressed in a hazmat suit. His face was barely visible behind the black-tinted visor, his eyes fixed on you. His voice rose, distorted by the kind of gas mask he possessed, every time a member of the D.D.D. addressed you you felt as if you were talking to the same person.
"Cleaning protocol complete."
"Okey. Here are the documents he provided me with and the checklist to complete." You held out the documents, passing them through the hatch.
The D.D.D. agent in front of you retrieved the papers, reading them quickly before giving what could have been close to a nod in your direction, as he declared :
"You can continue your job."
"Yeah yeah. I hope I don't have to see you again today." You sighed, waving your hand in his direction.
The agent paid you no heed, simply turning on his heels to leave the building, his rubber boots echoing down the corridor until the front door closed behind him. Letting a thin line draw across your lips you shook your face, D.D.D. agents were never very talkative, and always far too serious, making you wonder if they were even human. The fact that they were all wearing the same suit didn't help matters, especially as your imagination was far too vivid not to conjure up all sorts of conspiracy theories. Letting out a sigh, you settled back comfortably into your armchair, deciding to take a little nap until the next neighbor showed up.
☣
You'd been working in the building for two weeks now, and you understood better why the D.D.D. had had you transferred here. Every day there were at least three Doppelgängers showing up in the hope of getting into the building, one day you'd even had 9 captured, a record ! And every time you sat down in your chair, you were afraid of breaking the record. It was quite a change from where you'd been before, when the most Doppelgängers you'd seen had been three in one day. Your abilities and skills were far more useful here than in the small apartment you'd been in before.
You weren't the type to boast, or even to be ambitious, but the D.D.D. itself had realized just how good you were as a Doorkeeper. You were punctual, diligent, dedicated to your work, but above all you were good at analyzing, reading and deciphering people, neighbors like Doppels. You'd worked for 6 months in your old building, not a single mimic had passed through, and you'd never caused a casualty. You were almost a prodigy, even more gifted, or lucky, than the famous Henry in the video presentation you must have watched when you started work as an apprentice. In fact, you'd saved the lives of your tutor, the building's inhabitants and yourself when you'd done your field training.
Strangely enough, you even enjoyed your job despite all the risks involved. Sometimes you felt like you were playing an arcade game. Not that you thought the lives and deaths of others were fun, nor that you took your task lightly - your life was at stake, after all. But you had good motives. The more than generous pay was one of them. And perhaps the fact that you'd lost an aunt you adored to a Doorkeeper who hadn't done his job properly had driven you to want to do an impeccable job so that no one had to lose a family member like you did.
You were probably sick in the head and unconscious and also stupid and suicidal. That's what your family told you when you told them you wanted to become a Doorkeeper a few years ago. After all, it was quite true that you had to belong to one of these categories to voluntarily decide to go and work as a Doorkeeper, knowing that you were risking your own life as well as those of others. You remember answering with a laugh, saying that maybe you did, that you were in all those situations at once, but that it wouldn't change the fact that you'd made your decision. You wanted to help, so if you couldn't work in the police force, or as a fireman, or even as a doctor, then you'd save lives as a Doorkeeper.
You let out a sigh, lifting your hand to look at the time on your watch, it was already almost 8:30 p.m. You'd had four Doppelgängers today, two of them pretending to be Anastacha Mikaelys. The first had arrived in the morning, just as the girl was about to go to school, so you didn't need much to suspect it, and the absence of the D.D.D. logo on his identity card immediately triggered a cleaning protocol. The second had been even less subtle, as it'd literally written in his entry request: "I'm not a doppelganger. I'm a normal human with normal behavior. Just let me in, to do my normal human activities." You had to admit you'd laughed when you read that, but how could you be serious about it ? The Doppel hadn't found it amusing however when you called the D.D.D.
You heard the apartment door open, and then the sound of quiet, light footsteps echoing down the corridor. A shiver ran down your spine, the sound of footsteps making your heart beat slightly faster, but your instincts weren't telling you, no, your instincts were screaming at you that something dangerous was approaching. You slowly raised your eyes in the direction of the security window, seeing the silhouette stop in front of the window, immediately meeting the eyes of Francis Mosses(?). The Milkman gave you a small smile, his hands lifting to push the two documents you needed through the hatch below the window.
"Good evening, how are you ?" Francis(?) asked.
"Good evening. I'm fine, are you?" You replied, your eyes fixed on the neighbor(?).
"Ah... Tired as ever." Replied the Milkman(?) with a sigh and an amused chuckle.
You hummed a reply, looking down to see if he was on today's list. So far you hadn't seen any aberrant physical anomalies in him, and his demeanor was pretty much in line with the Francis Mosses you knew, he was polite, calm and friendly without being as outgoing as Margarette Bubbles, who tended to talk too much, and wasn't as cold and gloomy as Dr. W. Afton. However, your instincts were like a caged tiger, coming and going behind bars with suspicion.
You pressed the button lowering the protective fence, and the Milkman(?) looked up at the mesh, watching it trap him without further surprise, as if he were used to it, which should normally be the case given that all the neighbors had been undergoing this procedure for some time now. You wished he'd reacted with surprise, like the other Doppelgängers who weren't expecting this kind of radical protocol, so that you could at least confirm that there was something suspicious about him and that it wasn't just your mind playing tricks on you. Not seeing his name on the day's list, you turned back to the Milkman(?) and huffed :
"You're not on today's list Francis."
"I know, I'm sorry. I had to leave the apartment for an emergency at work and didn't have time to contact D.D.D. security to let you know."
"Um... Do you mind if I call your apartment to check anyway ?" You asked with a small smile.
"Not at all. But don't be mad at me if I don't answer." Francis said, lifting his hand to push back his cap.
You see him smile at you, your eyes unfocused as you reached for his file, floor 03, apartment 02. You opened the folder, looking at the number before reaching out with your hands, grabbing the telephone handset with one hand and dialing 4122. You heard the ringing, your attention focused on the noise in the phone, despite the fact that you could feel the Milkman's(?) eyes continuing to weigh heavily on you. You got no answer, the phone immediately hanging up, so you took your phone away from your ear, hanging it up as you turned to the neighbor(?). You saw Francis(?) give you a new little smile, one that despite its innocence made you shiver.
"I told you."
"It's procedure." You replied with a fake air of compassion.
You then turned to the documents he'd provided. You examined them, three times, comparing the numbers one by one, rereading the name, making sure that each letter was in the right place, that the D.D.D. logo was present and quite identical to the one you had on the official documents you had. Everything was perfect. Normally, at this point, procedure would dictate that you open the door and give him access to the interior of the building. But your instinct refused to do that, it was like letting a wolf pretendinh to be a dog into the sheepfold. But you were the Komondor's dog in charge of protecting the sheep, so you weren't going to let him in, not that easily.
You let out a sigh, trying to look relaxed even as anguish devoured your gut. If you couldn't catch him in the act by being attentive and intelligent, all you had to do was act naive and carefree. You grabbed the check-list, ticking all the boxes positively and even signing the document as you usually did, then grabbed his ID card and entry request, gathering them all into a little pile which you pushed towards the hatch, making them barely protrude outside, as you said with a smile :
"You really scared me there, Francis. It's a good thing your papers are in order and you didn't decide to change your hairstyle or anything, otherwise I'd have sent you straight to the D.D.D." You shook your face as you continued: "I know you've got a bad memory, but every time you forget the rule we put in place that you have to take your cap off when you get to the security glass so I know straight away that it's the real you and not a Doppelgänger."
"Argh... I thought I was forgetting something. Sorry about that. So sorry about that. I'll try to remember next time. I promise." Teplied the Milkman, reaching for his papers.
As his hand went to retrieve the documents from the hatch, you quickly withdrew them, bringing them towards you and letting them slip through the fingers of the mimic, who froze, blinking, before raising his eyes towards you. His friendly expression had fallen slightly, and for a moment you saw a red glow begin to shine in the Doppelgänger's pupils, taking on the appearance of Francis before disappearing just as quickly, almost making you think you'd imagined it, but now you were sure that wasn't the case. You saw the false Francis lift his hand to push his cap back, a small, quizzical smile on his face as he wore an innocent expression.
"What was that ?"
"That was me not giving you your papers." You reply almost mockingly.
"Well... I'll need them for next time." Replied the Doppelgänger, frowning.
"You'd need them if you were the real Francis Mosses. But you're not, and there won't be a next time for you."
"W-What ? I'm the real Francis ! It seems to me that all my papers are in order, you confirmed it yourself on the checklist."
"You're right. Your papers are good. Your appearance is perfect, and even the way you talk and behave mimics Francis' habits perfectly."
You nodded as you spoke, your eyes gazing at the documents and the completed checklist you'd brought back in front of you, your index finger tapping the sheet every time you listed an item that the Doppel in front of you had managed to copy and reproduce exactly.Your eyes met those of the Doppelgänger again, a mimic who, despite everything, had remained calm. You couldn't tell from his behavior that he was a Doppelgänger; you'd seen Doppels panic when they realized you'd found them out, just as you'd seen humans panic, thinking you'd mistaken them for Doppelgängers.
You straightened up in your chair, pushing it back slightly as you placed both hands on the desk in front of you. You leaned forward, bringing your face closer to the glass that separated you from the Doppelgänger who had taken Francis's appearance, holding his gaze with a satisfied smile on your lips at having succeeded in trapping the Doppel as you breathed out :
"I never asked Francis Mosses to take off his cap when he got to the security glass. In fact, if you'd really been Francis, you'd have tried to deny it - the real Francis might even have panicked - instead of simply accepting the fact and apologizing for forgetting to do something I never asked him to do."
A long silence followed your statement, the Doppelgänger not moving for several seconds before you heard him start to laugh. A laugh that sent a long shiver down your spine, ruffling the hairs on the back of your neck and the hairs on your arms. You saw the Doppel raise his hand, coming to remove the cap where the word "Milkman" was written. He raised the cap to eye level, letting an amused sigh leave his lips before he tossed it aside. The cap went crashing to the ground with a "plop" similar to that of a water balloon, the cap now resembled nothing more than a piece of orange flesh and skin. The false Francis then slipped one of his hands into his dark brown hair, pushing it back and tousling it, his movements tinged with a certain annoyance.
He then moved closer to the glass protecting you, his right arm and hand rising to rest flat against the glass wall just above where you were, leaning against it naturally. You then saw the mimic's eyes drag across the papers and documents on your desk before slowly moving up your body to stop on your face and eyes. A predatory smile, one you'd never seen on Francis's face, appeared on the Doppelgänger's lips, revealing much sharper teeth than you'd seen before. But above all, you saw the color of his eyes change from a warm, soft brown to an incandescent red that seemed to pierce your soul.
"All that work for nothing..." The Doppel sighed, his voice much huskier but slightly higher-pitched than Francis's. "You're a smart one. I've got to hand it to you. At least, more than any other Doorkeeper I've ever tested."
"Thanks. But maybe it was just you who wasn't good enough to fool me." You replied cynically.
You heard a heavy growl begin to echo from the ribcage of the Francis-like Doppel, the fingers of his hand pressing against the glass a little more as you could see long black claws making an appearance at his fingertips. You were a little frightened, it's true, but you had confidence in the protective glass that shielded you; you'd already seen Doppelgängers throw themselves at it to try and break it, without success. What's more, you didn't want to give them the pleasure of knowing that you were afraid, since that was one of the things you'd learned in your apprenticeship. Showing your fear was tantamount to letting them win, and you couldn't let them.
"You're quite confident, Little Thing."
"No, I'm not. If I were confident I'd have let you pass seeing how perfect everything was." You replied. "But I think our conversation is coming to an end now. Time for you to go back to hell."
You saw the Doppelgänger with Francis's face raised an eyebrow, a smile still on his lips as he watched you bend over before slamming your hand on the emergency button after removing the protection. The siren then began to sound, the light illuminating the interior of the office you found yourself in. As the metal curtain lowered in front of your window, the Doppel was forced to back away with a single step. Before the metal protection had time to fall away completely, you met the creature's crimson eyes fixed on you one last time.
You abandoned your position in front of the desk, reaching around for the telephone and dialing the D.D.D.'s number, listening to the same words of procedure being repeated before you hung up the phone. With a sigh, you looked up at the window whose view was now blocked. You still had the impression of feeling the Doppelgänger's eyes on you, making you shudder. You resumed your seat in your armchair, gathering up the papers scattered over it to put them away.
Reaching for the mimic checklist you'd just grabbed, you couldn't help but frown. The D.D.D. was bound to give you a hard time for triggering a cleaning protocol for no good reason. Clicking your tongue, you retrieved the pen you'd been using earlier and wrote down some additional information on the document. So you wrote that you had found his behavior strange and that after further questioning you had come to see his physique change. You also specified in brackets the physical characteristics that had changed.
The beep announcing the arrival of the Department of Doppelgängers Detection made you breathe a small sigh of relief. You were afraid of Doppelgängers, but rarely as much as the one you'd trapped. You didn't know if it was his very nature or if it was because he was the most perfect Doppel you'd ever seen. It was at that moment that you were glad you'd had the time to get to know the building's inhabitants a little, if this perfect Doppelgänger had arrived the first week you'd started working here, you'd surely have let him pass. You had no trouble imagining what would have happened to the neighbors and yourself.
You tried to concentrate on something else, reassuring yourself that, by chance, it hadn't happened. You could hear a good amount of muffled noises coming from the other side of the window, and when you heard what sounded like screams, you froze, frowning slightly. Suddenly, something heavy smashed against the metal of the protective curtain, the metal vibrating and resonating throughout the office. The noise startled you out of your chair, your heart missing a beat before it started to beat again rapidly. For several minutes you remained like that, the noises gradually ceasing until you heard three short blows on the protective metal.
You swallowed your saliva with difficulty, and your fingers, which had closed over the nowcrumpled papers in front of you, released them. Your hand went to the control panel, your index finger a few centimetres from the button that stopped the siren. You pressed it, silence falling again in the office as you waited to see if the noise repeated itself or if you'd made a mistake. For once, you hoped it was a mistake and that D.D.D. agents would reproach you for your disobedience. When you heard the three knocks again, but much more slowly, as if to taunt you, you gave up the hope of facing members of the D.D.D. They had control boxes that stopped the siren, and opened the metal curtain, the gate... It wasn't them behind the glass.
Trembling slightly, your fingers moved, finally pressing the button controlling the metal curtain. After a little mechanical clanking, the protection lifted, letting you see the carnage behind. There was blood almost everywhere, on the walls, on the floor, even in some places on the ceiling, and above all, on the suits of the D.D.D. agents. One of them was standing near the armored door, his back resting against the metal of the door as he slumped on his side, his mask shattered and almost torn off, revealing part of his frozen, expressionless face with glassy eyes. His hazmat suit was torn all ober, revealing the human skin underneath, particularly at the level of his throat, which had been almost torn away, leaving nothing but a heap of flesh and bits of suit, all bathed in blood that continued to gather despite the quantity already all around the agent and in the room.
Another D.D.D. agent lay inert further away, his body resting belly-down on the floor, but his face, still clad in its hazmat mask, was turned in an unnatural direction compared to the position of his body, as if looking up at the ceiling. He was right at the level of the protective metal mesh that had been lowered, probably by the D.D.D. agents themselves, to enter and eliminate the Doppel. You couldn't help thinking that the agent tried to escape, seeing how the remains of what had once been a control box lay in his hand, in a mixture of blood, cable and metal parts.
The only thing you could see of the third agent's condition was his arm, which lay detached from the rest of his body. A small pool of blood had formed all around where the arm would normally have been connected to a shoulder, red liquid dripping from the still throbbing flesh surrounding a small visible piece of bone. The silence that reigned was interrupted only by the sound of droplets of blood trickling down the metal curtain before falling and crashing into a small puddle of the same liquid.
As he moved to take up most of the window's field of vision, you were forced to take your eyes off the bodies and look at the Francis-like Doppelgänger in front of you. The Milkman's overalls were now stained with blood, particularly on his sleeves and torso, making the clothes stick to his skin, whose color had changed slightly, taking on an almost orange sheen. The mimic also seemed taller to you, his head almost protruding from the frame of the security window, forcing him to bend slightly in your direction to look at you.
One of his hands lifted, and even under the blood that covered it, you could see that his fingertips had turned black, as if he'd dipped them in paint. The Doppelgänger ran his hand through his hair, the blood stirring a few strands together, staining the brown hair of his more-than-false Francis red. The Doppel closed his eyes, heaving a sigh, a smile still on his lips, before reopening his eyelids, his red eyes now sporting slit pupils like those of a venomous snake. A small sneer on his lips, revealing his sharp fangs as he breathed out:
"I can't go back to hell now. I think I want to talk some more with you Little Thing."
"I don't know if I feel like conversing with you." You replied, trying to keep your voice from shaking with shock.
"Hmm... Come on y/n l/n... It wasn't as if my request was all that terrible." Declared the mimic, purring as he spoke your name.
You didn't even flinch when you heard him use your name, your mind too busy trying to find a solution to the situation you found yourself in. A team of three D.D.D. agents had been wiped out by a single Doppel and now he was standing in front of you, demanding to talk to you as if he weren't surrounded by corpses of his own making. Part of you was worried that all the security, whether it was the tempered glass, the armored door or the security grate, would stand up to him. Part of you thought they could, otherwise he'd have already tried to break the glass to get at you or to get inside the building. But the other part of you preferred to remain wary and consider the possibility that he was even more dangerous than what you'd just witnessed.
"You don't seem surprised that I know your name." Questioned the mimic borrowing Francis's appearance, tilting his face slightly almost curiously, or rather as a wolf would face its prey.
"My name is no state secret. Especially since I wrote it down on the checklist I showed you." You reply, your eyes sliding to the documents in front of you.
"Even after seeing that..." He waved his hand vaguely in the direction of the bodies behind him. "You manage to keep your logic."
"You don't think this is the first time I've seen what one of your own is capable of ?" You retorted almost mockingly.
"Oh quaint..." Hissed the Doppel with an annoyed smile as if disappointed at not getting a reaction out of you.
"What do you want Doppelgänger ?" You asked then, but not out of curiosity.
"Huh ? What do I want ? Well, I'd love it if you could please open the door ? So we can continue our discussion..." Purred the Doppelgänger, the word discussion leaving his lips like a threat.
"Really ? And you really think I'm going to do it just because you ask ?" You say with a mocking sigh.
"I mean, I asked politely. And I said I only wanted to chat with you." He continued, his voice darkening slightly.
"You can be as polite as you like, but after what you've done, I don't feel like opening the door."
You saw one corner of his lips twitch slightly in annoyance, an animal snarl leaving his throat at your response and disdain. His eyes roamed up and down your body once more, before settling on your eyes, his pupils dilating before contracting again, almost glowing in the slight half-light. You saw him move even closer to the security window, one of his clawed, bloodied hands coming to rest against the glass, his claws grinding lightly against the glass. You saw the blood spread slightly, staining the glass as a few drops began to make their way attracted by gravity.
"You know you're an annoying Little Thing..." Growled the Doppelgänger, his voice low and menacing.
You didn't respond to his statement, simply letting a proud smile appear on your lips. You were now sure of two things. The first was that he couldn't force his way through the armoured door; not once had he tried to look in the direction of the door, a sign that it was pointless for him to concentrate his efforts on that. The second thing was that he couldn't break the glass behind which you were standing; if he had, he'd have done it to get inside, reach you and gain access to the interior of the building.
Knowing this, you already knew that you and the other inhabitants of the building were protected from this Doppel, but you couldn't say the same for D.D.D. or the other inhabitants who hadn't yet returned to the apartment. The real Francis hadn't returned yet, and neither had Gloria Schmicht, and you didn't want to risk them coming face to face with the Doppelgänger, even if they were smart enough to see the bodies of the D.D.D. agents from the doorway and decide to turn and run as if their lives depended on it, which indeed it did.
You then heard the mimic strike one of his clawed fingers against the glass wall, his gesture forcing your attention back to him. His eyes were still fixed on you as intensely as before, yet the gleam in his eyes had changed from anger and annoyance to something else, an emotion you couldn't decipher but which was perhaps even more frightening. His bloody hand, which had been resting against the glass, moved, leaving long bloody marks on the glass as he positioned his fingers where your face were. You saw the tips of his claws caress the glass as if he were stroking your cheek, and you could feel the phantom sensation of his touch against your cheek making you shiver.
"But also an intriguing one." The Doppelgänger continued with a purring, vibrating huff.
His new statement this time made you react, your breath catching slightly in your throat as you could feel your pupils shrinking. You'd heard many threats from Doppelgängers, some of whom you'd caught red-handed saying that your intelligence made them want to devour you even more, others threatening your family and telling you that they'd find you in the street and make you suffer when they got their hands on you. But this particular Doppel's words had something even more sinister and menacing about them. It was always a bad thing to attract the attention of a creature who was capable of killing three D.D.D. agents as if they were insects.
Your hand lifted, your eyes abandoning the Doppelgänger that had stolen Francis' appearance for the bodies of the D.D.D. agents, more precisely the one near where the security fence rose. Both his arms and his head protruded from the slit through which the grid exited, so that if you activated the security, his body would be in the way and would be moved or even dragged along by the movement of the metal fence. Part of you felt guilty just thinking about doing it, but the agent was dead and couldn't care less whether it was going to be painful or not. With a sigh, your left hand lifted, your middle finger going to press the button that activated the wire fence.
The mechanisms creaked as the mesh barrier rose rapidly, the poor agent's body being lifted slightly before being propelled, tipping backwards and falling with a heavy, sickening flop that made you wince. The Doppel in front of you had finally turned his attention away from you, watching the fence fall into place with metallic clicks that echoed for several seconds before falling silent. The creature behind the glass let a mocking laugh leave his lips before looking back at you, his teeth far too sharp to see behind his smile. You saw him open his mouth to begin speaking, but you activated the siren at the same moment, interrupting his words.
You grabbed the phone, dialing 3312. You hated the fact that you had to have the alarm activated before you could dial the D.D.D. It was one of their stupid rules that you'd love to get rid of. The mimic had decided to abandon what he was about to say, preferring to look at you attentively as after several rings the D.D.D. call center finally answered you, you heard your interlocutor begin his procedural speech but you stopped him before he could continue and hung up.
"This is y/n l/n, Doorkeeper of building registered 12191137F. I previously called in a team of D.D.D. agents who were eliminated by a Doppelgänger. The Doppelgänger is still present in the building. I ask for a team specialized in the elimination of dangerous Doppelgängers. I repeat the Doppelgänger present is dangerous."
- "Doorkeeper of building 12191137F your request has been received. A team has been dispatched. Please wait."- Replied the voice on the other end of the phone, as calmly and robotically as ever.
Your caller then hung up, and you only heard the first little beep signalling the end of the conversion as you took the handset away from your ear and placed it on its cradle. You then went to deactivate the siren, the sound of which was seriously beginning to give you headaches after hearing it so much and for so long today. Once the silence had returned, your eyes once again looked the Doppel in the face, his hand had abandoned the safety window leaving bloody traces, but his predatory smile had returned, you could almost hear him purring, a sound that reminded you strangely of the sound crocodiles made when courting.
"I'll be long gone before they get here."
You frowned slightly at his words, watching him move away from the glass before stopping and looking towards you as he lifted one of his hands, one of his clawed fingers beckoning you to move closer, to the glass wall, and to him. But you didn't move, his smile twisting into a growl before he turned towards the grid you'd activated. You watched as the Doppelgänger in Francis' guise grabbed the grate with both hands, his fingers slipping between the mesh to give him a good grip before he started to pull. You heard the fence start to creak and make little metallic noises, for a few seconds the mimic continued to pull the metal fence downwards, nothing happening until suddenly the sound of something metallic breaking sounded.
You saw the Doppelgänger continue to pull on the safety grating, another crack of metal being heard as another safety broke, then another. As the last safety gave way, you saw the Francis-like Doppel pull in a single shot, forcing the metal fence down again, disappearing into the floor through the slot it exited with a metallic clang that made you flinch. You watched the Doppelgänger take a deep breath, his ribcage rising slowly before he sighed and turned towards you.
You swallowed your saliva with difficulty, watching him return to the level of the security window after having easily broken through the security mesh, which was now out of order given how its activation button kept flashing red. The Doppelgänger's appearance had moved a little further away from Francis's, the skin on his arms turning a dark orange before fading to black on his fingers. You now had a new piece of information: the security fence was useless against this Doppelgänger. He leaned close to the glass, his eyes scanning you once more before settling on your eyes as he whispered, just so you could hear him:
"I'm disappointed to have to leave so soon. But I'll be back to see you, my delicious Little Thing."
He pushed against the glass, moving away slightly as his gaze didn't seem to want to take his eyes off you before he finally turned on his heels and started to walk away. You watched as his shape changed again with each step, as if water was stirring under his skin, making him change as he regained a reasonable size and the skin color of the real Francis. You closed your hand on the edge of the table, fear still not entirely leaving you even as you raised your voice to tell him with determination and disdain :
"You will never enter this building. Not on my watch !"
The Doppelgänger paused, looking over his shoulder, his eyes meeting yours once more, their incandescent red glow intensifying for a few seconds to accompany his smirk as he turned away, stepping forward until he disappeared from the reduced field of vision afforded by the security window. You heard his footsteps echo, then the door of the building open and close, before a dead silence fell over the corridor, the small sound of dripping blood beginning to be heard again. You turned to your chair, pulling it slightly with a trembling hand before dropping into it, closing your eyes, trying to calm yourself and forget about the corpses next door as you awaited the arrival of the new D.D.D. team.
☣
Fifteen minutes later you found yourself sitting in your chair, facing two D.D.D. agents in their horrible yellow hazmat suits who towered over you, their expressions invisible behind their masks as their voices, a little more emotional than usual since you could hear annoyance in them, continued to make a mixture of what was questions and reproaches. Outside, four other members of the Department of Doppelgängers Detection were cleaning up the blood from their colleagues' bodies. You watched as one of them cleaned the glass, wiping away the traces of blood the Doppel had left behind. But a question from one of the agents in front of you suddenly made you turn your face in his direction.
"You think I let him get away ?! Are you kidding me right now ?" You hissed, crossing your arms over your chest.
"That's not what I said. I asked why you didn't try to stop him from running." The agent who had asked you the question sighed, sizzling slightly through his gas mask.
"I did try, damn it ! But he broke the security fence like it was nothing. And after what he did to the agents specialized in apprehending Doppelgängers, I wasn't planning to go after him with just a pistol." You reply with a touch of sarcasm before sighing and lifting your hand to pinch the bridge of your nose.
The two agents in front of you exchanged glances, or so you thought from their simultaneous mask movements in each other's direction. One of them, the one who'd collected the ID card, the entry request and the checklist you'd filled in about the perfect Doppelgänger who'd posed as Francis, reached for his notepad, writing down new information about the encounter you'd had with the appearance-stealing creature. Seeing the two of them start to move off into a small corner of the room, you let out another sigh, rising from your armchair to head for the room's resting place.
The office was a little larger than it appeared when viewed from outside the security window. The desk was currently positioned relatively to the right of the room. To the left, flush against the wall where the desk was, was a kitchen counter with sink, small fridge, gas stove and a few cupboards for storing tea, coffee and other basic kitchen utensils. In the middle of the room, a small round table and a few wooden chairs lay almost never used. On the opposite wall, a door led to a small hygiene area with toilet, washbasin, bathtub and a small four-compartment changing room. And the door giving access to the pantry was right next to the kitchen, so you had to go through the armored door and into the building to get to the pantry. You were sure from the layout that the security office had been an old apartment converted and modified after the appearance of the Doppelgängers.
You walked over to the stove, grabbing a glass from one of the cupboards before pouring yourself some tap water. As you passed, you grabbed one of the homemade cookies Lois Stilnsky had given you from a plate. She was one of the residents of the building who always had the greatest regard for you, and often gave you cakes as a sign of support. As you nibbled on your cookies, which were as delicious as ever, you looked up at the clock on the wall. It was only an hour before the end of your shift, and therefore only an hour before the apartment closed for curfew.
Residents who didn't have time to go home before curfew were obliged to stay in special hotels run by direct members of the Department of Doppelgängers Detection. Needless to say, mimics didn't go into these buildings if they didn't want to be eliminated on the spot. In fact, it was in one of these very D.D.D. hotels that you lived, along with all the other Doorkeepers who worked in the district. You Doorkeepers couldn't afford to live like the other inhabitants of the city, because if a Doppelgänger were to copy your appearance, the consequences could be dramatic. So you Doorkeepers were entitled to a kind of protection program.
In the morning, a special car, similar to a small armored bus, would pick you and all the other Doorkeepers up and take you to your various workplaces. When you arrived at the building, two heavily-armed D.D.D. agents would accompany you from the bus exit to inside your office to make sure you took up your post before leaving to repeat the same thing with the other Doorkeepers. At 7 a.m. on the dot, you'd start work, checking residents in. Then, at 9.30 p.m., the D.D.D. agents came to collect you again, making sure you weren't a Doppel, before taking you back to the residence hotel with the other Doorkeepers.
And it was like that every day. The formalities for taking time off were lengthy and horrendous, and you had to make arrangements almost months in advance just to take a few days off. Benefits in addition to pay, no bills to pay, free transport every day and three meals a day provided and the food in the D.D.D. canteen was pretty good, if it hadn't been you'd have quit straight away. Hearing someone shout "Doorkeeper." you turned your head in the direction of the security window, seeing one of the D.D.D. agents standing next to a Gloria Schmicht(?) whose surprised expression made you smile slightly in amusement. You finished your glass of water and resumed your position behind the glass.
"Sorry about that, Gloria. It's been a hectic day today." You declared as you retrieved her ID card and entry request.
"I can see that." The banker sighed, furtively watching the D.D.D. agents cleaning up the blood.
You examined the documents provided by the woman, feeling the watchful eyes of all the men in hazmat suits weighing on you and Gloria, who although surprised was rather calm and blazered. But you knew she was used to it, she'd told you that the bank where she worked had been robbed more than once, so anxiety-provoking situations were almost commonplace for her. Once her papers and appearance had been checked and confirmed, you pressed the entry button, and the armoured door opened for the banker, who wished you a good evening, before closing behind her.
You watched as the agents outside finished cleaning up the last of the blood stains. One of them approached the security glass and lifted his cloth to wipe away the last stain made by the Doppelgänger's hand. Hearing the sound of paper and rubber squeaking near you, you turned to the two D.D.D. agents in the office with you, who seemed to have finished their discussion. You saw one of them, the one holding the documents, walk towards the exit, the other looking down at you.
"The security fence will be repaired by a team in the evening after curfew. In the meantime, you can carry on with your job." Declared the agent with a small shake of his head before turning on his heels.
"Wait !" You exclaimed, drawing the agent's attention. "The Doppel, before he ran away, said he'd be back..."
"That's impossible." Tranched the man in the hazmat suit. "Doppelgängers never come to the same building twice. Even if they managed to get in."
"W-What ? How can you know that ? How can you be sure ?" You questioned, slightly confused and shocked by the agent's words.
You saw the D.D.D. agent remain silent in the face of your question, his yellow suit preventing you from reading his face or the slightest bodily movement. You kept your eyes fixed on the dark visor behind which were his eyes, refusing to let him go without an answer. But it didn't need to be complete, you just needed the beginning of an answer, your mind would make the rest of the deductions. You heard a sizzle from the agent's mask, a clear sigh, before he finally said with a small movement of his hand :
"Experiments have been conducted. Now get back to work."
"What the..." You began before giving up, Understanding that you wouldn't have an answer even if you kept asking questions. "This one's coming back. He wasn't like the other Doppelgängers."
"Doorkeeper y/n l/n. The Doppelgänger's not coming back."
"All right all right. Let's suppose he doesn't come back all the better, really. But if he did come back, what exactly am I supposed to do ? Because using the usual procedure with the other mimics didn't work and even had a dramatic result." You replied, waving one of your hands in the direction of the airlock were people had been killed, before leaving it resting on the desk.
"You do what you did today. You contact us and report a dangerous Doppelgänger."
"But if I do it like today he'll have time to..."
"Doorkeeper !" Interrupted abruptly the D.D.D. agent in a calm but authoritative voice. "Don't make me give you another warning. You just follow procedure."
You gritted your teeth, your fingers tightening into a fist as you glared at the D.D.D. agent. Despite your annoyance, you remained silent, knowing that you'd already put yourself in a complicated situation today, and only because you were trying to do your job properly. The man in yellow sighed for the umpteenth time, and one of his hands, protected by a thick white glove, came up to rest on your shoulder as if to reassure you.
"No need to don't worry. The Doppelgänger isn't coming back."
The agent removed his hand from your shoulder before turning on his heels and walking out of the office. You took a short, jerky breath, trying to calm yourself as you turned towards your desk, your right hand going to press the door release button to let the two agents out of the apartment before locking the door behind them, watching all the men in yellow hazmat suits exit the apartment which was now as good as new, well, rather as if no one had been killed.
You sighed, intertwining your fingers before resting your forehead on them, your elbows on the desk supporting the weight of your skull. You inwardly insulted Francis Mosses, urging him to get his ass back to the apartment so you could finally get on with your day. All you wanted was a good meal, a shower and to sleep like you wouldn't wake up tomorrow. You winced slightly at the thought, tomorrow would be another day, one when the Doppelgänger you'd met might come back. No matter what the agent from the Department of Doppelgänger Detection told you, you were sure he'd be back.