Anomaly

Chapter 417 – An appeal for future problems

(POV – Emily Parker)

As usual, Emily’s morning began buried beneath a mechanical routine: an intimidating stack of files waited for review across her desk, accompanied by several empty and half-open energy drink cans scattered between papers, pens, and crumpled reports. The faint artificial scent of caffeine and sugar had long since seeped into the room itself, blending with the cold, dry air of the office.

Her eyes moved through reports, requests, and documents at an impressive speed, absorbing information almost effortlessly. At the same time, her hand worked in perfect sync, signing, denying, or approving requests as though Emily had already been programmed for the endless cycle of bureaucratic decisions.

Ever since the incident a few weeks ago, the council had been applying an irritating amount of pressure on her. Extra meetings, constant oversight, additional reviews, and, to make matters worse, a ridiculous amount of paperwork that somehow seemed to materialize out of nowhere every single morning. While she had expected some degree of backlash, she definitely hadn’t imagined it would translate into such a brutal avalanche of administrative work.

Emily let out a tired sigh, bringing one hand to her forehead for a brief moment as she massaged her temples, trying to ease the persistent headache that had been following her around for days. The dark circles beneath her eyes made the cost of her routine painfully obvious.

Sleep had become a distant luxury. At best, she managed to steal a few short, uncomfortable naps between tasks, usually slumped over her own desk or curled up in some random armchair during improvised breaks.

Although the council’s initial decision had been Emily’s complete removal, accompanied by the erasure of all memories connected to her time working for the organization as punishment for violating multiple containment and security protocols, that measure was quickly put on hold once reality set in.

The truth was simple: the organization neither possessed, nor was likely to possess anytime soon, any technology truly capable of reliably containing the anomaly known as [Angel of Death], much less her sisters.

That realization made something painfully obvious to everyone present, from the lowest-ranking researcher all the way up to the council itself: the anomalies were not confined inside their cells because they lacked the ability to escape, but because they chose to remain there.

The supposed containment systems, once treated as symbols of control and authority, were nothing more than a comforting illusion. Emily was fully aware of this. After all, one of [Angel of Death]’s favorite hobbies was appearing completely unannounced in random parts of the facility.

That was also why, months ago, when Laura, her longtime friend and fellow Head Researcher, submitted a formal request for a full renovation dedicated to [Angel of Death] and her sisters, proposing the construction of an entire floor exclusively for them, Emily found no real reason to refuse.

The proposal was ambitious, but it made sense. Instead of simple, impersonal, functional accommodations, the idea evolved into something far more elaborate: an artificial environment carefully designed to simulate comfort and a degree of freedom.

The floor was transformed into something resembling an isolated sanctuary, made up of small cottages spread across an area built to imitate a natural environment, complete with indoor gardens, controlled lighting programmed to mimic day-and-night cycles, and common spaces designed for social interaction.

[Angel of Death] and each of her sisters were given their own private cottage, all customized according to their individual preferences and needs. Within certain limits, they were free to request practically anything, furniture, decorations, entertainment, or other comforts, as long as everything received Emily’s final approval.

The project had taken several months to complete, consuming more time, resources, and administrative headaches than Emily cared to admit. Still, looking at the finished result, she couldn’t help but think the timing couldn’t have been better.

Not that [Angel of Death] and her sisters had ever truly been a problem, even before the new facilities were prepared specifically for them. In practice, these changes were more about comfort, proper containment, and logistical adaptation than any urgent security necessity.

That said, Emily, Laura, and a significant portion of the scientists and agents no longer viewed [Angel of Death] as just another dangerous anomaly to be cataloged and kept under constant surveillance. Her teenage-like appearance certainly helped soften people’s initial perception, creating a sharp contrast with the reputation her title carried. Still, that wasn’t the main reason.

The real deciding factor was the countless occasions in which she had directly assisted humanity ever since being discovered in the forest. Had it not been for her intervention, resolving the most recent anomalous incidents would have taken weeks, possibly months, longer. More importantly, the human cost would have been drastically higher.

Without your help, dozens of additional agents would likely have been deployed just for reconnaissance, forming teams tasked with mapping hostile territories, gathering preliminary data, and testing operational responses before any real strategy could even be developed. It was a slow, expensive, and brutally inefficient process.

Unfortunately, humans can’t prepare for everything without first understanding exactly what they’re dealing with. That basic limitation, while unavoidable, almost always came at a steep cost: lives.

More often than not, dozens of agents had to be sacrificed before enough information could be collected to turn chaos into something remotely understandable, and eventually manageable.

Emily leaned back against her chair after letting out a long, exhausted sigh, feeling the weight of the past few hours settle heavily onto her shoulders.

As Director General, there was always too much work and never enough time, reports to review, requests to approve or deny, problems to solve, and an endless pile of paperwork scattered across her impeccably organized desk, or at least as organized as it could possibly be amid the daily chaos.

Her tired gaze drifted across the mountain of documents in front of her before lifting toward the ceiling, as if searching for some kind of divine intervention there.

Maybe I’ll take a vacation once all this paperwork is done... The thought crossed her mind, though she knew perfectly well how laughably unrealistic that sounded even inside her own head.

A faint huff escaped through her nose as she rubbed her temples with her fingertips, trying to ease the throbbing pressure beginning to build: (I seriously need some sunlight, or I’m going to turn into a vampire from being buried down here all day... assuming I don’t lose my mind first)

The thought nearly pulled an ironic smile from her lips, brief and drained of any real energy. However, her rare moment of self-pity was interrupted when the office door swung open without warning, breaking the suffocating silence of the room. Emily looked up just in time to see Laura step inside, carrying several files against her chest.

The expression written across Laura’s face promised absolutely nothing good. Her furrowed brow and tight grip on the documents signaled trouble before a single word was spoken.

One glance at her assistant was enough for Emily to release another sigh, quieter this time and tinged with resignation, sinking deeper into her chair as a familiar thought crossed her mind like an unavoidable omen: (Here we go again...)

“Boss, I brought a few more files that need your approval” Laura announced as she entered the room, carefully placing the new stack of documents onto Emily’s meticulously organized desk. The dry sound of paper hitting polished wood seemed to echo through the otherwise silent office.

“And there’s something else...” Laura trailed off, hesitating for a brief moment. Her expression shifted into something thoughtful and conflicted, as though she were weighing the best way to deliver the rest of the news.

Emily showed no visible reaction. Sitting upright in her chair, she kept her posture rigid and her eyes fixed on Laura, waiting in complete silence. Her stillness was a silent invitation to continue.

Letting out a quiet sigh, Laura finally resumed: “The internet and the media are overflowing with negative posts and messages. A lot of people believe humanity is going to collapse once the world becomes completely overrun by anomalies... they’re saying we’re doomed, that it’s only a matter of time before everything falls apart”

She paused again, this time longer. Her fingers subtly curled at her sides, and her usual confidence faltered for a moment. Laura’s gaze became slightly less steady, more cautious, as though she were still trying to gather the courage to deliver the most delicate part of the report.

Noticing this, Emily arched an eyebrow, a faint trace of irony appearing on her face: “You can say it. It can’t possibly be worse than that recent petition demanding the elimination of every anomaly in the world” She shrugged, brushing it off as though it were just another absurd idea destined to fail.

Naturally, eliminating anomalies had been one of the very first solutions considered years ago, when the first cases began surfacing and panic still dominated authorities around the world. At first, there had been some success. A small portion of anomalies could be neutralized or destroyed through conventional methods.

But most quickly proved to be a far more complex problem. Some resisted every known weapon or substance available at the time, while others appeared outright indestructible, shrugging off explosions, corrosive agents, and extreme temperatures as though they were minor inconveniences.

Currently, certain containment and elimination protocols involving the use of other anomalies were already in practice, a solution as desperate as it was dangerous. Even so, the results were rarely encouraging.

Most of the time, all they managed to do was trade one problem for another, even less predictable one. Lost in these thoughts, Emily failed to notice Laura’s expression growing increasingly heavy, the muscles in her face tightening little by little. She only snapped back to reality when Laura’s voice finally broke the silence, low but weighted.

“The depression rate has been rising ever since the incident” Emily blinked, finally focusing on her. Laura looked away for a moment before continuing: “A lot of people are saying the world doesn’t have a future anymore... that there’s no reason left to keep living in it” She hesitated, as if even saying it aloud made her uncomfortable: “So... well... they’re just giving up”

Emily listened to the words and chose to remain silent. There wasn’t much she could say in that moment. After all, what could mere humans realistically do against something so absurdly beyond their understanding? The complete eradication of anomalies was nothing more than a distant dream, an impossible fantasy.

At least not with the anomalies currently discovered. Some had already been proven to be essentially immortal, completely indifferent to any known method. Throwing them into the Sun? That had already been attempted years ago, consuming resources, lives, and hope alike, only to end in humiliating failure.

In the end, all humanity could do was contain, delay, and pray the inevitable would take just a little longer to arrive. Emily let out an almost inaudible sigh, crossing her arms as she stared blankly ahead.

Her mind was already racing through the countless complications that would emerge from this point onward. She couldn’t shake the bitter feeling that this was only the beginning. Just one more colossal headache waiting right around the corner.