Aki stood in front of the mirror inside the tiny fitting room with thin white curtains as walls and marveled at the actuality of having another physical body in a foreign universe. And it's not just a reflection of his self but something more, although he could use a few additional inches in stature.
Still 5'3. That height saved him from a bad decision after the college of tourism didn't accept him for being too short, so he decided to take computer science which was another bad idea because he sucked at math.
He didn't gain muscle mass either, though his whole body gained excellent tone. Doppelgangers possessed the strength of thirty men, or so he was told.
His skin still had the same brown complexion, although it felt tighter and tougher when he pinched himself on the cheek. He had the same dark brown eyes, long lashes under thick brows as black as his short wavy hair. His high-bridged nose and high cheekbones could have made him pass as good-looking back in Home World (Hm) if not for the scar on his upper lip. He was initially born with a cleft palate and had undergone surgery to fix it at 9 years old, but the mark and the teasing remained. However, here in the Host World (HW), this scar was missing, much to his delight.
"Wicked," he said while his fingers traced the spot of the absent scar.
A one-piece suit half his size lay folded on a chair. The uniform had a dark-gray shade of blue and unzipped from the back. To his relief, it was made of highly stretchable fabric and not of latex. He slid into it with surprising ease.
Aki never considered himself fashionable, but he found the outfit too corny for his taste. Even newbie Spiderman would've rejected it. But it must have a purpose. He ran his palm on the fabric's surface and noticed some changes in the weaving pattern, making it smooth in specific directions and rougher on another. He would later learn its function during high-speed maneuvers.
"A doppelganger's best armor is his skin," He remembered Bento saying in one of the lectures back in Hm. "But out of decency, he wears minimal clothing in battle."
For now, and thank goodness, Aki won't be going out in this battle gear.
He took the pair of shorts and the t-shirt left on the chair's backrest and put them on over the fitting semi-overall. The geometric patterns must've been the trend to the locals observing from the designs. Nonetheless, he thought he looked normal in the mirror for a bit. But he can still use a pair of shoes. What is he, a Hobbit?
"Ah, screw it," he said, wriggling his toes before heading out.
***
The sun shone at 10 in the morning. He had to squint through the mild flood of light, passing through the exit of the Rebirthing Station -- a tall white tent with pegs on many sides.
Only FAHIS members and, on some occasions, high-ranking government or military officials can witness the IPP. This temporary structure acted as a venue for the organization to bring new doppelgangers while avoiding unnecessary public attention.
Located two kilometers west of the coastal city of Legihem in the fortified island nation of Bumi, a cliff diving into the sea bordered the site to the south. At the same time, in the north, a forest enclosed them serving the foreground to Mount Soran that dominated the skyline further up north.
The sea brought in a breeze that animated his soft curls, and the gulls called from somewhere out to the sea. He took in a lungful of air, and with it came a strangely refreshing sweet taste-smell mixed in the wind's saltiness. The pleasant sensation lingered at the back of his mouth and impressed itself to memory. All universes and worlds must have their own unique scent as cities, provinces, and countries in Hm have their own.
The sun warmed him up immediately after stepping out into this world.
He found the team waiting under the shadow of a fully grown tree. Bento leaned on the trunk, arms crossed over his chest, while the others munched on fruits for a snack.
"About time," Bento said upon seeing him.
They gathered on the clearing nearer the cliff where to one side, a few oversized swords, axes, and hammers rested on their racks, and on a long table lay shorter bladed weapons, a couple of bows, and some arrows.
Recalling that his initiation would include some type of hazing-like activity, Aki's excitement gave life to its ugly twin – anxiety. All those violence-inciting equipment for testing his 'passive' powers of invincibility.
"Eyes over here, Aki," Bento called out, so he stood in full attention without helping but gulp as if swallowing a coin.
"Allow us to introduce our doppelganger selves. My name is Lem, and I lead this detachment you belong to," Bento said for formality's sake. We had discussed the formation of this new squad back in Hm. It would consist of one doppelganger from each of the six existing detachments in different strategic locations in the region plus Aki.
Bento or Lem then moved aside for the others to have their turn. That's when he realized that Lem stood and walked using only his own two perfectly working legs.
Bento retired from the mixed martial arts world at age 24 after injuring his knee in a fight that rendered him unfit for the ring. In Hm, he walked around with an uneven gait with the help of his crutch. Now, as Lem, the team leader, was fit as a horse and dangerous in combat more than ever.
Doppelganger Lito approached next. At 6'2, he towered over Aki and everyone else like a wall as always. He had grown his hair and tied it in a short ponytail, exposing his jaw's full squareness and thick neck over broad shoulders.
"I'm Arman," the gentle giant said, "from my grandfather Armando, a decorated soldier who killed a hundred Japs way back, if you believe the legends. I wonder why you chose the name, Aki."
That caught him off guard. He never considered being asked to explain the name. He bit his lip to hold himself back.
"That's okay. I didn't mean to pry," Arman said instead. "We're just glad you're here."
On the other hand, Marcel went by her doppelganger name Maricel, the way it should have been in her birth certificate if not for the stupid typo. She stood at the same height as Aki, and she wore her flaming red hair long that stood out against her skin's fairness.
Daphne said her doppelganger name Cleo was the name her first boyfriend gave to her clitoris.
"And no, I am not your sister, so you will treat me accordingly," she said, stooping forward and pulling her neckline down to show Aki she wasn't wearing the suit underneath her clothes. She flicked her purple apple-cut hair before stepping back.
Maria preferred the name Vino for an apparent reason. He looked like a handsome knight in his clean-cut hair. Though a couple of inches shorter than Arman, he stood just as valiant.
Finally, Maricel called out to someone somewhere far behind. "Hey, moment of truth. Time to come out, sweetie!"
A figure wearing an overhead scarf, oversized blue shirt, and three-fourth shorts stepped out from behind the tall fruiting tree. The person approached the group, gaze downcast hiding the face, swaying with each heavy footstep like someone who'd preferably not do this.
"This is embarrassing," the person said with a girl's voice.
Vino urged her with a gentle push from the back towards Aki. "Is this the person you're looking for?"
She removed her scarf, uncovering the shape of her face before looking up and giving her small rounded nose a quick scratch. Her sad-looking eyes darted to the side before deciding to meet Aki's. She bit her full lip in a suppressed smile. He knew those features, but they used to belong to a friend – Tony, a guy. Tony was a couple of years his senior though they acted as coevals. They played mobile games together and told stories from the other's roughly one-year experience being a doppelganger while Aki waited for his turn to be IPPed. Being the youngest Nexus members, they hung out a lot and got along really well.
The surreality swept Aki off, and though existing probabilities allowed it, he had to make sure he understood it right.
"Wait," Aki said, "are you Ton—
She pressed an index finger on her lips. "Shush. Please, don't say that name."
"O-okay," he said, shutting his mouth.
She inhaled as if after the longest time and said after exhaling, "But yes, it's me. My doppelganger name is Mel…."
"Just 'Mel'…" he nodded, feigning comprehension.
"Yes, just Mel…."
"Hi, uh, you didn't tell me you are…."
"You're going to find out anyway, see? He-he…." she said nervously.
He kept nodding. "I-I see…"
"You don't think it's weird, do you?" her left brow rose in skepticism.
"No, not at all..."
"Good…"
Despite his best efforts, Aki's cognitive dissonance prevented him from associating his friend Tony with this female doppelganger. Though they looked like twins of opposite genders, the fact that they were the same person didn't register in him. And they smelled different too. Not that they wore perfumes. He just liked Mel's girly scent better.
"It's a pleasant surprise, actually."
"Why is that?"
He hesitated. "No, nothing... Well, I mean, look at you. You're…"
"I'm... what?" her face tilted sideways.
Aki's mind filter failed, and the words just tumbled out.
"You're… pretty."
They lingered there for an absurdly long second until things came rushing back to him. And before he knew it, he was blushing.
"That was adorable, Aki!" said Maricel leaning on her clasped hands like a really soft pillow.
Cloe rushed in and pulled the two younger doppelgangers apart like Moses to the Red Sea. "Alright, you two, break it up. This is not part of the plan."
"I like your style, Aki," Vino spoke from the side, "You'll go a long way, I'm sure of it."
"No!" Cloe protested with the conviction of a toddler. She took Aki's face in her hands and spoke to it as if to a puppy. "You're just confused, you know that? It's like jetlag, the worst kind, Okay? You'd rather have a woman with years of experience in being one than a clueless virgin, born a year ago. Just keep your eyes on me, and we'll survive this."
Mel looked at her toes. "But I'm not clueless...."
Aki reached out to the three other guys for help, but they just stood there enjoying the show with their big grins, except for Lem. The leader rolled his eyes and scratched his head, and began to approach.
"That's enough. Settle down, people," the leader said.
"Our stay here in Bumi will be brief. Once you're ready, we will leave for the Pelambra peninsula across the strait. We will work with the local garrisoned forces to take back a couple of target locations to the north, but our primary mission is to reconnoiter further into enemy territory. Ours plays a vital role in winning this war against the forces of Alus and Alus herself. So, no lollygagging. Keep flirtations to a minimum while it's still tolerated. Now, we will proceed to the next activity."
"Initiate," Lem said, referring to Aki, "Prepare yourself. Remember the things we talked about. There is no turning back."
To train and fight. To destroy and to win the war. That's what he came here for.
Death is the only way back, Aki told himself.