*finished* That's not Francis [Milkman fanfic]

A new beginning

I have done this job for a month now. Everything was going well, at least so far. It all started many years ago. Almost 10, actually. That's when everything went downhill.

Our country lost the war. People say our country won, but I strongly believe war has no actual winners. Many people died, many families were ripped apart, homes were shattered and souls broke. I was just a kid at the time and while I was old enough to understand the concept of war, I was too young to understand what was actually going on around me. I'm in my early 20s now. I'm supposed to be an adult, some women my age already have children, yet I feel helpless. This job feels like I'm not actually working, but playing a game...

It was 10 years ago, maybe a bit more or a bit less, but that was the time I heard about Doppelgängers for the first time. I listened to the radio while I was reading my favourite book. They were talking about entities or aliens or something alike. Nobody knew what they were, but whoever encountered them didn't last long. Slowly but surely people were dying away, some small towns lost their entire population and more wars broke out over food and shelter.

I was forced to stay inside my entire youth. I passed my time reading books. And I prayed that they wouldn't get to my family. My family was pretty big, so at least I wasn't lonely. When I moved in with my roommates, I had no issues adapting to a loud envoirment. Well, it didn't last long anyways...

I had a horrible nightmare that night, woke up at 3 am and stayed awake. I skipped class that day. So I locked the door to my room to take a nap after having lunch. But eventually I was woken up by a heavy bang on my door. "D.D.D., is anyone in there?" I heard a deep voice shout. I looked out and a man in a really silly suit stood there and I was told everyone is dead. His voice was cold and I knew it wasn't the first time he announced something of that nature.

The team kept looking for more survivors, but none were found. My name is Marika Nowakis and I'm the sole survivor of the biggest Doppelgänger attack of December 1954. And all that, simply because someone left the gate open...

This won't happen to me. Something died inside me. But it was a long, painful death. And now, I'm here to do my one goddamn job.

"I need your ID, Sir" I tell Mr Ciprianni. He hands me something that looks like an ID, but wait... the date is invalid... and he doesn't have a hat... and also... wait, why do I even bother?
I call 3312 and within 5 minutes he's gone.

That's the tricky part. Doppelgängers can replicate the appearance of everyone. And I mean everyone. People like you and me. And all my neighbours too. This way, they try to sneak in. But I have caught them all. If I'm not careful, it could, No, it will kill everyone.

Some Doppelgängers are better than others. Some have comically long necks, some have extra eyes or other extra body parts, that's way too obvious. Some are a bit more tricky, they might lack some facial characteristics like missing freckles or their mole being gone or misplaced. Some have slightly different eyebrows or a different nose. But the most difficult ones to catch, they look exactly like a neighbour of mine. Every single detail matches. And with their appearance alone I can't tell if they're real, or a Doppelgänger.

That's why I check their ID and entry request. Both have to be signed by the D.D.D. or else it's invalid. And my neighbours always have those with them.

And in case I'm unsure, I can call the apartment to check if someone is home. And let me tell you, very often I have called the apartment of the "person" standing in front of me to find out they're actually home.

That's my job. Sitting here, behind the safety glass, at my desk, lots of paperwork and lists, pictures, numbers and a telephone.

Another day starts. Someone is approaching. I look up, about to greet whoever it is and asking for ID and entry request but all I can do is gasp-

"Hooooooooonnn"

Holy F-