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Description
Around 7:40, Julie makes her way to Danny’s apartment. She was looking forward to spending time with Miranda. Spending time with her was one of the only times Julie felt like she could be herself again.

Ironic... Julie thinks to herself. Spending time with someone who’s hiding their identity is when I’m most revealing...

Julie thought back to when she first tracked the suit, and subsequently Danny and Miranda/Bill, down. She was following a lead that brought her to a local business in town. There she discovered that the suit and camera were there, but had since left. Not knowing what else to do, she went to a bar that night - the same bar that Danny and Bill were using the suit at. It was an incredible stroke of luck for her - not only did she stumble into the right bar at the right time, but the camera ending up in the hands of two idiots who made it painfully obvious to her that they had the suit.

Not idiots... Julie reminds herself. Just... unaware

Julie snaps out of her pondering as she reaches the door. Before she has a chance to knock, the door starts to swing open. Julie smiles, ready to see Miranda. Instead it’s Danny who’s standing there. The look on his face tells all. She knows that he wants to talk - and that he has probably found a few things out that Julie would’ve preferred to keep hidden a bit longer. Without betraying any of her inner thoughts, Julie keeps the smile on her face and asks “Hi Danny. Is Miranda here?”

Danny’s brows furrows deeper as she nonchalantly acts like they have nothing to talk about. “Miranda’s still getting ready.” He says coldly. Danny steps out of his apartment into the hallway and lets the door swing shut behind him. He holds up a folder labeled “Project Identa”. Julie sighs, knowing what’s coming.

“We need to talk” Danny says, trying to keep a stern look on his face. Julie knew his confidence was all show and she could easily take command of the conversation but decides to let him keep the facade up.

“We do - but later. After Miranda and I get back.” She slowly reaches for the door, clearly indicating Danny should move.

But he doesn’t. Instead, he says “Not later. Now.”

Oh the little boy’s getting bold is he? Julie thinks to herself, never showing any signs of emotion she doesn’t want to. Speaking as though she was talking to a child, she says “Danny, Miranda’s going to be ready at any moment. We wouldn’t want her to walk into our discussion now would we?”

Somewhat surprising, Danny doesn’t back down. “First off, Bill doesn’t know you’re here yet. Secondly, he deserves the truth.”

Julie crosses her arms and raises a brow. “Oh?” She says. “And what truth would that be?”

“That you’re the one who created Project Identa.” Julie is actually surprised for once and a slight twitch breaks her facade for a moment before she catches it. Danny probably didn’t notice, but Julie was not happy having shown a moment of weakness.

Hoping to take control of the situation, she asks “And why would you think something like that?”

Danny pulls a black and white photo from the folder and displays it to her. The photo appears to have been taken in some type of morgue or autopsy room. A nondescript mound lies on a metal table, mostly obscured by figures in medical gowns and lab coats. Julie pales slightly as she recognizes the photo. Danny points at a figure standing behind the table facing the camera. It’s Julie, decked out in surgical attire, readying a scalpel. “That’s you. Isn’t it?”

Julie keeps her cool and shrugs it off. “I already told you I worked in a lab on the project. Nothing new there.”

“Right...” Danny says. He points to the photo’s corner where a date is labeled. “Except this photo was taken in 1947... Over 70 years ago.” Danny crosses his arms. “You’re not who you say you are at all.”

Julie tenses, carefully slipping her hand into her purse. Danny stares her in the eyes and says “You’re at least 90 years old and was one of the founding members of the project. And somehow your suit allows you to remain the same age for years! Bill deserves to know he’s been seeing an old lady that used to be part of a black ops science team!”

Hearing that, Julie relaxes. He just thinks I’m an 100 year old cougar that worked for the CIA or something she thinks as she slips her hand out of her purse, releasing the object she was gasping. Julie smiles slyly. “Hm, it seems you aren’t as clueless as I thought. Alright, I’ll admit it. I am actually about 98 years old. My suit allows me to appear as a normal young 20-something, however in truth my body stopped aging long before the fire caused me to require this suit.”

Now it was Danny’s turn to look surprised. Julie couldn’t tell if it was because she said he was right or that he was surprised about her lack of aging. She smiles calmly. “Danny, do you know why people age?”

Danny thinks for a moment “Uh, I think I heard it had something to do with DNA shortening or breaking or something?”

Julie nods. “That’s a simplistic way to say it and it isn’t the full picture but essentially, yes. As humans live, our DNA is consistently dividing itself to make new cells. Over time, minor issues in the duplication process and losing parts of the genome contribute to aging. Project Identa was focused on studying DNA under some... unique circumstances. During one of our tests, an accident caused my DNA to stop splitting and essentially freeze.”

Danny looks slightly confused. “But - shouldn’t you be dead then? I mean don’t you need new cells every so often to survive?”

Julie nods again. “Yes and no. Most of the time, you only need new cells to repair a wound or fight off an infection. Which is easy enough to circumvent by avoiding injuries and taking medication. The hard part are things like skin cells - a normal person loses around 30,000 to 40,000 dead skin cells a day. Without new skin cells, you’d probably die of infection and exposure. Which is another reason why I wear a suit all the time. It acts as skin for me, protecting whatever’s left.”

Danny slowly nods as if to indicate he understood, though his expression tells Julie otherwise. “When the accident occurred, there was a very high chance that I’d die, but luckily my fellow scientist and doctors were able to help me survive.”

“Ok...” Danny says hesitantly. “But I thought you were a research assistant for a DNA sequencing lab? And that’s how you found out about the suits in the first place?”

“Oh I was an assistant for Professor Humphrey. It just so happened that o became his assistant after Project Liberta was canned.” She says slyly. “In reality I was older and more qualified than Humphrey but when you perpetually look like you just graduated college, it’s easier to let others underestimate you.”

Danny thinks for a bit. “Ok... but this says that the project was started in 1947e and canceled in 1960... Why would that lab still be working on it almost 40 years after the project was cancelled?”

Julie sighs, realizing how much she would have to explain for him. “Professor Humphrey was never a part of Project Identa . His lab happened to be at the forefront of DNA research. So when a body was discovered that didn’t decompose or age, it was his lab that was the natural choice.” She shrugs. “As hard as it may be to believe, I joined his lab without ever imagining Project Identa would rise back from the dead.”

“Huh...” Danny says. “So, then... what was Project Identa? I thought it was just studying the body suits but if that wasn’t it...”

“It’s... complicated...” Julie says with some hesitation. “The project was massive, spread across multiple departments and companies across different industries and government. Tech, agriculture, biology, you name it, had some part to play in Project Identa. No one knew all the pieces that were in play, everyone reported to someone, who then reported to someone higher up, who then reported to their higher-ups. And no one knew who was at the very top, of if there even was a very top.”

Danny shakes his head. “That’s... unbelievable. It sounds like some Illuminati shit...”

“For all I know, it was the Illuminati running it.” Julie chuckles to herself. “But, I was the head of one of the Biotechnology departments. 4 other labs reported directly to me and I reported to the CEO of MegaBusiness.”

“So that’s how you know about MegaBusiness.” Danny says, connecting the dots.

“Right.” Julie nods. “It’s also how I learnt that MegaBusiness was quietly buying other companies who were part of the project. They originally were a pharmaceutical company, and were tasked with using their biology labs for the project, began seeking and acquiring other Identa members. They began putting more and more data together, combining pieces that only the highest level of the project should’ve known.”

“But why?” Danny asks, enraptured in the story.

Julie shakes her head and shrugs. “I asked Ruben about that once, and he all he said was ‘Leverage’”

“Hm... wait - who’s Ruben?”

Julie smiles sadly. “Ruben was the CEO of MegaBusiness back in the day and for 16 years he was my -“ Julie cuts herself off as she saw the door handle begin to turn. Danny turns to look where she was, and saw that Miranda poked her head out behind him.

“Hi guys! Whatcha two doing out here?” Miranda says cheerfully.

Julie beams brightly. “Hey Mira! We were just chatting about your birthday!”

Miranda groans. “ Oh I knew I shouldn’t have told you it was coming up...”
Miranda opens the door once Danny steps out of the way. “I told you, I don’t want anything special to happen for it alright? I’m serious!”

Julie giggles and says “I know, I know - but still, it’s the first time I’ll get to be with you for it.” Miranda sighs. “Anyways, Fran your purse and lets head out Mira!”

“Oh I’m ready.” Miranda says. “I don’t have a purse ha.”

“Oh? Then we totally have to go shopping.” She takes Miranda’s hand and gently pulls her along. Turning back to Danny, she says “Just keep what we talked about quiet alright? There’ll be a better time later.”

Turning back forward, she laughs off Miranda’s insistence on not wanting them to throw a surprise party or anything. As they entered the elevator, she caught a glimpse of Danny going back into his apartment, reading the file again. Danny’s more observant than I thought... that photo barely had me in frame... I’ll have to watch him a bit more closely to ensure he doesn’t figure out my entire secret...

Description
Around 7:40, Julie makes her way to Danny’s apartment. She was looking forward to spending time with Miranda. Spending time with her was one of the only times Julie felt like she could be herself again.

Ironic... Julie thinks to herself. Spending time with someone who’s hiding their identity is when I’m most revealing...

Julie thought back to when she first tracked the suit, and subsequently Danny and Miranda/Bill, down. She was following a lead that brought her to a local business in town. There she discovered that the suit and camera were there, but had since left. Not knowing what else to do, she went to a bar that night - the same bar that Danny and Bill were using the suit at. It was an incredible stroke of luck for her - not only did she stumble into the right bar at the right time, but the camera ending up in the hands of two idiots who made it painfully obvious to her that they had the suit.

Not idiots... Julie reminds herself. Just... unaware

Julie snaps out of her pondering as she reaches the door. Before she has a chance to knock, the door starts to swing open. Julie smiles, ready to see Miranda. Instead it’s Danny who’s standing there. The look on his face tells all. She knows that he wants to talk - and that he has probably found a few things out that Julie would’ve preferred to keep hidden a bit longer. Without betraying any of her inner thoughts, Julie keeps the smile on her face and asks “Hi Danny. Is Miranda here?”

Danny’s brows furrows deeper as she nonchalantly acts like they have nothing to talk about. “Miranda’s still getting ready.” He says coldly. Danny steps out of his apartment into the hallway and lets the door swing shut behind him. He holds up a folder labeled “Project Identa”. Julie sighs, knowing what’s coming.

“We need to talk” Danny says, trying to keep a stern look on his face. Julie knew his confidence was all show and she could easily take command of the conversation but decides to let him keep the facade up.

“We do - but later. After Miranda and I get back.” She slowly reaches for the door, clearly indicating Danny should move.

But he doesn’t. Instead, he says “Not later. Now.”

Oh the little boy’s getting bold is he? Julie thinks to herself, never showing any signs of emotion she doesn’t want to. Speaking as though she was talking to a child, she says “Danny, Miranda’s going to be ready at any moment. We wouldn’t want her to walk into our discussion now would we?”

Somewhat surprising, Danny doesn’t back down. “First off, Bill doesn’t know you’re here yet. Secondly, he deserves the truth.”

Julie crosses her arms and raises a brow. “Oh?” She says. “And what truth would that be?”

“That you’re the one who created Project Identa.” Julie is actually surprised for once and a slight twitch breaks her facade for a moment before she catches it. Danny probably didn’t notice, but Julie was not happy having shown a moment of weakness.

Hoping to take control of the situation, she asks “And why would you think something like that?”

Danny pulls a black and white photo from the folder and displays it to her. The photo appears to have been taken in some type of morgue or autopsy room. A nondescript mound lies on a metal table, mostly obscured by figures in medical gowns and lab coats. Julie pales slightly as she recognizes the photo. Danny points at a figure standing behind the table facing the camera. It’s Julie, decked out in surgical attire, readying a scalpel. “That’s you. Isn’t it?”

Julie keeps her cool and shrugs it off. “I already told you I worked in a lab on the project. Nothing new there.”

“Right...” Danny says. He points to the photo’s corner where a date is labeled. “Except this photo was taken in 1947... Over 70 years ago.” Danny crosses his arms. “You’re not who you say you are at all.”

Julie tenses, carefully slipping her hand into her purse. Danny stares her in the eyes and says “You’re at least 90 years old and was one of the founding members of the project. And somehow your suit allows you to remain the same age for years! Bill deserves to know he’s been seeing an old lady that used to be part of a black ops science team!”

Hearing that, Julie relaxes. He just thinks I’m an 100 year old cougar that worked for the CIA or something she thinks as she slips her hand out of her purse, releasing the object she was gasping. Julie smiles slyly. “Hm, it seems you aren’t as clueless as I thought. Alright, I’ll admit it. I am actually about 98 years old. My suit allows me to appear as a normal young 20-something, however in truth my body stopped aging long before the fire caused me to require this suit.”

Now it was Danny’s turn to look surprised. Julie couldn’t tell if it was because she said he was right or that he was surprised about her lack of aging. She smiles calmly. “Danny, do you know why people age?”

Danny thinks for a moment “Uh, I think I heard it had something to do with DNA shortening or breaking or something?”

Julie nods. “That’s a simplistic way to say it and it isn’t the full picture but essentially, yes. As humans live, our DNA is consistently dividing itself to make new cells. Over time, minor issues in the duplication process and losing parts of the genome contribute to aging. Project Identa was focused on studying DNA under some... unique circumstances. During one of our tests, an accident caused my DNA to stop splitting and essentially freeze.”

Danny looks slightly confused. “But - shouldn’t you be dead then? I mean don’t you need new cells every so often to survive?”

Julie nods again. “Yes and no. Most of the time, you only need new cells to repair a wound or fight off an infection. Which is easy enough to circumvent by avoiding injuries and taking medication. The hard part are things like skin cells - a normal person loses around 30,000 to 40,000 dead skin cells a day. Without new skin cells, you’d probably die of infection and exposure. Which is another reason why I wear a suit all the time. It acts as skin for me, protecting whatever’s left.”

Danny slowly nods as if to indicate he understood, though his expression tells Julie otherwise. “When the accident occurred, there was a very high chance that I’d die, but luckily my fellow scientist and doctors were able to help me survive.”

“Ok...” Danny says hesitantly. “But I thought you were a research assistant for a DNA sequencing lab? And that’s how you found out about the suits in the first place?”

“Oh I was an assistant for Professor Humphrey. It just so happened that o became his assistant after Project Liberta was canned.” She says slyly. “In reality I was older and more qualified than Humphrey but when you perpetually look like you just graduated college, it’s easier to let others underestimate you.”

Danny thinks for a bit. “Ok... but this says that the project was started in 1947e and canceled in 1960... Why would that lab still be working on it almost 40 years after the project was cancelled?”

Julie sighs, realizing how much she would have to explain for him. “Professor Humphrey was never a part of Project Identa . His lab happened to be at the forefront of DNA research. So when a body was discovered that didn’t decompose or age, it was his lab that was the natural choice.” She shrugs. “As hard as it may be to believe, I joined his lab without ever imagining Project Identa would rise back from the dead.”

“Huh...” Danny says. “So, then... what was Project Identa? I thought it was just studying the body suits but if that wasn’t it...”

“It’s... complicated...” Julie says with some hesitation. “The project was massive, spread across multiple departments and companies across different industries and government. Tech, agriculture, biology, you name it, had some part to play in Project Identa. No one knew all the pieces that were in play, everyone reported to someone, who then reported to someone higher up, who then reported to their higher-ups. And no one knew who was at the very top, of if there even was a very top.”

Danny shakes his head. “That’s... unbelievable. It sounds like some Illuminati shit...”

“For all I know, it was the Illuminati running it.” Julie chuckles to herself. “But, I was the head of one of the Biotechnology departments. 4 other labs reported directly to me and I reported to the CEO of MegaBusiness.”

“So that’s how you know about MegaBusiness.” Danny says, connecting the dots.

“Right.” Julie nods. “It’s also how I learnt that MegaBusiness was quietly buying other companies who were part of the project. They originally were a pharmaceutical company, and were tasked with using their biology labs for the project, began seeking and acquiring other Identa members. They began putting more and more data together, combining pieces that only the highest level of the project should’ve known.”

“But why?” Danny asks, enraptured in the story.

Julie shakes her head and shrugs. “I asked Ruben about that once, and he all he said was ‘Leverage’”

“Hm... wait - who’s Ruben?”

Julie smiles sadly. “Ruben was the CEO of MegaBusiness back in the day and for 16 years he was my -“ Julie cuts herself off as she saw the door handle begin to turn. Danny turns to look where she was, and saw that Miranda poked her head out behind him.

“Hi guys! Whatcha two doing out here?” Miranda says cheerfully.

Julie beams brightly. “Hey Mira! We were just chatting about your birthday!”

Miranda groans. “ Oh I knew I shouldn’t have told you it was coming up...”
Miranda opens the door once Danny steps out of the way. “I told you, I don’t want anything special to happen for it alright? I’m serious!”

Julie giggles and says “I know, I know - but still, it’s the first time I’ll get to be with you for it.” Miranda sighs. “Anyways, Fran your purse and lets head out Mira!”

“Oh I’m ready.” Miranda says. “I don’t have a purse ha.”

“Oh? Then we totally have to go shopping.” She takes Miranda’s hand and gently pulls her along. Turning back to Danny, she says “Just keep what we talked about quiet alright? There’ll be a better time later.”

Turning back forward, she laughs off Miranda’s insistence on not wanting them to throw a surprise party or anything. As they entered the elevator, she caught a glimpse of Danny going back into his apartment, reading the file again. Danny’s more observant than I thought... that photo barely had me in frame... I’ll have to watch him a bit more closely to ensure he doesn’t figure out my entire secret...