Red discovers her 'grandmother' is a simulation

The humming was just slightly off key,

The humming was just slightly off key,

carrying a sharp,

carrying a sharp,

mocking undertone. The lavender scent

mocking undertone. The lavender scent

was too perfect, too precisely

was too perfect, too precisely

engineered to trigger nostalgia.

engineered to trigger nostalgia.

This wasn't a memory. It was a

This wasn't a memory. It was a

simulation.

simulation.

She pulled back,

She pulled back,

her heart pounding. How?

her heart pounding. How?

How did you know? Her grandmother's face

How did you know? Her grandmother's face

didn't change, but the voice that came

didn't change, but the voice that came

out was ancient and vast. Because, my

out was ancient and vast. Because, my

dear, it replied.

dear, it replied.

We have been studying your emotional

We have been studying your emotional

responses for decades. Every time you

responses for decades. Every time you

felt love, we recorded italiano. Every

felt love, we recorded italiano. Every

time you felt safe, we analyzed it. The

time you felt safe, we analyzed it. The

walls of the cottage began to pulse like

walls of the cottage began to pulse like

a giant heart. Red realized with

a giant heart. Red realized with

sickening clarity that she wasn't in a

sickening clarity that she wasn't in a

building. She was inside something

building. She was inside something

alive, something that had been feeding

alive, something that had been feeding

on her trust, her love, her hope. I am

on her trust, her love, her hope. I am

everything you loved about her.

everything you loved about her.

Perfectly synthesized, the entity

Perfectly synthesized, the entity

explained. Its face shifting between her

explained. Its face shifting between her

grandmother's features and something far

grandmother's features and something far

older, far hungrier. I am your emotional

older, far hungrier. I am your emotional

template of grandmother given form and

template of grandmother given form and

an appetite.

an appetite.

Then, the walls became transparent. The

Then, the walls became transparent. The

illusion shattered.

illusion shattered.

Red was standing in a vast, sterile

Red was standing in a vast, sterile

laboratory.

laboratory.