“I’m a horrible person. I’m the bad Nicole.” She said, looking dazed and sad sitting next to Hyde.
“Why? Why are you so horrible now?” Hyde sighed, rolling his orange eyes.
“I’m sitting here complaining about my sex life with my husband’s mortal enemy. Just like we’re pals or some shit. Am I insane?”
“Debatable, the other one definitely is, HEY, sorry. I was joking.”
“What is it between us? I’m your hostage, and we’re eating pizza and watching TV as I complain about my husband being too gentle with me like I’m a…virgin princess. Why are we more honest than I am with my husband?”
“You really don’t know? Boy, you really do get lost in those tunnels, don’t you…the ones up here.” He said tapping her head.
“Please spell it out.” she said with annoyance.
“Because you don’t love me. What Am I gonna do… leave you, make you leave the ship and never come back? You love Vinn. Love is scary, there’s risk there. You just need someone you can talk to that understand you, and who understands a Nicole better than me? I know you almost as well as he does, and you don't care if you drive me away...in fact you'd probably prefer it. You gotta talk to him about it.”
“I don’t want to.”
“Then good luck ever getting past it.”
Vinn sat confused as Evil Nicole sat beside him.
“What happened?" He asked. “We went from being grossly affectionate and having regular sex to…whatever this suddenly is.”
“Ugh, regular sex.” She muttered to herself. “There’s your problem.”
“What?” he asked, looking concerned.
“Nothing. I just don't wanna be intimate right now. Vinn, I’m experiencing a lot of weird emotions lately with the... you know.”
“Evil clone banging my sworn enemy, threatening to blackmail us with THEIR sex tape.”
“I was gonna say alternate Nicole, but overall let's say yes. Vinn I really wanna be with you right now, I really do so much. I just can’t, and I can’t explain why. This is gonna sound strange but, can you just sorta be more like my bestie...or my doggy?”
“Details are needed to answer that.” he squinted nervously.
"Can I just play with your ears? I really wanna just mess with your ears and watch TV together."
“Odd but okay.” He said, shifting positions so she could just pet him like a giant puppy, stroking his ears and smiling with a weird sense of childlike joy.
“Have I ever told you how shockingly soft your fur is?”
“Yea, we use the same conditioner, just…I use a whole lot more of it.”
Jack paced the ship, knife on his back just under the shirt. He turned to see Hyde leaving Nicole’s room. She seemed rather healthy for confinement.
“Hyde, we need to have a conversation.”
“Do we really, or do you just need answers to things?” hyde snipped.
“Both.” What’s wrong with Your Nicole?”
“She just gets a little sick feeling if she’s not in her tank every so often.”
“You don’t seem very concerned, in fact she’s always dry and on the couch when you leave, she looks very healthy for someone refusing to leave her room. How about you bring her out, and we all just chat for a bit. She IS a Nicole, so she must miss hanging out with me.”
“She doesn’t feel like leaving the room.”
“Love to hear that from her. And you probably wouldn’t mind me just dropping by and asking that, just to make sure.” Jack insisted.
“Jack, you seem edgy. Have a beer, speak your mind.”
“Alright.” He sighed, slowly slipping the piece of steel cable he hid in his pocket out, and knotting it behind his back. “On second thought can you pour me some of that whiskey, I’d love to try it.” he said as Hyde grew suspicious and poured him one, he leaned across the table and Jack finished tying the cable to his boot. He leaned back as if stretching a shore shoulder and as Hyde reached the closest point, he put his foot on the chair and jumped, lassoing Hyde’s right antler and dropping his weight down. Slamming him to the table face first and when he got ready to move, he noticed the knife against his throat, point first.
“Now that’s a hell of a move.” He grinned, as Jack gripped the table and pulled his foot down, bringing his neck down just a little bit on the knife he was holding. Face to face, Jack tilted his head to align with his opponent.
“I could snap that cable and break your leg.” Hyde whispered.
“And if you did, and I suddenly gave out and moved up, that knife goes right in your artery. Your strength is your biggest problem right now.”
“Not that I’m unimpressed, but what’s on your mind, little soldier?”
“Who’s Nicole is in that room?” he asked. “And what is your Nicole doing in my house with my friends?” he accused.
“You wanna go talk to her, Jack? Okay, you made your point, and I can tell you do a good job sharpening it.”
The door opened and regular Nicole looked surprised to see both of them.
“Jack, I didn’t expect you. What are you doing with the knife?”
“Just being safe.” He said, leading Hyde on a steel cable leash, his arm extended up with the knife on his neck.
“Jack put the knife down, he’s not hurting anyone.” she sighed.
“Nicole, The situation is handled. Are you okay?” he asked slowly. “He can’t hurt you. You can go home.” He said she hesitated for a moment, feeling pity for the poor beast.
“No I can’t jack, this IS my home. You’re the only one here that wants to leave.”
“Why aren’t you leaving your room?” he asked.
“I’m a gamer, we tend to stay in our rooms a lot.” She bluffed.
“Look me in the eye and tell me the Nicole in my house right now is the one I know and protect. Go ahead. I know when a Nicole is lying." he insisted.
“Jack, you’re acting crazy. I promise you the both of us are where we’re supposed to be, and safe, you’re the only one with a knife.”
“Why are you defending him?” he asked, confused.
“Because he’s my friend, and you have a rope around his neck. I’m the only one that gets to do that.” She smirked. “Put the knife away.” She said in an odd manner.
“I guess I was mistaken.” He said, not sounding convinced or convincing. He retracted the knife and let the cable go.
“You realize you’re outnumbered here?” growled Hyde.
“Honey, don’t get mad. He’s just trying to protect me. He doesn’t understand us, and he’s paranoid. He kills people for work, he has to be paranoid. Just relax, both of you two. Jack is my friend too, I have all her memories of us, you mean a lot to me, and so does Hyde, I don’t want either of you getting hurt. Understood?” she asked.
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“Sure.” Muttered Hyde.
“I don’t think you both heard me clearly.” She said, her eye going black. “ARE WE UNDERSTOOD?” she said aggressively loud.
“Yes Ma’am” Nodded Hyde.
“Crystal clear.” Jack nodded.
“Good. Now, the next one of you that acts up is answering to me. Jack, if you have questions, you can just ask. No theories, no tests, just come down here and ask me."
“What color is the handrail on the elevator lift?” Jack asked.
“There’s no handrail on the lift, Jack.”
“Just checking.”
“Please stop checking. You’re making me very uncomfortable. I may not be YOUR Nicole, but I’m Nicole, and I am starting to wonder if you’d put that knife to my throat if you had a chance. You’re scaring me"
“I’m sorry. I’d never do that, clone or not you’re a Nicole, and I still think you can be saved.”
“Stop. Please. The hints, the code words, the testing. This isn’t an operation, and you’re not under orders. Just spend some time with me. Both of you. Knife away, how about we play a real game, a FUN game, like we used to do on game night. Just a little smaller crowd.” She smiled sadly.
Jack left the room after a good 2 hours of game night, leaving them to their business and heading to his bunk. He took his phone out, scanned his thumbprint for verification.
“Hello Doctor. Are the patients well?” Asked Gizzy’s deep, sinister voice.
“I don’t know anymore, I may have been wrong about her. He’s definitely got a plan, but he won’t tell me the details or confirm the kill, but he does want your head.”
“Oh good...let him try, punkin. I’m not concerned about that. So what about Nicole?”
"I thought he pulled a swap on us, but I'm not sure anymore. I can't contact the house, the jammers are working as intended, but that means I can's ask them any questions. She seems so much like our Nicole but..."
"But you know too well that a clone would be almost impossible to tell."
"She's not trying to leave. No hints, so signals, not even the code words. She defended him earlier. I can't tell which one she is. If that's our Nicole being held hostage, she seems pretty calm and content to stay here for some reason. Does our Nicole and Kraken have...history?"
"Of course they have history, they bonded in the tunnels, just not in the way you think, but sometimes monsters like to chase, and other monsters even if they're trying to get away, they may have a that slight urge to be caught. You wouldn't understand Jack. You're just a human, and your job isn't psychology, it's surgery. But if she was being held against her will, I seriously doubt you would have missed the signals. So this...HYDE clone. Is he intact?"
"Well he lost a few drops of blood, but otherwise he's fine."
"I mean, is he the same? Did someone successfully clone a Delmarian without issues?"
"He's not the same. Not like he should be. He hesitates, he plans better. He holds back, he didn't even try to get the drop on me. He's definitely still dangerous, but he's far from an identical copy, He's at best a separated twin with very different motives and beliefs. That's not Kraken anymore. There's been damage, I'm sending you the blood sample scans as soon as my phone can render the sample. There are some unusual burn marks on his neck. I got fairly close to it. Singed hair, superficial shallow marks."
"Oh, don't worry about those, I know what those are and one of the Nicole's left them. I don't think you need to worry about her. The Nicoles seem to be getting a little more alien with every generation."
"Just tell me you're not intentionally experimenting on her."
Jack the program is over, for her at least, and she signed the form. This was an unforeseen glitch. We don't know a lot about Menacodian DNA. Hell I've been raising one for years and she can't even form sentences. I didn't know what the anomaly was until the nanobots she took for her injury kicked it into high gear. You have my word in this game of lies and secrets, I am not tormenting your friend, Nicole. That backup clone wasn't even supposed to be awake, it wasn't even supposed to be activated unless tragic events took place, as per her request. Someone started the growth process, and someone woke her up. You need to get Kraken...or HYDE to drop a name. We both know he killed Gandalf, I wanna know why, and I want his confession in your memory. The android is doing nothing, no weapons no hacking, we have the recording systems blocked. She's not a Terminator Jack, she's a sex droid with outdated software. I could probably hack it and go make a sandwich for everyone. Aside from new clothes, every scan shows she is an unaltered, literal fuck machine that hasn't left the yard."
"Good. I'm starting to think you may be his only target."
"Then let him proceed. If you can't get the information out of him, I have ways of doing it, and if he comes to me, that makes it so much easier. My enemies have been so cooperative lately, I haven't had the chance to get my hands dirty. In fact...encourage him to find me."
"You wanna pull a Charlotte's Web?" Jack smirked.
"Well, minus the explosives and the decoy body. Just work your magic."
Nicole sat on the back rim of the couch, using Hyde's head like an arm rest. She felt almost too comfortable with the anatomy of horns and fur, that it seemed almost natural to pester him. She noticed the marks on his neck.
"Did Jack do that?" she asked, poking it.
"No, mind your business." He said
"Did she do that?" she asked. He sighed, shaking his head and forgetting he was shaking her as well.
"It's complicated."
"I know it is. That's why I wanna understand it."
"Oh, you understand it, don't you?" he sighed.
"Not as well as I'd like to."
"Are referring to me or to Vinn."
"He wouldn't understand it like we do. That's why I'm asking while we have the chance. I need to learn what it is we are. Is it the control, or the pain?"
"Little of both. Now, with me specifically, there's some guilt involved. I almost feel like I owe it to her after...well." he sighed, looking depressed and ashamed.
"You were just following orders, and I admit it was the scariest haunted house I have ever been to, and I got paid for it. Looking back, it was almost fun until the end. And then it went too far."
"I'm sorry. I should have never left you in that room." he said
"Did you know I was supposed to drown?" She asked bluntly, feeling his neck tense up.
"No. I was promised you would overcome your fear and you were special. I assumed that meant you would either activate, or they would drain the room before it got to the top. I never imagined She would just keep filling the tunnels until you stopped struggling."
"What was it like, watching your prey drown?" she asked.
"You weren't prey, Nicole. You were a well paying job in the beginning and respected adversary after the first chase. After that, I started admiring you. You were supposed to defy me and defeat me, and then defeat the water itself. And she went too far. She didn't stop it. And by the time I realized it wasn't going as intended, I was way too far to even try to help."
"Do you just let the other Nicole do that to you out of pity because you failed us, or do you really enjoy it?" she asked, touching the burn marks on his neck where the shock collar was.
"Depends on the moment. She gets carried away sometimes, just the game we play I guess. You know our game, the one I play with her is just...more intimate. But sometimes I can't tell if she's playing our game or remembering the old me and trying to get a little vengeance, for both of you gals. Maybe she doesn't even know. That's the part that hurts a little too much, in the wrong way. I deserve it, obviously, but she doesn't love me."
"No, you don't deserve it. Kraken is dead, and you're suffering for a ghost. You don't think I noticed the change? She noticed it enough to let you have her. You don't think I can see that too?" She said petting him softy.
"Careful with the ears, Nicole. There's a line somewhere we don't wanna cross."
"I know the line, silly. That's why I'm back here instead of on your lap."
"What is it with you and Delmarian men?" he chuckled to himself.
"I like things that can hurt me, just like you do. I just found a place where some of the monsters have control of themselves. And some of them you can trust, others...not as clear"
"Are you talking about my change, or are you talking about her change? Are you honestly concerned that your little counterpart might be abusing the monster 8 times her size? She's not THAT much more of a Menace than you are." Hyde smirked.
"Those burn marks just have me a little concerned." She whispered. He laughed and turned, almost toppling her over as she leaned on his head.
"We have rules and limits. Accidents sometimes happen, but I promise you we're having much more fun that you and gamer pup are. She has one major advantage you don't in this situation."
"I know, I know. She has you. Brag about it a little, tough guy." She said rolling her eyes.
"Well yes, I'm clearly the superior male, but the real reason is that she tells me what she wants. No hints, no hiding what she is. She has nothing to lose by fully exploring the mutual thought you and I had. You'd never leave Vinn, and I'd never trade my Nicole permanently. Everyone already has their match, but you felt that curiosity when you realized I was like you, and here you are with no intentions of anything more than asking, and still just barely asking. Being a monster isn't something bad to be ashamed about, it's just who we are. You have to tell Vinn what you want and like. You have to trust that even if he isn't one of us, the fucked up in the head kinda masochists, he could still accept you. He may be a bit of a...pussy on the outside, but he's a real Delmarian at the core. It just scares him to let it out. Kinda like you. You conquered the fear of an alien world, conquered the fear of the tunnels and even the fear of me, and even after the water killed you, somehow you came back and conquered that. And Vinn conquered his shyness and talked to the pretty human girl. He conquered his fear of his culture, of being alone, and then he got in the pit with me, so clearly you both know how to face your fears alone. Why can't you two conquer your fear of each other?" he asked.
"I don't know. You seem like you do."
"Because you didn't have to. You got comfortable. You were thrown into space, lured by mystery, chased by the kraken, and fell into marriage by accident. You had no choice but to face them, just like Vinn had no choice. Now that you have the option to settle for mediocre sex, you don't wanna face that fear of rejection. You love him too much to risk the kink shame. Maybe someone needs to push you into the water. I know just the girl if you'd like. She's a lot like you, and already a good swimmer." He hinted.
"I need to do it. I need to tell him first thing when I get back. Everything, all of it. And if I have the guts to throw all that out, he'll have no choice but to either accept me or not."
"Pull his orange ass in the water with you. He's not gonna reject someone he loves. You're too special to reject, and he knows that." Hyde smiled.
"No. He's not like us. He needs the choice. He just doesn't know he has one because I haven't spoken up." She sighed. "So...what's the collar feel like on ten?" she asked.
"Ten sucks, you don't want go that far. It leads to apologies and burn marks on something like me, you'd probably die. Get a training one online. Those are designed to sting without causing harm. That's the whole point of the game Nicole. If you regret it after and it's not fun, then what the fuck are you even doing? You can always buy a stronger collar next time."