Clone Confessions in the Neon Rain

"You came to save me, right? 'Tiara. What was the last advice I gave you?'"

Theia’s gleaming red eyes scanned me up and down. Normally, I’d freeze like a mouse in ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠front of a snake and bow my head, but… I furrowed my brow and whipped my head away.

"I don’t know. I don’t care about advice from someone so thoughtless."

She remembers shoving her unsolicited pep talk down my throat, but conveniently forgets slicing my ear and launching me into the air? Nice.

"Hmm?" Theia narrowed her eyes at me.

Anyone would say picking a fight with a woman like that is stupid, right? Tsk. But here’s the thing. The owner of those terrifying, piercing eyes… seemed to like me a little.

Well, yeah. I mean, watashi… I’m a total babe. I’ve already charmed Dorothy, that super cute and energetic girl. Seducing some scary-eyed auntie would be a piece of—

Bonk!

"Ugh…!" Theia flicked my forehead hard! Even in the Outernet, that knuckle rap stung like ice. I crouched down, rubbing my forehead.

Then an ice-cold voice drifted over. "What did I tell you?"

"Don’t get too arrogant, and don’t get too down on yourself…."

Recalling Big Sis Theia’s advice that popped right out made her squat down too, trying to meet my eyes. After all the torment in the Outernet, running into this surprisingly reliable protagonist figure melted away my tension like butter.

I averted my gaze and muttered, "…Why are you like this? It’s embarrassing."

"And you still crawled into the Outernet after hearing that?"

One ignored pep talk and she knuckle-raps my head. My cheeks puffed out on their own. Theia laughed hahaha and poked my puffed cheeks with her fingers…

"Eh, whatever! C’mere!"

She yanked me into a hug and ruffled my hair wildly.

"…."

Her antics were so identical to how I ruffle Dorothy’s hair that I suddenly felt bad—Dorothy probably didn’t enjoy it as much as I thought.

Anyway… Dorothy, you’re waiting patiently, right? You must be hungry and thirsty.

"It’s not arrogance. I was planning to suck them dry just enough and cut ties…."

The Outernet schedule dragged longer than expected—worrying. Theia stared at my sullen face, reading something there, her lips twitching.

"What? Something happen?"

Theia turned my face this way and that, then grinned wickedly, like she’d found what she was looking for.

"So you are feeling down, huh."

Or like she’d sniffed out my hidden secret.

"Trying to cross the wasteland with one little hump must be tough, right?"

Hump? She means Dorothy? Theia’s demonic grin said she’d already read everything from my frozen expression… reminding me this wicked woman was definitely not Lawful Good.

I couldn’t stomach the disgust and shoved her shoulder hard. "…Don’t call her a hump."

Shouldn’t have said that. Theia let herself be pushed away easily, smirking. That’s when I realized I’d fallen right into her baited guess.

"Keep baring your teeth like that, and I won’t wanna help anymore."

Her curved red eyes looked down at me. Same red as Dorothy’s, but not a hint of resemblance.

I bit my lip hard, gauging Theia’s menhera level. That weird obsession she showed me. The way she kneaded my face. Her joy and sorrow at calling her a hump. My AI-level menhera detection scanned her instantly.

Gotcha! Theia’s in full menhera mode right now.

Ah, seriously. Why do only menheras flock to me? And in all varieties! This one’s yandere-type.

Her blood-red eyes lasered in as she closed the distance.

"Don’t you need my help? You and ‘your girls.’"

My vision darkened, but I couldn’t squeeze my eyes shut. Couldn’t risk giving away more about Dorothy. I whipped out my inner menhera guidebook.

"No words, Tiara? Guess it was too much for you…."

"Ha… help?"

A. No way! Hey! Guidebook, out. How dare you call Dorothy a hump?

I locked eyes with Theia’s bloodshot glare and stepped forward slowly.

"You, who cloned yourself just to avoid dying… what the hell can you do to help?"

"…Hah?"

Irritation leaked from her twisted brow. Heh heh. A laugh slipped from me too. Messy words tumbled out with it.

"What, thought I wouldn’t know? That I’m your clone."

After dropping those hints, how could she not? Dorothy said from the start we looked alike. Theia spared me the day I took the Netdiver catalyst. ‘I’ll let it slide ‘cause you’re pretty,’ she said, kneading my face.

"Hah. With those vicious slit eyes, prancing around exploding cores in your skull."

"…."

Her weird fondness for me. Struggling to keep me alive despite the catalyst. Simple reason a chaotic neutral—or evil—Theia protects me.

"You’re scared if I die before the vaccine’s ready… who knows when another brain to ‘replace’ you will pop up."

Theia couldn’t have escaped the dilemma Dorothy and I faced. One death frees humanity. From dayfly lives. From tragic daily memory edits via brain implants.

She solved it by making clones. And one succeeded: me.

"Seriously, it’s pathetic. Your pity, cheaper than pre-meal grace… you think I’d cling to your leg for that?"

My sharp words blackened her eyes. She bowed her head, white hair shadowing her gleam.

—Stop. Stop it.

A voice echoed from empty air, distorting the stealth veil’s space. "What…?"

Before I could tense and ramp up processing, Theia raised a hand like blocking something.

"You stop, John Felix. She’s right."

A familiar-looking man slipped from the veil at her fingertips. Seen him in the lab… and the game?

"You’re…."

"Let me introduce, Tiara."

With half-lidded eyes and slumped shoulders, Theia barely tugged her lips up. "My hump, John Felix."

Wait… hump…?

"Hold on, then…?"

No time for questions on her odd attitude. The ‘maw’ we’d eavesdropped on—holding its breath during our clone-original spat—flashed a status-like message.

Writhing tentacles from the glass floor brushed Theia’s feet.

"Wondered how you entered the Outernet from the wasteland… hacked the tower core, huh?" Drained Theia muttered at the ‘maw’ below.

Starlight twinkled, space rippling like waves under our feet.

"This is…?"

Tide… or waves left rain-slicked ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠city back alleys. Rusty buildings clung to scaffoldings like crutches. Streets littered with trash and junkies. Vomit and burning smells stung my nose. Gas pipes and wires tangled like spiderwebs, dripping rain. No umbrellas outside, but drops kept falling on us.

Yeah—the rain that stopped still poured on just us.

In one such alley corner, Theia and I faced off.

Her eyes, backlit by main street neons, began gleaming.

"This is… where I live."

Her voice soaked in the humid air like rain. Leaning on the wall by the avenue, leg tapping. "How’s it? Good enough? Was gonna bring you here anyway."

Her cocky, blocking-the-way vibe… pure cyberpunk delinquent big sis. Kinda funny.

"…It’s filthy."

My first words came out polite again. Why? Theia never ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠denied she’d kill me someday. I just realized she craves dying for the vaccine too… or rather, excuses herself with it. Looks aside, our thought patterns match too well. Made me understand her more.

Doesn’t mean I’ll die easy, though.

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

Theia shrugged. "Hahaha. I think so too. But look around. Pretty good for a fight, right?"

I scanned. Not city core, not outskirts—mid-zone. Hackers and core users run wild, clashing with City cops daily. Game’s main stage.

Gas pipes, poles, neons, drones, phones, trash cans, doors… cybercores everywhere.

"Welcome to the City. Well, not really."

Netdiver’s home turf. Maybe… I can manage here.

We stared silently. Even stripped of emotion, our glaring eyes… more replica-original than sisters or mother-daughter.

"You’re right. Mostly."

Theia gazed at me, white hair plastering to her rain-soaked body. "Made someone to replace me. Clones handed to the Resistance on purpose. Never dreamed one would swallow Netdiver catalyst."

She smiled wistfully, speaking to me—a head shorter. "Didn’t wanna die."

Couldn’t curse her rashly. Thick dark circles sharpened her eyes, brimming with self-loathing. Like… me without Dorothy.

"With one hump attached, I should sink deep… but now I’m floating on the surface."

With that, white hair, red eyes—unmissable figure melted into the alley.

—Sorry. Quiet apology, and she vanished.

I gritted my teeth, probing for her core, starlight… any presence.

2-pyeong studio win doubled My Room; four wins made it 162 pyeong. 81x processing power. Plus Netdiver efficiency.

"Damn."

Still couldn’t pinpoint her. Makes sense? Processing isn’t raw combat power… but I trapped Ellie and Alek in a 2-pyeong room. 81x stronger, yet can’t detect her bodysuit?

"Hup…!"

Starlight flashed ahead. Accelerated thought, stretched foe time. Blurry shadow grazed my vision. Hacked the door beside.

Whoosh! Auto-door flew open—thud! Theia’s fist smashed into it.

"If you’re dying, die pretty!"

Hacked street drones. Phones. Gas valves. Drones loitered her path; phone echoes triangulated via echolocation. Steam blasted the spot.

Still… —Hah. Hah. As expected…

"Mmph… hup…!"

Theia dodged fluidly, seized my nape, hoisted me. Veil peeled; her face emerged. Yearning to die yet clinging for one lover’s love… same conflicted agony as mine.

"Hahahahaha! See? My daughter’s a genius!"

Same… not?

"Ahh… John Felix, look at this kid’s face. Just like old me, right?"

—Of course your clone looks like you. Quit yapping, stick to the plan.

Theia cackled witch-like, roughly kneading my dazed face.

"Not trusting people. Desperate to die."

Pinched cheeks, fiddled ears, tweaked sharp eyes.

"Dragging humps around on your whim. Spewing hurtful words easy."

Pinched nose, forced lip curl, ruffled hair.

"Told you she’d copy all the wrong parts."

Damn daughters. For a mom with a brat my age, Theia looked too young, beaming a happy smile I’d never worn.

"Ah…?"

Theia gripped my nape, hopping building ledges with confident smugness—the face I make right before messing with Dorothy.

"Perfect, all per plan. Follow my lead, Tiara."