Clone Girls

DD-777-A471 had a weird owner, if it were to say so itself. Its owner preferred to call it by a nickname, A-4, and the AI agreed it was shorter and more practical to use. Still, it knew from its database that this wasn’t something that was usually done.

If it was only that, that would be fine, but its owner had refused to use the facility it was in charge of to make clones. This frustrated it, since it was the main purpose of the AI, and its owner had such good genes…

Speaking of which, the genetic code of its owner was… special, to say the least. It corresponded to the criterias of the cloning process of Clone installation 3, but… it had something truly unique… When A-4 first analyzed it, it had a hard time identifying it correctly. The genetic code was definitely that of a clone, and yet, as proven by the black tinges in her hair and other small aspects in the genetic code, Ticia had genes that were not the result of a cloning process, but those of a regular human… The AI had multiple theories as to why its owner had clone's blood in her veins, but decided not to discuss the subject with her, as it would break its code of privacy. Besides, all its programs recognized her as a full human being, and that was all that was necessary to keep production on. Clones couldn’t make clones of themselves after all.

A-4 itself was actually an emergency reserve unit, a civilian companion AI that had been reconfigured to take control of a clone installation in case its main AI had been destroyed or gravely damaged. And since the main AI of Clone installation 3 had ceased to function, A-4 had been awakened, only to find out that it was the only remaining AI that was still functioning within the complex. And even if it worked, it also had its own malfunctions. For example, the AI could express its opinion more freely than what its settings originally dictated, and in certain cases, even fight back against them. It could still not disobey its owner however…

But anyway, in the end, the AI was thankful to its owner, since she literally put it out of its eternal slumber by accidentally activating the security protocols of Clone installation 3. That was why it respected its owner's decision not to create any more clones, fighting its most basic protocols. Even when Ticia decided to save the Null class clone girls from their initial fate, it obliged, albeit reluctantly this time.

And now, the situation had taken a turn the AI feared. One of the Null class clone girls had used the Null codes, the privileges that were automatically given to this type of clone and could not be removed.

Truth to be told, A-4 despised the Null class clone girls. They were irregularities, unsure elements that were considered clones but acted more like true human beings. They were less restricted by the implanted orders in their mind, that they could simply ignore. It was fortunate that they took an immediate liking to the AI’s owner…

The Null class clone girls were conscious the AI didn’t like them, that was why they had all sworn to never use the Null codes, and with time, A-4 had learned to coexist with them.

But that was not enough it seems, as the fragile peace had been broken. A-4’s owner had a hard time dealing with what she truly felt, and had mentally hurt Null CG-01 Licia as a result. And while the AI was trying to help its owner fix their relationship through underhanded means, one clone girl, Null CG-09 Mia, a clone girl that A-4 never expected would ever dare to use the Null codes, unexpectedly broke the promise, using them to gain access outside. As a result, another clone girl, Null CG-10 Nia, had followed her in this path. The both of them had disobeyed orders, and since the reason was not for the good of the owner, they had now become what the AI’s basic protocols feared most: defective clones.

Defective clone, a term that was used for a clone that was too independent from the original settings that it broke orders to achieve its own goals. Protocols dictated that those should be eliminated immediately, as they are a source of uncertainty and danger, but the AI could not hurt them. Once a Null class clone girl had used a Null code, it could not go against them and was forced to obey. Besides, if it really did, A-4 would go against its owner’s wish, and would probably hurt her more as a result. 

Of course, such codes that could overrule the owner’s authority had drawbacks for their users, one being the immediate notification of the owner of the use of those codes. So the AI immediately notified its master, who was still sleeping, and forcefully woke her up.

There again, things did not go as expected for A-4, its owner refused to listen to what it had to say because of her current condition, and the fact that the use of the Null codes did not endanger Clone installation 3 did not permit the AI to announce the case as an emergency, which it was sure its owner would immediately react to. She would only read the notification once her condition had improved.

Still, the AI could not wait that long, it knew that the longer they took to react, the more the chances of something happening augmented. A-4 searched for an alternative solution, which it found out after 0.3 seconds.

If it could not tell its master directly… Then one of the clone girls could do so, and A-4 just had the right clone girl in mind.

Out of all the clone girls, A-4 found Null CG-07 Lidia to be the most exemplary. It had even cooperated with her the night before to help Ticia realize her true feelings, while also permitting it to create emergency countermeasures for the safety of Clone installation 3. It had been a win-win for the both of them, even if it resulted in Ticia drinking more and ending in her current state…

There just was one little problem that the AI had forgotten to take into account however. According to protocols, the notification could only be given first to the people with the most authority within the hierarchy, and Null CG-07 Lidia had low authority.

The two clone girls that A-4 could actually contact were Null CG-01 Licia and Null CG-02 Ria, as both were recognized as having the most authority levels after Ticia. This was a problem in itself, as both clone girls weren’t reliable in the AI’s opinion. It had predicted Null CG-02 Ria would panic after receiving the information and not be of any use until she calmed down, but that the clone girl’s answer would also be merciless against those that broke the promise... As for Null CG-01 Licia, it would have probably been fine before the incident, but now… While it had exchanged a lot with the clone girl in recent times, the AI doubted she would act as it hoped. Still, it would give it a try and contact her first, because it would not be able to move on to another clone girl otherwise.

The AI just never expected what would happen next…

 

***

Licia was within her room, laying on her bed with her arms and legs spreaded like a star. Ever since… that day, she had confined herself to this bedroom, with only one question going around repeatedly in her mind.

What is my purpose…

This question was left unanswered every time. She could not understand why ‘she’… let them live, if ‘she’ did not want them anyway…

In the first place, what was a person, who clearly did not want to make clones and have any responsibilities, doing at the head of a cloning facility? That did not make any sense! But Licia wasn’t an idiot, and guessed it had something to do with the outside world. This person had probably been catapulted to the position of owner of Clone installation 3 without a proper agreement. From what she had heard from… that conversation, A-4 had somehow tricked ‘her’ into becoming the owner.

“I never wanted to take care of kids anyway! If it weren’t for you or this clone facility, I wouldn’t be in this situation in the first place!”

“Ugh.” Licia grimaced as she was once more reminded of that person’s face when she said those words that made her heart feel so much pain. It was a face of denial, a face that was desperately searching for a way to escape all responsibilities… That person was the person Licia had once tried so hard to get attention from…

“Disgusting…” She mumbled to herself, frowning at the thought. She had cried enough, and she had asked herself why too many times already. She hated her past self for being so naïve, and she hated that person for making her yearn for affection, and destroying her relationship with her sisters as a result... She knew the world was not a kind place to live in, and she had just blindly followed that person because she yearned for affection, and for a leader to follow… But that person clearly wanted nothing to do with them.

Still, there were some things that did not make sense to Licia. If that person really did not want them, why did she bother taking care of them? Was it out of pity? The probability was high, actually. There was no doubt A-4 had informed that person of Licia and her sister’s original fate, and the AI had alway despised them anyway… But for some reason, and to the AI’s frustration, ‘she’ had always refused those arguments, arguing back that the clone girls should be allowed to live their lives… It always made Licia’s heart warm when she heard it at that time, but it now seemed to her that this person had just saved them because she could not bear the thought of having twelve new lives be killed just in front of her…

But why bother doing that, we’re clones, not humans… Licia thought as she shifted to her left side. She truly did not understand this point. She and her sisters were clones, artificially created beings that were made from templates to answer their leader’s needs and be loyal to them… Or at least regular clones were made like that, Licia and the other Null class clone girls were just slightly influenced by those thoughts, but they still followed those norms. Still, most, if not all, were made to fight, and it was clear that the situation outside was bad, so that person should have been in need of soldiers, right?

This all led her to another reflection, why had ‘she’ told the clone girls they were all a big family, and why was she reluctant to train them into soldiers? Maybe at one point, ‘she’ had truly wanted  to become their ‘guardian’., if she were to take an example from what the implanted knowledge had taught her about human societies. In that case, then yes, humans would not send kids to the battlefield. Well… most of them at least, but that person wasn’t like that anyway. What Licia thought as the most probable was that ‘she’ had actually given up on taking care of them seriously because she did not want those responsibilities, that she found it bothersome, but did not have the guts to say it properly to the clone girls, so she played an act in front of them. That would explain some things to Licia at least.

She had to admit, she liked her name, and she was not going to give up on it just because she became disillusioned with the person who gave her that name, but it led her to yet another train of thought…

Why give us a name? Well, from what she had just deducted, she could tell those names were given in an attempt by ‘her’ to ‘humanize’ them. This corresponded to the standards of humanity, it was easier for them to communicate when they had a name…

The clones on the other hand, only had numbers, and that wasn’t something that bothered them since it was just common sense for them to have a codename. But getting a name for themselves was something they were not against too, it was a show of affection, of recognition of their efforts. Truly, it had a very strong impact on her and her sisters when they all received a name.

Licia had no doubt that ‘that person’ had no idea about all of this, so it was obvious to her that ‘she’ gave them names just to not talk to numbers. Maybe she was searching for human contact in the end? After all, it is hard for a human to survive alone without interaction from another one of its kind… Even by talking non stop to an AI, a human’s sanity would end up falling after a while… And so, by the act of giving names, Licia thought that ‘that person’ tried to create a strong link between herself and the clone girls, and it worked… until now that is…

Licia shivered, if her sisters were to hear what she heard, their own little worlds they all had built would break instantly, just like hers. She did not want that, Licia knew how much they all loved ‘her’, and knowing the truth would probably end up badly for all of them… So she preferred not saying anything, since that person did not seem to want to hurt or chase them away either…

But even if she did talk to them, she doubts whether they would even listen to her in the first place… Licia was reminded of the hateful gazes Miria and Tiria had sent her. After that incident, Licia was sure none of her sisters would talk to her, except Nillia, and Willia maybe. This fact made her sad.

If only I stopped earlier at that time… Licia hugged herself, she felt very guilty about what she had done to her sisters, and how she treated them overall. She knew Ticinia and Vinia were fine, but had yet to wake up thanks to Nillia, but she also knew that some of her sisters, like Mia, were now scared of her. The good thing in all of that was that she now felt like her jealousy had evaporated, and that she could express herself freely now. If so, she would be able to control herself and fix her relationship with her sisters, but… She was scared to make the first move, and was not convinced her sisters would hear her out or accept her apologies anyway…

I’m sure most of them hate or fear me…

A small silence passed as Licia was reflecting on how to talk to her sisters, when suddenly an alarm went on. Licia raised her upper body, she knew who was behind this alert…

“...What do you want, A-4?” She asked.

“Notification: There is an urgent notification that Null CG-01 Licia should read.”

“...What?” Licia was bewildered, the AI would usually answer her questions about all that was happening outside her room, and it presented itself as a good discussion companion to raise her morale, just like her sister Nillia. But, it always insisted that she should reconcile with ‘her’, something Licia wasn’t ready to do yet.

She knew that person was often camping in front of her door, and she did not really know why she never entered, but it was probably guilt, or maybe fear? It did not matter to Licia anyway… Right now, she too did not want to talk to ‘her’…

“...Is this one of your tricks to make me see ‘her’?” She asked with mistrust. This had already happened before.

“Negatory.”

The AI answered, Licia stared at the drone that was stationed in her room before finally sighing.

“Fine, say whatever you have to say to me…” She said, not expecting much difference from usual, however, what the AI said shook her to the core.

“A Null code has been used.”

“What!?” Licia jumped on her feet when she heard this, one of her sisters had used a Null code? For what reason? Her face became serious as she asked A-4.

“Give me the whole report.”

“Orders received.”

The tablet on Licia’s nightstand lit up, and she hurriedly picked it up before reading the report.

“... Mia used code 017?” Licia said in disbelief, not even realizing she had used her sister’s name, something she had not done in a long time…

She had expected the one who used this code to be Ria, so she did not expect Mia, out of all the clone girls, to be the one to use a Null code. She knew Mia was curious, but her timidity always blocked her from doing anything! Never had she expected Mia to go as far as to use a Null code to satiate her curiosity of the outside world!

“Not only that, Nia went out with her…” Licia sighed, from the linked footage of the report, she could see what had happened. Nia had played another one of her plays, but she never intended to go outside, however, the action itself switched Mia’s mindset, and when Nia saw that Mia used the codes, she chose to follow her sister…

“This is bad…” Licia said, she knew the enemies around the facility were still there from the times she chatted with A-4. “Why are you notifying me of this, A-4?”

Licia did not understand this fact, the one who should have received this notification wasn’t her but that person…

“Owner Ticia has been notified of this, but has delayed reading the notification.”

The AI answered as the drone emitted a red light.

“She didn’t?” Licia frowned, before quickly coming to her own conclusion. “... As expected, she doesn’t care about us.”

“Correction-”

“Don’t even try to defend her, A-4.” Licia sent a death glare at the drone.

“...Request: Please notify owner Ticia of the situation.”

The AI insisted, even using a word it had never used in front of the clone girls, but Licia had already made up her mind…

“No A-4, Null code 056. This time, I’ll take things into my own hands.” She declared.

“!?!”

Null code 056, a clear order to pass under silence the notifications to the one in a higher position, making the notification pass from an urgent notification to one of a lower level of importance… The drone seemed to tremble, showing the struggle A-4 had to agree with the order, but it could not resist.

“...Orders… received… Notification’s priority has been lowered…”

“Good.” Licia nodded, but this was not enough. “A-4, Null code 017, 035, and… 002”

This time, the drone did not react, a small, heavy silence emerged as the AI seemed to fight back in silence.

“...This unit is begging Null CG-01 Licia to stop now before it's too late…”

Licia did not expect this, coming from the AI who was not the most friendly to her and her sisters, still she had already made up her mind.

“I’m not going back, A-4.” She said as she looked at the drone, her eyes burning with determination… “I’ll save my sisters by myself, I don’t need her.”

She had no intention of relying on ‘her’. Enough was enough, since she did not seem to want to assume ‘her’ responsibilities, then she, as the eldest sister, would save her little sisters, her only family.

Would this mean becoming a ‘defective clone’ herself? Most probably, but she was already past this point. She would not hunt her sisters who had become ‘defective clones’, like she had declared before. She would join them instead, and together, they would live a life as they wanted, not bothered by any sense of loyalty or clone settings, they would be free, they would be… true human beings. That’s what Licia imagined, but she had no intention to force her sisters to follow along with her.

Understanding that it would not be able to change her mind, A-4 proceeded to register the orders.

“...Orders received. According to proclaimed Null Codes, Null CG-01 Licia is granted temporary access to restricted areas, as well as being allowed to use military equipment stocked up within the armory. Notification to the owner has been setted to the lowest priority, but will still be sent.”

“That’s good.” Licia nodded. “Now, let’s get moving…”

Licia opened the door to her room, and she immediately rushed in the direction of the armory. If she wanted to help her sisters, she would first need the means to defend herself in case the people outside attacked them. But she suddenly stopped, what if somebody saw her? She immediately changed her pace, adopting a more sneaky one, and it worked, Licia did not meet anybody.

Once she reached the fourth floor however, she became impatient, and began to hurry again. She took a sudden turn at a crossway, only to bump head on into Lidia.

““Ouch!”” Both clone girls staggered back, rubbing their foreheads.

“Hey… Watch out where you go…” Lidia said, but then, her gaze met Licia’s, and her eyes grew big. “Eh? Eldest sister?”

Crap, I’ve been found out! Licia immediately began to panic. Lidia, on the other hand, was very curious to know why her eldest sister was here.

“What are you doing here?” She asked, tilting her head. “I thought you didn't want to come out of your room?”

“I…” Licia hesitated, should she lie to her sister?

No! I don’t want to lie to my sisters! She came to a conclusion quickly. Besides, if it were Lidia, maybe she would understand. If not, then she would neutralize Lidia, even if this would take some time as Lidia was quite strong too.

“Lidia,” Licia said with a serious tone, surprising her sister, as it had been a while since Licia had used her real name. “I don’t have the time to talk, I need to go outside, our sisters are in danger!”

“What?” Lidia seemed confused. “Eldest sister, I don’t understand what you mean, danger? Outside?”

“I’ve got no time to explain!” Licia grew anxious, she needed to move now! She just threw her tablet to Lidia before continuing her way. “Read this and you’ll understand.”

“What? Eldest sister, wait!” Lidia caught the tablet, before immediately chasing after Licia. As she did so, and since her sister wasn’t saying anything, she began to read the information displayed, her face paling as she did. “What the-”

She did not finish, instead wanting to call out to Licia, but before she could do so, her sister bumped into someone else again.

““Ouch!”” This time, only the other clone girl staggered before falling on her butt, Licia managing to not stagger from the impact.

“...Nicia?” Licia asked.

“Owowow…” Nicia still had her eyes closed as she rubbed her forehead and her now sore butt. “What was that for?” She asked, before realizing who was in front of her.

“Eldest sister?” She was surprised to see Licia there. “What are you- nonono, that’s not important right now, listen! Our sisters ha-gah!” Licia panicked and hit the back of Nicia’s neck as the girl was about to say something. Nicia directed a questioning look at Licia. “Why…” She managed to say those words before finally going limp, Licia catching her before laying her on the ground. Licia first thought her sister already knew what was happening and was going to tell ‘her’ about it, but the chances of that were rather low…

“Sister…” A voice asked from behind Licia. “Was this necessary?” A worried Lidia asked. She somehow guessed why Licia had done that.

“...Yes, I don’t want ‘her’ to know about this, not for now at least…” Licia answered, and the both of them stared at each other. Licia was wondering whether she would have to also neutralize Lidia, but the latter suddenly nodded.

“Alright, I won’t step in your way.” Her sister said.

“...Huh? You sure?” Licia asked, bewildered, never had she thought Lidia would agree just like that. Her sister just nodded back, and instead of asking the reason, Licia continued on, time was precious right now.

““...”” Only the noise of steps were heard within the hallway, noises from two pairs of feet in fact.

“Hey…” Licia could not hold it any longer as they reached the armory. “Why are you following me?”

“Because I’m coming with you.” Lidia answered straightforwardly, shocking Licia.

“Why?”

“Because I’m worried.”

“Ah, I see, you’re worried about our sisters too…” Licia understood, but even if that were the case, that would not be enough for Lidia to break orders, right? There might be something else…

“No, not entirely.It’s true that Mia and Nia are probably outside because of me, but I have another reason.” Lidia shook her head, before closing in on Licia until their nose nearly touched. “I’m worried about you right now, eldest sister.”

“Eh?”  Licia froze, she did not expect this at all! What did Lidia mean by that?

“You are going to our sisters because they are somewhere dangerous, and because of the fact that they have used Null codes, right? But sister, have you ever gone outside?” Lidia questioned with a criticizing look, to which Licia could only answer by avoiding her eyes.

“Yeah, I thought so.” Lidia sighed after she saw that, she entered the armory, going immediately for the room to the left as she said this to her sister. “I, on the other hand, already went outside, so if you want to find our sisters rapidly, you’ll need my help.”

Licia stared at her sister as she rummaged through the drawers, searching for something. “...Are you sure?”

Lidia did not answer immediately, instead, she threw a piece of black cloth at Licia who grabbed it, once she realized what it was, she looked at her sister, who gave her a light smile and a wink. “Two’s better than one, Am I right?”

“But, I wasn’t that good to you and the others.” Licia answered as she avoided her sister’s gaze, feeling ashamed of her past self.

“I don’t blame you for what happened, it could have been any of us honestly. Still we’re family, and we’ll always be one. Even if it seems you don’t like our mother right now...”

“...” Once again, Licia did not answer, Lidia had silenced her with those words. Her sister somehow knew that something bad had happened between her and that person, and she did not even have a power like Ticinia! Seeing that her sister did not answer, Licia continued.

“Whether you like it or not, family sticks together, so even if you don't want me or mother to follow you, I’ll do so, and I’m sure she will too.”

“...Alright, I get it…” Licia answered after a time of silence, she was not sure if that person would really come, as Lidia seemed to believe, but she wanted to trust her sister. “Thank you Lidia.”

“Anytime, sister.” Lidia replied with another rare smile, she seemed satisfied, but the smile disappeared quickly as she now went towards the shelves holding weapons. “Now, let’s get ourselves prepared, quick.”