Rain stitched the streets together in thin silver threads. Sho's goggles refracted the raindrops as he walked through it like he owned at least 40% of the situation.
"…so what I'm saying is," he continued, hands moving more than necessary, coat swishing with dramatic commitment, "if we survive this and… I do plan to… we should consider a system."
"A system?" said the other Sho beside him.
"Organisation. Labels. Maybe hats."
"…hats?" He looked at him.
"Yes. You see me. I have upgraded." He tapped the cracked goggles on his head proudly. "This is a leadership silhouette."
They turned into another crooked street, lamps flicker-blinking like sleepy eyes. A pipe overhead coughed steam, pshhh-chuff, and Sho waved through it like he was entering a stage.
"…also, I think we should address something important."
"What is it?"
"We split."
"Yes."
"Which implies…"
"We are inefficient?" Sho cut him off.
"… we are dramatically inefficient, thank you for completing my sentence incorrectly."
A beat.
"… you're welcome."
He grinned. "You're getting better."
"No."
"…you're trying, and that's what matters."
Sho said nothing. He was watching everything, the rooftops, the shadows between crates, the way the rain collected and flowed. Even the silence between sounds. The other Sho filled it anyway.
"…do you think they're fine?" He continued… again.
"Yes."
"…that was a fast reply."
"I'm sure they are fine."
"Maybe, but they don't have me, though."
"… Lucky them, I guess."
He brightened instantly. "There we go, see? Friendship growth! Hurts my feeling a little, but still."
He then walked a few steps in front of the quiet Sho and turned facing him, walking backwards. "You better, keep up."
"… I am walking at a normal pace."
His crossed his hands "Unfortunately, none of this is normal, they need our help right now," yapped as he continued to walk backwards "…what, it's not like they're just going to appear out of nowh- AHHH!"
They indeed appeared right behind him. Two more Shos and Eidola. "We've been looking for you!"
Sho clutched his chest, catching his breath from the jumpscare. "SO HAVE WE!"
The other Sho blinked at him, pointing at the goggles. "Why are you wearing that?!"
"It gives him confidence." The quiet Sho answered for him.
"That is not true at all!" Sho shook his head. That was in fact true.
"Are you guys okay?" The original Sho asked, stepping forward.
"Yes," He replied.
"…good."
"…you have her," The quiet Sho observed, gaze settling on Eidola. "This is good, I've sent a distress signal to the General. They should come for us at an assigned coordinate." He pointed to an opening a few blocks from where they were. "We better move quick."
"Wait, wait, wait, hold on," the other Sho stopped him. "How did you send the signal?"
"We found an abandoned hideout of the Null Concordat when we were running from them."
"Thanks to me for that," the other Sho added, visibly proud.
"You guys were in the enemy's hideout?!"
"Long story. But I found out some information." The quiet Sho didn't look at them yet. "The machine… well, it was supposed to be a cloning machine. But we're not duplicates."
They looked at him. "What?"
"We're division," now he turned. The word settled.
"…division?" Sho frowned at him. "…as in… broken?"
"…as in separated function," he replied.
The other Sho narrowed his eyes slightly. "Explain."
"The panel referenced anomaly classification. Division is not intended output. It is structural failure."
"…that sounds worse than broken," Sho fixed his goggles on his head.
"We're not cloned, we separated." He continued, a longer silence this time.
Sho looked at each one of them, with Eidola still carried in his arms, "…that's why we think differently," he said slowly.
One carrying the girl, one without a coat, one with goggles, one hugging himself.
There was a bit of relief in it, but they couldn't figure out what it was, as they were all still processing it.
"This doesn't make any sense," Sho snapped.
"You're right, it doesn't," he replied. "However, Eidola, she is … a clone. She is the weapon."
"…she doesn't look like a weapon," Sho said, softer than before.
"She is designated as one," he replied.
"Designated doesn't mean defined."
"No, it does not," he agreed. "…but it means intended."
They looked at her, then back at him. Her head tilted as their eyes crossed.
"… a special one, in fact. But I'm not sure why," he added. "Her data had no immediate failure tag and with all metrics present. The others were… discarded."
Sho scoffed, "I guess that's why the General got his eyes on her," he held her a little tighter.
"Then we better deliver her to the General and be done with this," the other sho started stretching, fixing his goggles, "…but first, I'm hungry. Pass me the potato!"
"Which me?" another Sho replied.
"You!"
"I am you."
"No, I mean the one holding the…" he gestured vaguely.
All three of the others raised a potato.
"…this is unworkable." The other Sho shook his head.
"Fine," Sho with Eidola pointed. "You, give him the potato. You, stop talking."
"…Don't tell me what to do, I'm hungry." He grabbed the sweet potato, and started eating it.
"We're gonna need names…"
"Agreed, we came out in order from the machine," the first Sho said slowly. "So we use that." He hesitated. "…I was first."
A pause.
"I was second," the one without a coat said. "He was third." He pointed at the one eating, with goggles on his head. He was too busy munching to reply. All eyes turned to the quiet one.
"…four," he said simply.
"Alright then, I'm called One, you're Two, you're Three, and you're Four." One said, repositioning Eidola in his arms.
"Excuse me, I refuse to be just Three," Three raised his hand. "That sounds boring!"
"You can be Three or you can be left behind." Two looked at him.
"…Three is acceptable."
One readjusted Eidola, "It settles then. If what Four said is true, we should move to the coordinate and deliver her. We will find a way to fix our situation as well."
Two grabbed One, just before he could take a step, "fix? You mean… return back to one?"
One looked at him, blinked, "isn't that what we want?"
Silence. Two was left speechless, tick-tackle and hissle-hassle. He seemed to know what he wanted to say, but he couldn't bring himself to say it.
"Alright, let's move out," One called to the others, "we will reach the coordinate in no time."