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“How long do you think you can keep this bit up?”
The voice echoes in the void, it startles Wifies. A moment ago he was in bed, waiting for Ken to tell him breakfast was ready. Now, he stares at a perfect copy of himself, one that looks at him with a sickening sense of superiority.
“What?”
He always thought one day his creator would appear before him, tell him how much of a failure he was in the face of perfection. Wifies was, after all, no more than a copy, one that could never surpass the original.
What does surprise him is that the figure standing in front of him is not the creator he’s dreaded so much, or at least Wifies doesn’t think it is. The man in front of him may be as imposing, but he wears a leather coat and no glasses.
“You’re just delaying the inevitable.” He says, and sounds sure, but it is without the mocking Wifies is used to when addressed by his creator.
“Who are you?”
This is not the Wifies he faced in the factory, but he is not just another clone either. Not in a million years would the Wifies he knows let one of his clones roam free, nor would he let them interact with one that’s gone rogue.
“You know who I am.” He says, and Wifies gets an irrational sense of anger.
Is this just a joke for him? Does he not care for the awful treatment Wifies has given them? Speaking of which, why would Wifies let one of the beings he labels as inferior act as his representative? Nothing makes sense, and he doesn’t want it to, he just wants to go back home.
“Answer me.” He tries to stand straighter, to make himself look bigger. The other Wifies sees right through him and smiles, it makes Wifies feel like a pathetic excuse for a joke.
“I, much like you, were created with a purpose to be fulfilled. A purpose that I wanted to escape.”
He doesn’t call himself Wifies, which one would expect when asking someone about their identity; nor does he really acknowledge his creator. But if this is another rebell, one that gave up the identity that was never really his to begin with, then why is he cornering Wifies like this?
“What do you want?”
Maybe Wifies feels a little safer knowing that the clone in front of him also tried to escape, or maybe he is trying his hardest to not feel lesser to another version of himself; whichever it is, he stares straight into the other’s eyes waiting for an answer.
“Is it not hard to be all by yourself?” He somehow sounds like their creator when he says it, sending a shiver down Wifies' spine.
“I’m not-” Wifies tries to protest, but he is soon interrupted.
“I know you’re not alone. But do you really think those close to you now will remain that way forever?” His voice is just slightly more taut and that terrifies Wifies. “Have you never asked yourself whether you’ll always be good enough?”
“I am. I will.” He tries to sound convinced, he truly does, but there is a gnawing fear in the back of his mind that tells him he’ll never be.
“I don’t suppose Wato and Ken have ever said something that would show they doubt you. Or something that made you doubt yourself.”
He says it with a rueful expression, as if he were sympathizing with Wifies, as if he understood him and his pain. But his eyes don't change, they look distant, even a little amused by the situation.
“I don't know what you're talking about.”
Wifies takes a step back, faltering when, for a moment, one so small that perhaps he wouldn't have noticed if he weren't a robot, Wifies' expression beams with the delight of a predator that has catched its prey.
“They will leave you and you won't be able to stop it.” He says it as if it were the harsh truth, but that's not necessary, Wifies already believes it. “It’s inevitable for being like us to be discarded when people no longer need us, want us”
“No, it's not.” It sounds more like a question and Wifies beats himself up for it.
“And you know it.”
Wifies doesn't want to give in to another clone. He may see himself as expendable, but Wato and Ken have assured him so much he’s not, he just has to believe it now.
“It’s not inevitable. I’m going to stop it.” He does manage to sound more sure with that in mind, and he thanks his friends for it.
“Oh, so you admit you know what I’m talking about.” The Wifies smiles, dropping the caring facet completely. But he seems to rethink it before the smile becomes more gentle. “Come on. Don’t you want to come home?”
“No. I don’t. I left that place behind years ago. I left him behind.” That, Wifies can be certain of. Even if he was left all alone, even if what this Wifies is saying was true, he would never seek refuge with his creator.
“You really believe that?” His smile doesn't even drop a little, in fact, he sounds more sure of what he's saying. “Look inside yourself, Wifies. You know where you belong.”
Despite everything, Wifies remains defiant. It doesn't matter how much he doubts himself, or how imperfect a design he may be; he knows he'll never want to go back to him.
“You know, I do, actually. I belong right here.” He does, he belongs with Ken and Wato and their peaceful life, he hopes he does. “Didn't you say you wanted to escape too?”
“I did. I said I wanted to, and I escaped.” His smile does drop when he says that, looking absent for a moment before shoving it away, seeming to remember a happier place. “But I understand that's not where I was meant to be, those there were not the ones who really wanted me, they were not Wifies.”
He says that last bit with a devotion that scares Wifies, with a love that he could never hold for his creator. “Maybe you belong back home, where you can hide forever.”
Wifies says it with disdain, with the intent to hurt, but the one in front of him smiles. “I do. Not to hide, but because that's simply where I want to be, with him by my side.”
“You-” He gets taken aback, this clone seems obsessed with their creator in a way that sickens Wifies to even think about. “Well you can go back to your evil- to your Evilfies but-”
The clone laughs, a small chuckle at the nickname Wifies has, for the first time, used. “Goodbye, Wifies. I’ll be seeing you.
And just like that he's gone. Wifies is left alone in the void for a few minutes before he wakes up in bed.
Everything seems normal, he is covered by soft blankets and he can smell the scent of coffee coming from the kitchen.
He starts crying.
He hates crying, he rarely does it. It's one of those human things he can't fully understand. But right now it feels like the only thing he can do.
He sobs quietly, trembling when Ken opens the door. “Hey sleepyhead, breakfast is- Wifies, are you okay?”
Wifies doesn't answer, or at least he thinks he doesn't. But he may be wrong, because he blinks and suddenly Ken is hugging him and calling Wato. Everything is a haze, but he can't bring himself to care about it. He continues crying.
“It's alright, Wifies.” Ken reassures him, Wifies wants so badly to believe him.
Wato is quick to appear, and joins in hugging Wifies. He doesn't even ask what's wrong, he knows he won't get an answer and that's not what matters, he simply comforts Wifies because he wants his friend to be happy.
Wifies doesn't stop crying, but he does stop thinking about the fabric. He feels loved and cared for. He is not alone like the other Wifies said he was. He is not in a fabric with millions of Wifies being produced and destroyed.
He is home.